Wikipedia

Jimmy Ingram

James Edwin Ingram Sr. (February 23, 1928 – December 8, 1998) was an American pilot and stock car racing driver. He made a number of starts in NASCAR's Winston Cup Series, several in the early 1950s and the last in 1980; the 27-year-gap between his second and third races are the longest time between starts in the series' history.

Jimmy Ingram
BornJames Edwin Ingram
(1928-02-23)February 23, 1928
Cheraw, South Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 8, 1998(1998-12-08) (aged 70)
Cheraw, South Carolina, U.S.
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 3 years
Best finish86th (1980)
First race1951 Race 11 (Columbia)
Last race1980 Mason-Dixon 500 (Dover)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

Flying career

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Ingram served in the United States Navy aboard the USS Dayton (CL-105) during World War II, where he was part of an aviation unit before being honorably discharged in 1946 as a seaman first class.[1]

Ingram recorded over 11,000 flight hours during his career as a pilot for Southern Airways, Air Haïti with type ratings for the Convair CV-240 family, Martin 2-0-2 and 4-0-4, and Douglas DC-3. A member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Ingram operated out of Cheraw Municipal Airport for 30 years, including a stint as its manager. He was a charter pilot for area industries and was a crop duster/aerial applicator for area farmers for 30 years, flying such aircraft as the Pawnee, the AgWagon, and a Bell helicopter. [1]

During his NASCAR dormancy, Ingram was the team pilot for Holman-Moody, the company that at the time built racing engines for Fords in every major racing circuit..[1]

Racing career

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In 1951, Ingram entered the NASCAR Grand National Series' Columbia Speedway. Racing a Henry J, he failed to finish and was classified 19th.[2] His second start came at the 1952 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Racing a 1951 Nash Ambassador, he started 52nd but crashed on lap 104.[3][4] Ingram had lost control of his car, spinning before rolling three times.[5] He was taken to the hospital after being extracted from the car, with an Associated Press report saying he was "bleeding profusely from face cuts before he could be released."[6] Officially, he was classified as finishing 57th.[3]

While he did not run a Grand National (later known as Cup Series) race again until 1980, Ingram remained involved in racing as Holman-Moody's pilot and the owner of Cheraw Speedway, the latter from 1955 to 1960 and from 1963 to 1968.[1] The track began as a quarter-mile dirt track before becoming a paved 3/8-mile oval in the 1960s.[7] His daughter inherited the property after his 1998 death; in 2020, she sold it to the Town of Cheraw, which operates the adjacent Cheraw Municipal Airport. Ingram operated his agriculture dusting and spraying business from a hangar adjacent to the speedway.[8][9]

Ingram returned to the Cup Series in 1980 at Dover Downs International Speedway with his daughter Lynn Ingram as crew chief and friend and neighbor Willie Cassidy as the only other crew member. With 27-and-a-half years between Darlington and Dover, it was the largest gap between starts in Cup history and the first of two instances where a Cup driver had at least a 25-year pause.[10] Despite the hiatus, he qualified 33rd and two miles per hour faster than the 34th and slowest car before finishing 15th.[11][12] Ingram later entered that year's Darlington race, and was required to do rookie testing despite having raced there already; he had an extended run after initially failing to meet the minimum top speed of 140 miles per hour (230 km/h), which he eventually succeeded. [13] However, he did not qualify for the event.[12] He also missed another attempt at North Carolina Motor Speedway.[12] During practice runs, he was posting speeds that would have qualified him for the race. However, his right front tire went flat during a practice run, sending his #32 car into the second turn retaining wall. The car bounced from the wall into the backstretch inner guard rail before coming to rest in the third turn, damaged so severely that it could not be repaired to run the race.

Personal life

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Ingram was born in Cheraw, South Carolina, the son of Doctor Boyd Ingram (his father was not a medical doctor; "Doctor" was his given name) and Willie Almina (Allie) Lide Ingram and one of two children.[1] His 18-year-old sister Annie Jo Ingram was killed in a car accident in 1956.[14] He graduated from Cheraw High School in 1943, after which he worked as an electric welder on a shipyard in Brunswick, Georgia, prior to joining the Navy.[15]

Ingram was briefly married to Betty Hodge. He later married Betty Jean Lee in 1953; the couple divorced in 1980.[15][1] They had a son James Edwin Ingram Jr. (died 1992) and daughter Nancy Lynn Ingram.[16][17][18]

Besides flying and racing, other ventures included running businesses in home construction, trucking, logging, and tire recapping.[1]

Ingram died at his home on December 8, 1998 at the age of 70.[1]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

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NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 NGNC Pts Ref
1951 Jimmy Ingram Henry J DAB CLT NMO GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR CAN CLS CLB
19		 DSP GAR GRS BAI HEI AWS MCF ALS MSF FMS MOR ABS DAR CLB CCS LAN CLT DSP WIL HBO TPN PGS MAR OAK NWS HMS JSP ATL GAR NMO NA - [19]
1952 26 Nash PBS DAB JSP NWS MAR CLB ATL CCS LAN DAR DSP CAN HAY FMS HBO CLT MSF NIF OSW MON MOR PPS MCF AWS DAR
57		 CCS LAN DSP WIL HBO MAR NWS ATL PBS 166th 0 [20]

Winston Cup Series

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NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts Ref
1980 Ingram Racing 32 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV
15		 CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR
DNQ		 RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR
DNQ		 ATL ONT 86th 118 [12]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Obituary for James Ingram Sr". The State. December 10, 1998. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "1951-11". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "1952 Southern 500". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  4. ↑ "'Southern 500' Winner Adds $9,450 To Bank Deposits". Johnson City Press. UP. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Fonty Flock Is Victorious in 500 Mile Race Over Darlington Track". The Roanoke Times. AP. September 2, 1952. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Thomas In Lead Despite Flock's Darlington Win". The Herald. AP. September 2, 1952. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Old Cheraw Speedway". Geocaching.com. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Property Details for Janice Circle Tract". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on November 22, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  9. ↑ Ingram, Lynn (August 20, 2011). "Cheraw Speedway, Cheraw, SC". Racers Reunion. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  10. ↑ Rutherford, Kevin (October 13, 2017). "NASCAR 101: 25 Years In Between Cup Starts". Frontstretch. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Cale rolls to M-D pole". The News & Observer. AP. May 18, 1980. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Jimmy Ingram – 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ↑ Waid, Steve (August 30, 1980). "Rookie test". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Bennettsville Miss Hi Miss Dies After Three-Car Wreck". The State. April 9, 1956. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 "Miss Hodge And Cheraw Man Wed". The Macon Telegraph. September 19, 1945. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Obituary for James Edwin Ingram Jr". The Charlotte Observer. August 8, 1992. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Obituary for Betty Jean Lee Ingram". The Morning News. June 7, 1998. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "de Young — Ingram". The Charlotte Observer. September 3, 1995. Retrieved November 21, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Jimmy Ingram – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Jimmy Ingram – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
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