was born in Pittsburg, PA in 1931. Ray Heppenstall the great-grandson of the founder Heppenstall Steel, the largest family-owned steel company in the US, but Ray's fame would come racing world, not his grandfather's steel industry.
Ray entered his first race, a 12-hour race Linden, NJ, airport, August 22, 1954, he led the new Nash Metropolitan, which amended the dual Stromberg carburetor throat and 12-inch wheels. Heppenstall and co-driver Howard had respected retired after five hours of mechanical problems.
in the next 14 years, he is a leading designer and installer own cars, and other owners, SCCA road racing events primarily across the United States. During 1958 and 1959, Ray competed in the D. B. Panhard HBR5 Super Rally Coupe Howard Hanna in Philadelphia, US East distributor D. B. The car earned numerous class wins, Ray won the Class SCCA H Production Championship in 1959, after Hanna win in the previous year. Acting B. D. sale all over the eastern United States, Ray drove the car to and from the race meetings, including Riverside, California.
In 1960, Ray imported a modified version of the front-engined Elva Formula Junior cars built in England by Frank Nichols, known in the United States, the Scorpio. It is powered by a 1100cc engine Rytune DKW, Rytune to an associate of Elva. Heppenstall joined the SCCA National Scorpio At Marlboro, Maryland, and the Continental Divide, Colorado, and drove the car to third place in each of these competitions. He placed fifth Scorpions (with driver Pedro Ridriguez) and second (manager Chuck Wallace) in the Vanderbilt Cup final at Roosevelt Raceway on Long Island.
This was the 1968 racing season, the TX HOWMET that he wrote a history of design, construction, and management of HOWMET to win the Huntsville TX and Marlboro. The HOWMET was the first and only jet-powered car to win the race.
When the Formula Super Vee started in 1971, equipped with the Lotus Formula 3 chassis VW engine and ran the SCCA Super Vee championship series. Ray continued to run a team in the Super Vee, but when the formula changed the air-cooled engine water-cooled, around 1978, decided that the racing has become too expensive and closed his workshop, started the race
around 1990 actively participated in the American vintage racing scene, he lives in New Jersey, Crosley Hotshot race car in 1949 immaculate three or four times a year, in 2000, the building of a vintage car race Miller.