NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram Dies at Age 84

NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Jack Ingram, who won 317 races and captured five championships across all NASCAR series, has died at the age of 84.

NASCAR reported the news and chairman Jim France released a statement about Ingram:

"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."

Ingram rose to prominence by winning three straight championships in NASCAR's Sportsman competition from 1972 through 1974. He'd go on to win titles in NASCAR's second-tier series in 1982 and 1985 as it went through a host of changes, both in structure and name. It's currently known as the Xfinity Series.

His 31 victories in the series still rank sixth all-time behind several more recent Cup Series stars, including all-time Xfinity wins leader Kyle Busch (100). 

The North Carolina native won his final race in 1987 and retired from competition in 1991.

Longtime NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted a remembrance of Ingram on social media:

"NASCAR has lost a true racer's racer," Hall of Fame director Winston Kelley said, adding Ingram was a "cherished friend."  

Ingram was inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of its 2014 class.

"I can't think of a better way to cap a career," he told Keith Jarrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times at the time. "As far as I'm concerned, it's the greatest honor in racing."

Ingram is also a member of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.