Graham was born on December 22, 1943, a war baby, in Picton Ontario. Raised in Cherry Valley, and went to public school in Cherry Valley and high school in Picton. Graham is married with a son and a daughter.
Graham was introduced to stock car racing while he was still in public school. Earl Hanley of Cherry Valley had a stock car and Graham’s brother, Ikey (Dwaine) was helping him with the car. Earl started in Kingston around ‘52ish. Whenever Kingston speedway opened up and started, he was there. He ran right up until 1959. Ikey also towed the stock car for Earl to Kingston Speedway. When Ikey was helping Earl he was working for the International dealer here in town called, Le Haute Motors on Bridge St.
Graham really didn’t get involved in going to the races until he got into high school and then he started tagging along and riding with Ikey to the races. Graham didn’t help hardly any with Earl’s stock car.
“I’ve had enough of this stock car,” Earl said in 1959 “If you want this stock car you can take it.”
Mid summer of ‘59 Ikey brought the stock car home, now it was time to be hands on WOO-HOO! Ikey did for the rest of the 1959 season after the number was changed on the car. In the winter of 59/60 Ikey had already acquired a 34 Ford 3 window coupe body and frame. So during the winter of 59/60 they took all the running gear out, motor and drive-train, out of Earl’s stock car and put in the 34 ford 3-window coupe and Ikey raced that until 1962.
Ikey and Graham raced almost exclusively at Kingston Speedway, but made the trip to Watertown N.Y (Watertown Speedway). three times. The first time they went they were not really competitive, and expected that. There car didn’t have the right tire ratio and over there, they run high gear and it was set up for running second gear in Kingston. High gear was over Watertown half mile on a dirt track. It was like a Sunday afternoon drive, because it didn’t have the r.p.m.’s to drive the thing in high gear.
The next time Graham and Ikey went, they had a flat tire on the stock car going down the 401. They had to pull over, jack it up, and put another tire on. When they arrived, the first race was just getting lined up. One of the starters came over and informed us that they could get in on the race. Graham started the car running, getting it warmed up, things like that, spare tires were also inside, and get all that stuff out of the trunk, Ikey got his crash helmet on, got in, got his seat-belt on, shoved the clutch in, puts it in gear, lets the clutch out, and the car wouldn’t move at all. He could put it in and out of any gear he wanted and not even use the clutch. So, everything was put back in the car. Put everything back in the car, used the stock car for a grandstand, watched the rest of the races, and towed it home.
That Sunday, Graham and Ikey jacked the car up, took the rear end apart, and found out what was going on. The driveshaft had broke. Did it break when they had the flat tire? They don’t know. It worked though. Because it worked when it was in the garage, it started it up, backed out, hooked it up to the car, and towed it . Got it over there and it wouldn’t drive. So somewhere, in between Cherry Valley and Watertown, the driveshaft broke. The third time they went over Watertown was closed for the season.
Ikey got married, Earl’s old stock car, or what’s left of it down the road, and put it back behind his garage and it sat, had it jacked up on some rails or something so that it wouldn’t sit in the mud and he left it there. In the meantime, he takes his own stock-car and stores it at his place. Ikey didn’t want to sell them.
In 1966 Graham got a chance to buy a 1929 Ford 5-window coupe stock-car, ready to race except it had no engine. Graham and Ikey had bought parts from a local wrecker named Sid Cole over the years. He explained to Sid that he had just purchased a stock car and wanted a Ford flat head engine for it.
“I got 3 of them,” Sid said. He looks around and he says “I got one there, one there, one there. “Sid continued, “I know nothing about them! $20 take your choice, takes the whole car!”
After looking them over Graham picked one out, took it back home and put it in his stock-car. He raced the 1966 season with the flat-head. During the winter (’66/’67) Graham pulled the flat-head, replacing it with a 272 Ford valve head engine. Graham would race the stock car for two more years.
At the end of the ‘68 season, they brought out the new rules for the ’69 season and allowed cars to go to bigger motors,quick change rear end, and to go to much bigger tires.
“I’m done. I can’t compete with that at all.” Graham said. “I can’t even come close.”
Graham was not a mechanic. He and three other guys that went to high school together with were the crew. Just from being around Ikey’s old stock car and what have you. Graham wasn’t very competitive but he always had fun.
Though Graham no longer owned a stock car, he wasn’t done yet. Graham later got involved with long time friend Jim Durwood, at that time Riverview Speedway in Trenton was opening up, and that’s where Jim wanted to race. Jimmy Durnwoord, had a ‘57 Chevy. They painted the Chevy and they added a #2. Graham would help in the pits for 3 years, then Jim sold that car. He built up a ’55 Chevy, but only raced one season and sold the car.
And still Graham wouldn’t quite be done, yet.
Local driver Gary Sheffield, he raced in Kingston quite a bit, was also racing in Brighton Speedway, as well as Riverview (in Trenton) so he was very popular, and very competitive. Graham had never heard of Tweed Speedway until he came to me one day and asked Graham to drive his stock car at Tweed, I have to go to Toronto to a family reunion, my brother and the other guys will have their stock cars there all you have to do it drive it. They’ll have it there ready to go.
Graham said, “ Yup! I’m on board”
What he had was a ’56 Ford 2 door hardtop with the bigger motor 292 cid valve-head motor and was very competitive and won quite a few races. I drove it back there. Graham won a qualifying race but, didn’t win the feature. The reason why Gary Sheffield wanted Graham to go and drive the car was that points went to the car number, not the car driver. That’s pretty much it for Graham with other stock cars and things like that. At the end of the ‘68 season, they brought out the new rules for the ’69 season and they were going to bigger motors. They were allowing them to go to a quick change rear end. They were allowing them to go to much bigger tires.
“I’m done. I can’t compete with that at all.” Graham said, ” I can’t even come close.”
But Graham’s involvement with the car scene would not end.
Graham had taken Earl Hanley’s stock car to the annual Odessa car show hosted by the Antique And Classic Car Club Of Canada in 2006. Graham was approached by three of the grandsons (Chris, Tim and, Brian Haggarty) of the owner of who were trying to organize a re-union to be featured at the 2007 Odessa show. The grandsons had been very involved in the operation of the races with their grandfather (Lawrence Craven) and were keen on the idea of getting several of the former racers and their cars back together.
The event was very well received. There was a tent with memorabilia on display including the original Kingston O’Keeffe Trophy. The re-union event would be run for three years.
These days Graham still goes to Brockville Ontario Speedway and occasionally brings his tribute car to Picton Cruize Night.
story by Bill Samuel
all images provided by Graham Fraser
