P.A. Announcer Ray Melton's Final "GENTLEMEN - START YOUR ENGINES" Command

The Miller High Life 400 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway on February 23, 1986 is historic for a number of reasons:

* Kyle Petty's 1st Winston Cup Win

* 1st and only time in NASCAR history a Cup driver won at a track where both his father & grandfather won

* 1st Wood Brothers win since the 1983 season

* 1st use of a new NASCAR lineup system for a qualifying rainout

* 5 cars left out of the lineup including future Cup Champion Alan Kulwicki

* Richard Petty's terrific charge through the field with a dislocated shoulder suffered during the previous week's Daytona 500 

* The 13 car pileup on lap 19

* Dale Earnhardt leans out of car to clean windshield while driving

* And, of course, the "Shot Heard Round the World" - Dale Earnhardt's intentional hook of Darrell Waltrip with 3 laps to go

With all the historic moments and firsts that day, there was also a historic LAST . 

For years, famed racing P.A. announcer, RAY MELTON (the chief announcer at Darlington Raceway) - a close personal friend of Richmond promoter, Paul Sawyer had teamed with fellow  announcer, Sammy Bland to form the Richmond public address announcer team. 

Ray Melton passed away the week of Richmond's February 1986 Winston Cup race. Sammy Bland delivered the eulogy at Melton's Tidewater, Virginia funeral then headed to Richmond to announce without his longtime companion.

Harlan Hoover, the owner of Carolina Sound in Concord, North Carolina brought with him an old, worn tape of Ray Melton " Giving the Command"   to start engines. Often imitated by other announcers and parodied by the media as "Jelllllllymennnnn, Start Your Engines," only the former Marine and carnival barker Ray Melton could do it his way.

To honor their old announcing buddy, Paul Sawyer and Sammy Bland that day dispensed with the new "tradition" of having a Grand Marshal give the command. 

At the appropriate time on that frigid Richmond afternoon, soundman Harlan Hoover inserted his tape of Ray Melton who had just passed as race fans were treated one final time to the "Most Famous Words in Sports" as only Ray Melton could announce them.

I count myself blessed to have stood in victory lane that cold and bitter Winston Cup afternoon as the winning car sponsor. I also count myself blessed to have been one of a select group to hear Ray Melton intone his famed command over an ancient racetrack public address system using the huge old fairgrounds carnival speakers for the final time.

TV race analyst, Benny Parsons told of Ray Melton's thoughtfulness to him at Richmond just after the engines were fired.

If you never heard Ray Melton or if you heard him hundreds of times like me, start the video below and around the 3:48 mark crank your volume up till the room shakes. Then you'll have heard Ray Melton's final command.

Couldn't find an obituary or death notice on Ray Melton ?

Couldn't find an birth date or death date ?

Couldn't find name of cemetery ?

Thanks for any information or photos.

Dennis Garrett

Richmond, Va. USA

Dennis, I also have tried to find a Ray Melton obituary from February 1986 without any luck. I would guess one ran in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot if anyone can access their archives.

From Daily Press - Newport News - Monday, February 17, 1986

Racing voice Melton dies

Bill Kiser, PR director at Darlington Raceway, remembers the late Ray Melton as a very special sort of racing pioneer, a man with a distinctive voice who loved to promote the sport at every turn.

Melton, 73, died Saturday night while undergoing surgery in Virginia Beach. The long-time race announcer had been in surgery for nine hours while physicians tried to install a pacemaker. He had been in failing health for several years.

Next weekend's NASCAR 400-lap race at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway would have marked his 31st consecutive year of announcing at the half-mile track. "We're thinking of not even having the command," track owner Paul Sawyer said here Sunday. "Out of respect for Ray, we'll probably just have a moment of silence, then let the drivers start after that."

Melton began announcing at speedways and fairgrounds throughout the Southeast and Middle Atlantic area after leaving the Marine Corps following World War II. He was the advance man for the famous Lucky Teeter Thrill Show and also worked for the Hell Drivers stunt team. He became well-known for his gravely-voiced command that "GENTLEMEN, STAAAART YOOOOR ENGINES."

He loved the command so much that he'd call them out almost anywhere even in public restaurants during press luncheons. He spent much of his career giving lap-by-lap accounts of races to the fans at Darlington, Charlotte, Rockingham, Richmond and Dover. He was available' as a "special guest" to give the commands at short tracks like Langley Speedway, Virginia Raceway and Southside Speedway.

From Daily Press - Newport News, Virginia - February 19, 1986

Melton’s funeral in Virginia today

By AL PEARCE Sports Writer

Funeral services for Ray Melton are scheduled at 1 p.m. today at Holoman-Brown Funeral Home on Independence Blvd. in Virginia Beach. Melton, 73, a long-time racing announcer and promotions figure, died Saturday night while undergoing heart surgery in Virginia Beach.

A native of Rocky Mount, N.C., he began his announcing career soon after World War II. He first worked with such post war attractions as the Lucky Teeter Thrill Show and the Hell Drivers, but quickly moved into speedway announcing.

He moved to Tidewater in the late 1940s and announced for the late Joe Weatherly at Chinese Corners Speedway in Norfolk. Weatherly and Paul Sawyer helped get Melton hired at the Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Melton's familiar gravel-toned, booming voice was also heard at speedways in Charlotte, Rockingham, Richmond and Dover. 

Thanks so much, Chase for finding the newspaper  accounts of Ray Melton's passing. Interesting to see that both Ray and his longtime Richmond announcing partner, Sammy Bland were both natives of Rocky Mount, NC. They sure knew how to grow announcng talent in that former railroad hamlet.

Found two old newspaper pieces 23 years apart that demonstrate both the longevity of Ray Melton and his ability for self promotion. Tim Leeming and Chase Whitaker will note that Melton proclaimed Richard Petty the Greatest Grand National driver of all-time, but predicted he'd quit at age 35.

April 24, 1948 - 5 months before my birth

Gaston (NC) Gazette

 Hell Drivers Show Sunday to be Announced by Ray Melton

Ray Melton, nationally known sports announcer, arrived in Gastonia Friday night to announce the Jimmy Curry automobile thrill show at the Gastonia fair grounds Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. The Gastonia Junior Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the show.

August 3, 1971

Cumberland (MD) Evening Times

Ray Melton

 WHEN THE SWITCH-on the public-address microphone is flipped on tonight at the Cumberland Raceway and demolition derby fans are greeted with the salutation, "Ladies and jella-men," veteran auto-racing fans will recognize the voice immediately as that of Ray Melton, He's the best daggone race announcer in the country. If you have some reservations about his ability, drop by the box in which "Miss Lottie" is sitting tonight and ask her. She'll tell you as auto-racing announcers go, you start with Ray Meton, then rate the other ones. She admits being prejudiced in his case because from a formal standpoint "Miss Lottie" happens to be Mrs. Ray Melton. She also admits to be- ing his No. 1 fan. But as an admirer of the man, she is by no means alone. He has legions of followers and can produce the clippings and magazine stories to prove it. The 58-year-old Melton (he celebrated his birth- day last month) is loaded with pride in his work and stands on his record--an announcer for over 31 years and the man behind the mike in just about all of NASCAR's biggest events. He is best known in Darlington, S. C. as "The Voice of the Southern 5OO" but Darlington Raceway president Barney Wallace put it this way: "Ray Melton is much more than an announcer at Darlington, he's part of the history here." An ex-Marine who still walks with a military air, Melton lives and breathes auto racing. "If you want to be good at your work, you have to put your whole heart into it," he said last night during a chat following the postponement of the demo derby. And apparently all of the big Southern super speedways regard Melton with the same affection as "Miss Lottie" because it's his voice fans hear describing their action--the National 500, Carolina 500 and the American 500. For 11 years he also called the World 600 and Rebel 400 but no more. He and the Charlotte Motor Speedway have reached a parting of the ways. "You can say that the Charlotte Speedway can no longer afford the services of Ray Melton," stated the colorful, confident announcer. A native of Rocky Mount, N. C. but a resident for many years of Virginia Beach, Va.~, Melton also works behind the mike for scores of smaller tracks. That explains why the country's greatest race announcer is at the Cumberland Fair to do a destruction derby. "You have to keep your hand--and your- mouth--in the middle of things if you want to stay sharp." he says. "It's like a movie star playing in summer stock." Melton will continue to "beat the bushes" until August 28. He'll rest a day at his Virginia Beach residence, then report to Darlington for practice and qualifying preparatory to the Southern 500 on Labor Day. He'll follow this with the Capital City 500 at Richmond on September 12, the Delaware 500 at Dover October 17 and the finale at Rockingham, N. C. October 24--the American 600. HAVING SEEN ALL OF the modern greats in auto racing, Ray Melton has come up with a personal hall of fame. Guess what name heads the list? Yep, you're right, the incomparable Richard Petty, NASCAR's first driver to win a million dollars. Petty, Melton claims, has to be the greatest of all grand national performers. . A. J. Foyt gets Ray's vole as the world's greatest race driver "because he's a star in any type of competition car he chooses to drive." The late Curtis Turner, victim of a plane crash last October, makes the Melton "hall" because of his versatility--late-model, sportsmen, modified, convertible and grand national. Then comes the late Joe Weatherly, a longtime favorite of Melton. "I didn't pick him on sentimentality," points out Ray. ."His record speaks for itself and he's the only race driver ever to have a museum named in his honor (Darlington)."Weatherly was killed seven years ago at Riverside, Cal. Has it been any surprise to him that a NASCAR driver has become a millionaire? "Not at all," says Melton. "A few years ago I predicted that Richard Petty would earn 52 million before he retires from racing at the age of 35." And the veteran "Voice" still thinks Petty will make it even though he reached the first million plateau only this past Sunday with victory in the Dixie 500 and has only two more years to drive. "If he doesn't get hurt, he'll make it," Melton observed. "This sport is growing all the time, the purses are getting larger and Richard is improving with age. Don't forget Richard was born into racing, his dad (Lee Petty) having been a three-time grand national champ as well as a small-track champion (1958)." Lee Petty still ranks third in grand national career victories with 56. Son Richard is way out front in this department with 134 while David Pearson is a distant second with 74. Richard still hasn't caught his pappy in national titles but, barring injuries, this could be the year for him to do it. His Winston Cup point total is 2,910, giving him a 187-poinfc lead over second-place James Hylton who has 2,723. This is not Melton's first visit to Cumberland. He was here years apo as the announcer for the late Lucky Teter's auto thrill show. Behind his association with Teter- lies a story. "I was a spectator at one of his shows in Wilson. N. C.," Ray recalled. "I met Teter afterwards and told him he had a great show but a lousy announcer." "Do you think you can do belief?" Teter asked. "I know damned wel! I can," Mellon replied. "Okay, we'll see how good you are in the next show." Ray grabbed the mike the next night and the father of seven (three daughters and four sons) hasn't let go since.