Jack Ingram obit

Asheville racing legend & NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jack Ingram has died

 

He was not on the list.

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and Asheville native Jack Ingram has died at the age of 84.

Nicknamed the “Iron Man”, Ingram won 31 races and 5 poles as well as the 1982 and 1985 championships during eight seasons in the Busch Series. 

When Ingram retired in 1991, he held the record for the most wins in the Busch Series, until it was broken by Mark Martin in 1997.

In 2007, Ingram was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

n 2014, Ingram was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He earned the nickname “Iron Man” both for his career’s longevity and his ability to successfully compete in several events a week.

In a statement released to News 13, NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said,

There is no better way to describe Jack Ingram than ‘Iron Man.’ Jack was a fixture at short tracks across the Southeast most days of the week, racing anywhere and everywhere. He dominated the Late Model Sportsman division like few others. He set the bar for excellence in the Xfinity Series as its Most Popular Driver in 1982 and champion in 1985. Jack was an “old school racer” and his work on his own car helped propel him to Victory Lane hundreds of times. Of our current 58 NASCAR Hall of Fame members, he is one of only six that was elected based on his career and contributions in the grassroots level of our sport. On behalf of the France family and NASCAR, I offer my condolences to the friends and family of NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram.

During most of his time in the series he drove the Skoal Bandit car (1984 to 1991). Throughout his Busch Series career he almost always raced in the No. 11 car. During the 1986 season, Ingram was suspended for two races by NASCAR after ramming a driver during a race in Asheville, North Carolina at the New Asheville Speedway.

Ingram got his start at the New Asheville Speedway, and there he was a marquee driver along with rival Bob Pressley.

As of August 17, 2019, he is currently 6th in career wins in the series.

Prior to the inauguration of the Busch Series in 1982 Ingram had won three consecutive Late Model Sportsman Championships in 1972, 1973 and 1974.

“Jack was an ‘old school racer’ and his work on his own car helped propel him to victory lane hundreds of times. Of our current 58 NASCAR Hall of Fame members, he is one of only six that was elected based on his career and contributions in the grassroots level of our sport.”

Prior to Kyle Busch, who won his 100th career Xfinity Series race last week, Ingram was considered the greatest driver in history for NASCAR’s second-tier series. He won two championships when the series was called the Busch Series, including the inaugural 1982 title.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. said "Nascar legend Jack Ingram has passed away. Tough as nails. Old school. Lots of respect for him and that era he performed in."