Jack Ingram, a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, has died at age 84, NASCAR announced on Friday morning.
Ingram won the inaugural 1982 championship in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series and claimed the title again in 1985, after finishing second in the standings to Sam Ard the previous two years. His 31 victories in the series rank sixth all-time.
A native of Avery’s Creek, N.C., Ingram also won championships in NASCAR’s Late Model Sportsman Division in 1972, 1973 and 1974. Nicknamed “Iron Man,” Ingram is credited with more than 300 career victories.
He was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame in 1997 and the NASCAR hall of Fame in 2014.
“There is no better way to describe Jack Ingram than ‘Iron Man,’” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “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.”
Ingram competed in 19 NASCAR Cup Series races over a 20-year period, with a best finish of second to fellow NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty at Hickory Motor Speedway in 1967. That event was the fifth victory for Petty during his record streak of 10 straight wins.
Ingram also got the first and last of his 31 Xfinity Series victories at Hickory.
