Ray Crawford (born 26 October 1915 and died 1 February 1996) was an American military pilot and racecar driver. He participated in five Indianapolis 500 races between 1955 and 1959, earning credit towards the Formula One championship.
Prior to his racing career, Crawford flew a P-38 Lightning fighter plane in combat near the end of the Second World War. He was also a test pilot of the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the first successful American turbojet-powered aircraft. During his military career he rose to the rank of Captain, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with fourteen Oak Leaf Clusters.
He was introduced to racing by Sam Hanks, a former high school classmate. In 1955, Crawford participated in the 12 Hours of Sebring, completing the entire race distance solo, becoming the first and only driver to do so.
Crawford made his Formula One debut in the 1955 Indianapolis 500, which was a part of the F1 calendar at the time. He continued to race in the event in the years that followed, although he failed to qualify in 1957 and 1958.
He retired from racing after the 1959 Indianapolis 500, where he sustained serious injuries in a crash.
Formula One Statistical Overview[]
Formula One Record[]
| Year | Entrant | Team | WDC Points | WDC Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 |  Ray Crawford
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Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1956 | Ray Crawford
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Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1957 | Meguiar's Mirror / Crawford
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Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1958 | Meguiar's Mirror / Crawford
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Kurtis Kraft-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
| 1959 | Meguiar's Mirror / Crawford
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Elder-Offenhauser | 0 | NC |
Career Statistics[]
| Entries | 5 |
| Starts | 3 |
| Pole Positions | 0 |
| Race Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Fastest Laps | 0 |
| Points | 0 |
| Laps Raced | 275 |
| Distance Raced | 1,106 km (687 mi) |
Career Results[]
| Complete Formula One Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts | Pos | ||||||||||||
| 1955 | 
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||
| Ret | C | C | C | C | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1956 |
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
| Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1957 |
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0 | NC | |||||||||||||||
| DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1958 |
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||
| DNQ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1959 |
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0 | NC | ||||||||||||||
| Ret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning | ||
| 1st | Winner | Ret | Retired | ||
| 2nd | Podium finish | DSQ | Disqualified | ||
| 3rd | DNQ | Did not qualify | |||
| 5th | Points finish | DNPQ | Did not pre-qualify | ||
| 14th | Non-points finish | TD | Test driver | ||
| Italics | Fastest Lap | DNS | Did not start | ||
| 18th† | Classified finish (retired with >90% race distance) | NC | Non-classified finish (<90% race distance) | ||
| 4thP | Qualified for pole position | [+] More Symbols | |||
Notes[]
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