Lone Star Boat Racing Association

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Joe Rome told me this story today, that I had never heard before. It occurred at Dumas, Arkansas. Wasn't there & don't know the year, but it brought tears to my eyes I was laughing so hard.

Ray Hardy came to Texas from Chicago around 1974 and we adopted him as an Honorary Texan. For those of you who never met him he was a mechanical genius and inventor, and he talked out of the side of his mouth in gangster fashion. Not meaning that he lied, but sounded like someone from the mob.

He got to Dumas late. Too late to test, and he was warned if he didn't check into the only motel soon, he might not have a room. So he and Bill Van Steenwyk decided that he would check in and leave the women with one car to get to the course the next morning. They would leave together at 6 am to get some testing in. Ray had a pretty good time checking out the hospitality of Dumas that night.

Bill Van was in the parking lot waiting for Ray at 6 am. After 15 minutes Bill Van called the room and Ray said he would be right down. Another 15 minutes passed and he called again. Ray said he was going to take a shower and be right down. Bill Van said he would give him a little more time, but if Ray wasn't there, he was going to leave. Bill Van got tired of waiting and was starting to drive off when Ray came limping up. He was beet red with a mouse over his eye that was swelling and he walked with a limp, and obviously with a bad headache.

Bill Van asked, "What happened to you?" Ray said after the last time he called he got into the shower and turned the cold on full blast to bring him around. "YEEEOOOOW!", Ray screamed. The hot and cold faucets had been reversed. Being scalded, Ray grabbed the shower curtain to block the steaming blast and got tangled up in the shower curtain. He lost his balance and started falling out of the tub. He put his free arm out to arrest his fall, which he did on the rim of the toilet. But, being wrapped up in the shower curtain, it was jerked from its mooring and slammed down on the back of his head, then knocked the toilet lid* down. The toilet lid slammed shut and smashed Ray's fingers causing Ray to fall head first to the floor, still partway in the tub. Hearing the commotion, Ray's wife jumped out of bed and ran toward the bathroom. "What is it Ray? Are you alright?" she hollered. Tangled up and trying to recover, Ray yelled "DON'T COME....SMASH!" The corner of the door caught Ray squarely on his eye. Joe says Ray wasn't worth nothin the rest of the weekend.

*It appears the moral of this story is..........don't leave the toilet lid up!