Hero’s wreath fits Bullring’s Bray

Mark Martin is a role model but not a hero.

Racers should pattern their work ethic and sportsmanship after the humble man from Arkansas, but Martin probably would scoff at being called a role model. And he would be adamant that strapping himself inside a race car doesn’t make him — or any other driver — a hero.

These racers brave for flying in their land rockets to satiate a hunger for speed. But just being a risk-taker doesn’t elevate them to the status of soldiers, firefighters and police.

However, the short list of racing heroes grew by one Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring when local hobby racer Fabian Bray, 58, leaped from his wrecked Super Late Model stock car to help another driver escape from a crashed car that was being licked by flames.

No one makes money racing every other Saturday at the 3/8-mile Bullring, not even the season champion in the premier Super Late Models class.

Nearly all are “hobby” racers who spend a rough average of $500 a week for tires, racing fuel and passes to get family and friends serving as crew members into the race. And that $500 doesn’t include repairs.

On Saturday, five laps into the 40-lap Super Late Models feature, 16-year-old Dusty Davis became a “hot shoe” — but not in the way racers describe a young, hot-footed competitor. Coming out of the fourth turn, something went awry with Davis’ car.

The former national go-kart champion and one of the West’s top teen drivers began fish-tailing after a rear-end part broke. He fought valiantly to straighten the car, but slid into the guardwall near the finish line. That wasn’t so bad.

But a few seconds later, Joe Deguevara was coming off the last turn. He had no chance to slow and nowhere to go. He slammed Davis’ car broadside between 70 and 80 mph. About 1,500 fans watched in horror as the cars burst into flames.

Then Bray spun trying to avoid other cars and crashed between them.

Deguevara got out through his window and slipped on oil that resulted in him rolling down the slightly banked track like Ricky Bobby in “Talladega Nights.”

While Bray was disconnecting his seat and shoulder harnesses, he saw that Davis was still in his car. Bray, who might weigh 150 pounds in firesuit and helmet, bounded from his car as if he was on fire. His rapid escape, however, was to help Davis.

“I looked over and didn’t see him moving, not very fast anyway,” Bray said an hour later, taking a break from sawing front-end sheet metal off his mangled car.

“I didn’t see anyone else around, and I figured I’d better get out and do something,” the retired trucker said. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero — just do what had to be done.”

Davis was not burned, but his left arm and shoulder were badly banged up, he said this week.

“I called and thanked him,” said Davis, driving for the new Vision Racing team. “I couldn’t get out because I could only use one arm. I was roasting.”

The safety features in the cars worked, and the speedway’s stellar safety workers rushed into action.

But Bray is not the kind of guy to stand and wait.

“I just did what I hope someone would do for me,” he said humbly.

The two-time Bullring track champion in the Modified division has another week to spend a couple of thousand dollars rebuilding his car.

The Bullring is where NASCAR stars Kurt and Kyle Busch began racing, and where Chris Trickle and Spencer Clark were on the cusp of major league careers before their deaths.

Several young drivers such as Davis are cutting their teeth there, honing their skills with an eye on moving up.

But the heart and soul of the Bullring are guys like Bray.

They know they won’t race in the Daytona 500.

You can cheer them at the next Bullring race May 30.

Then go into the pits to meet a hero.

Jeff Wolf’s motor sports column is published Friday. He can be reached at 383-0247 or jwolf@reviewjournal.com. Visit Wolf’s motor sports blog at lvrj.com/blogs/heavypedal/ throughout the week.