Bowen Is The First Champion Of A Brand New Class
Ray Bowen - 1998 Sportsman Series champion

-by Lois Pollard-Grant

Ray Bowen has spent the better part of the last 14 years behind the wheel of one type of race car or another; and last year it all came together for him when he was crowned the first champion of the Ensign Travel Sportsman Series.

The sportsman series, a new class in name (and a few rule changes) was a take-over of the once popular stock car class that had been laying dormant for many years.

Ray, (a former demo driver) was running in the thunder car class at the time, but he jumped at the chance to haul his old stock car from his back yard to race in the sportsman class.

He competed in both sportsman and thundercars last season and even though he wasn't able to take in all the thundercar events, he still managed an impressive fifth place in drivers point standings.

Apparently Ray appreciates the value of sponsors.

As the '98 sportsman champ, he was rewarded with tickets from Ensign Travel for a trip to Las Vegas. He immediately handed the tickets over to his sponsor, Gil Hauge of Just Heads.

Ray, an outgoing type of character with a rollicking laugh, works for a living as a garbage collector for Alpine Disposal.

He would like to be remembered "as a garbage man" - No, Ray laughed - "Make that everyone's favorite garbage man."

-as printed in the March 24, 1999 edition of the Goldstream News Gazette