Rayse Meyer closes out 2025 Bone Stock season with Pumpkin Smasher victory

Tillsonburg resident Rayse Meyer celebrates his first Bone Stock division victory. (Contributed Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Post Correspondent

Given the name his parents picked, it’s only so much of a stretch he ended up in a stock car.

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” said Tillsonburg’s Rayse Meyer about his moniker. “Can’t really complain about it either.”

His enthusiasm for vehicular speed emerged early, his entry into a QRC cart coming at the age of three.

“I was driving that in the backyard until I could control it well enough to race against real people.”

Meyer debuted the following year at the age of four, green-lighting a progression up the division’s ranks featuring a pair of series titles, until finishing one tier below the 500cc models at QRC’s apex. After a couple of years off, Mayer had the opportunity to test drive a friend’s vehicle raced at Delaware Speedway, a half-mile asphalt oval west of London. Meyer did well enough to move on to an actual event at the Flamborough Speedway. He was running well, ‘passing about 20 cars’ in that race before a mechanical malfunction ended his day.

“But that was enough to convince my dad we should get back into the racing stuff.”

Admittedly, it may not have been a hard sell to Terry Meyer, whose own racing history is backed up by his brother Jason (Rayse’s uncle), who competed in the Ontario Sportsman stock car series.

Rayse’s 18-year-old racing re-entry would be in the Bone Stock division, essentially a four-cylinder front wheel-drive vehicle taken straight off the road. Its conversion to racing includes removing the dashboard and installing a racing seat and roll cage for safety.

“And pretty much take it out on the track and see what you do.”

The Meyer family found a ‘good deal’ on a Chevy Cobalt Coupe Bone Stock conversion, purchasing it in February, 2024. The Delaware Speedway season begins at the end of April/early in May says Rayse, running through to early October. Preliminary ten-lap heats establish position for features running between 25 and 50 laps.

“The main thing is, keeping your tires under you,” said Meyer, alluding to controlling temperature through proper angle and speed on the turns. Failing to do so means tires can heat up, losing their grip.

That, along with avoiding ‘big wrecks’ underpins Meyer's strategy.

“It’s a weird feeling, that’s for sure,” he said of his - to date - trio of group collisions. “The care are built safe, but you can never see it coming. You’re hitting the brakes, holding on and hoping for the best.

“Everything happens so fast.”

Races are contested at 80 miles per hour said Meyer, whose year-one experience included an education in big wrecks and mechanical failure. His learning curve continued through his second season, admittedly a ‘tough one.’ But with continued support from his family, sponsors (M&J Tirecraft, BSG Tunes, The Keg Cambridge and London, William Dowds and Sons Electric, Castrol Oil and Herc’s Heavy Truck Repairs) and support staff, Rayse looked to Delaware’s final race of the season, the 13th Annual Pumpkin Smasher. The signature event was held Saturday, October 4th.

He had competed in 13 of 16 Delaware Speedway races, 16 overall, but was not in contention for a series points title. Looking to close out the season on a positive note however, Meyer qualified in tenth position, moving up to ninth for the start of the 40-lap ‘smasher.’ The car was ‘hooked up’ he said, set up and running well.

“We decided we’d head out and give it a shot.”

In his first lap, Meyer aggressively moved up to fourth position.

“From there it was chasing down the other three.”

Around the midway point he took over second place and began to reel the leader in. With the car running well, Meyer saw his chance with ten laps remaining.

“Made the move down to the bottom. I was able to overtake him and run away with it.”

By his final circuit, Meyer said he had roughly a half-lap lead, catching a glimpse of the checkered finish flag as he headed out of the final corner.

“It was a surrealistic feeling for me,” he said, capped as the flag celebrated his first victory. “It was just pure excitement at that point, pure excitement and joy.”

His dad Terry joined him in the track’s victory lane, an encouraging moment in his young career. Realistically, only a single Ontario driver makes a full living driving stock cars says Rayse, but he would like to move up both in his current division and beyond. Next year, he looks to keep progressing, adding races beyond his series events as part of his extended goal.

“Love for the sport, that’s pretty much it,” he summed up. “My family’s done it for years, I’ve been doing it for years.

“For me, there’s nothing more fun than sitting in a car, driving it in circles and trying to go faster than everybody else.”