Robert Racer is the father of Ina Mae (Racer) Philo. Ina Mae grew up in West Virginia, placing Robert's household there. A Joseph L. Racer was found in West Virginia (his son Theodore was born there in 1894 in Kanawha County), who may be Robert's brother or close relative. The Racer surname is, according to the Dictionary of American Family Names, an altered form of Rasor or Razor, themselves altered from German Rauser. Earlier notes also gave an Old High German derivation ("hrauso", "daring") and a figure of 44% of US Racers living in Ohio in 1840; neither has been verified. German immigrant forebears who followed the Great Wagon Road south are a possibility, not a documented route. Robert and Haddie Albaugh likely met and married in West Virginia before eventually moving to Michigan — a common migration pattern driven by industrial and automotive jobs in the early 1900s.
Claims in the record
Ina Mae Racer — grew up in West Virginia
Haddie Albaugh (German-descended)
West Virginia → Michigan
Joseph L. Racer (Kanawha Co., WV) — Theodore Racer b. 1894 WV
German: Rauser → Rasor → Racer (Americanized)
Old High German "hrauso" = daring and energetic (unverified)
44% of US Racers in Ohio in 1840; WV had strong German settler presence
Unknown — research needed
A George Adam Rauser arrived at Philadelphia on the Mary and Sarah in 1754, married there in 1755 and settled in Sussex County, New Jersey; his son Jacob Racer/Rasor (b. about 1756) is recorded in Virginia by 1776 (Germanna notes). Whether Robert Racer descends from this family is not known.
Search West Virginia census records (1880–1910) for 'Robert Racer' — particularly Kanawha, Raleigh, Fayette, or Pendleton/Hardy counties where German families settled. Theodore Racer (b. 1894 WV, son of Joseph L. Racer) may be Robert's brother — this is a strong research lead. A WV marriage record for Robert Racer + Haddie Albaugh would be the key document.