A Racing Legend Among Us: A Hall of Fame Journey

When the New England Hot Rod Hall of Fame welcomed its newest inductees during the summer of 2009, one name stood out among the crowd of legends: a man whose racing career had become synonymous with innovation, consistency, and dominance from the early 1960s through the 1970s.

Ralph H. Ridgeway, Jr., a longtime resident of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, was the middle of three children born to Gladys and Ralph Ridgeway in Springfield. His father, a self-made businessman who founded and operated several ventures, passed down both his entrepreneurial spirit and mechanical aptitude to his sons—Ralph Jr. and his younger brother, Paul. Many of their earliest lessons in automotive mechanics took place right at home, watching their father perform tune-ups in the family garage. Most importantly, he introduced them to the world of auto racing at a young age. Even later in life, their father remained a devoted fan, frequently attending local oval tracks and drag races. Ralph Jr., an engineer by profession, carried these early influences forward, giving him a distinct edge in designing, modifying, and racing his high-performance cars. 

Ralph Jr.'s journey began modestly in 1959 with the purchase of a 1955 Chevrolet Del Ray Sport Coupe—a street car that, thanks to a push from his Northeastern University roommate Dave Riley, soon became a regular at local drag strips. From 1960 to 1962, he raced that ’55 in the C/Gas and D/Gas classes, gaining experience and laying the groundwork for a career that would soon escalate dramatically.

In 1963, he acquired a 1958 Corvette, another dual-purpose street and strip machine. That season, he remained undefeated in the C/MSP class, signaling that something special was in the works.

The real transformation came in 1964 with the purchase of another '55 Chevy—this one a partially completed project that he turned into a full race-only machine. It would be this car, run in NHRA’s C/Modified Production (C/MP) and D/MP classes from 1964 to 1968, that would define the height of his racing career.

The '55 Chevy (Ralph Ridgeway Jr)

His breakthrough came in 1965, when he captured the C/MP class title at the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis. The following year, 1966, was nothing short of extraordinary: he won 27 of 28 class races and secured 15 Street Eliminator titles. That season, he also set an NHRA record at Sanford, Maine.

By 1967, he was virtually unstoppable—undefeated in class racing, with five additional Street Eliminator victories and 12 Bucks or Cups Eliminator wins. That same year, he claimed class wins at the Spring Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, the NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis, and the AHRA Nationals in Long Island. He set an astounding 17 AHRA records during the season, including 10 in a single day at New England Dragway on July 1. He earned low elapsed time (ET) and top speed honors for his class at both Bristol and Indianapolis.

Though 1968 saw less national travel, he continued to dominate locally at New England Dragway, Lebanon Valley, and Connecticut Dragway, and recorded his most significant victory that year at the fall Suffolk, Virginia meet. Over his career, he won his class at 33 tracks across the U.S. and Canada, and held elapsed time and speed records at many of them, including the storied Indianapolis Raceway Park.

With his race-only ’55 Chevy, he posted a best time of 11.66 seconds at 118.8 MPH before selling the car to Les Davidson of Montreal in late 1968.

Not one to slow down, he campaigned a 1969 Camaro in Super Stock, E/Gas, and D/MP classes for the 1969 and 1970 seasons, sponsored by Norwood Chevrolet of Warwick, Rhode Island. That car set an AHRA record at New England Dragway in August 1970, running 11.46 in E/Hot Rod.

His final race car, a 1970 ½ Camaro sponsored by Beacon Chevrolet of Lynn, Massachusetts, clocked 10.9 seconds at 125 MPH. In 1971, at St. Eugene Dragway in Quebec, he set an IHRA F1 FMS class record for the 1/8th mile with a time of 7.60 seconds.

August 1972, Ridge Runner II at Sanair Super Speedway, Saint-Pie, Quebec (Bob Boudreau)

All of his cars were supported by Deb’s Automotive of Springfield, Massachusetts, and Miller’s Machine Shop of Haverhill, with product sponsorships from Crane Cams and Schiefer Clutch—key partnerships that helped fuel his mechanical innovations.

A natural experimenter, he had begun testing cross-ram intake manifolds as early as 1965. Working with Carl Debien at Deb’s Automotive, they found that while these manifolds improved mid-range power, they lacked top-end performance due to excessively long runners. Their solution? Modify a Chevrolet fuel injection manifold by shortening the runners and machining a custom top plate for carburetor use. The result: a tenth to two-tenths of a second faster, and 2 MPH faster through the traps.

When he later transitioned to Holley carburetors, he and Debien adapted the setup for easier jet changes by turning the carbs sideways. They also developed interchangeable top plates, enabling a switch between dual and single four-barrel carb setups. This flexibility allowed him to set multiple AHRA records in a single day—a testament to both speed and ingenuity.

In 1968, buoyed by success at the Nationals and AHRA events, they began manufacturing the Ridge Runner Ram—an in-line high-rise intake manifold for small and big block engines. Car Craft Magazine documented a mid-week test session of the new manifold at New England Dragway, featured in its November 1968 issue. Several hundred units were produced in the years that followed.

Even as his racing days waned, his mechanical curiosity never did. In 1972, frustrated by rocker stud girdles that altered valve lash during tightening, he devised a new kind of stud support. In 1973, he partnered with John Yediniak of Crystal Tool in Rockville, Connecticut, to form Ridgeway Racing Associates. A year later, his rocker stud support system received U.S. Patent #3,870,024 and hit the market. The part allowed precise valve adjustments without the drawbacks of traditional stud girdles, and sold in the thousands across applications for Chevrolet, Ford, Pontiac, and more.

Ridgeway Racing Associates continued to manufacture and sell high-performance racing components—born from years of competition, testing, and innovation—well into the late 1970s. Yet for those who followed his career or witnessed it firsthand, the legacy had already been etched in elapsed time slips, shattered records, and championship trophies.

The Hall of Fame induction was more than a recognition of race wins and records—it was a tribute to a racer, engineer, and innovator whose influence continues to echo on drag strips and in engine bays across North America. Ralph Ridgeway is an exceptional man, and I’m proud to call him a dear friend, along with his wonderful wife, Sherrie. Even today, he remains hands-on in the world of racing, still working on engines and components for drivers who benefit from his unmatched experience and insight.

To learn more about Ralph Ridgeway Jr. and his remarkable journey, his brother Paul Ridgeway authored a book titled The Ridge Runner, published by Silver Street Media. Within its pages, you’ll discover the full story of Ralph’s extraordinary racing career and the groundbreaking technical innovations that set him apart.