Billy Rafter
William Rafter is an American retired champion stock car driver from Clarence Center, New York and a pioneer of the sport.
Racing career
Rafter made 35 appearances in the NASCAR NASCAR [Cup Series|Grand National Series], the first of which was in 1949, the inaugural year of the Cup division. He otherwise spent the majority of his career racing in the Late Model Sportsman and Modified divisions, competing at the renowned tracks of the northeast, including Fonda Speedway and Wyoming [County International Speedway|Perry Speedway] in New York and Langhorne Speedway in Pennsylvania. In 1961, he won the inaugural event at the newly opened Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, New York.Rafter was inducted into the Saratoga [Automobile Museum|New York State Stock Car Association] and the Northeast Dirt Modified Halls of Fame.