Jay Roper

Jay Roper (September 18, 1917-April 21, 2019) was a Piston Cup winner until 1958. Jay is a World War II veteran who raced in the first edition of the Piston Cup in 1958 when he finished among the leaders, Jay won races in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1956 and 1957, but retired from racing after no wins in 1958. He is a 1939 Mercury. Jay is the oldest living racer at 101 years old born in 1917. The 2nd oldest living racer is Henry Wilson born in 1922 followed by Maxwell Turner born 1924,Ya Chun Fei in 1925 and Jack Ford in 1927 (he was 91 in 2018).

The 101 year old Roper attended the 2019 legends and beats Ford's record. Jay however did not finish the 200 laps at Florida.