The Political Insider

NASCAR Hall of Famer Jack Ingram, 80, has been hospitalized with severe injuries following a car accident Sunday. He remains in the intensive care unit close to his home in Asheville, N.C.

According to a police report, the collision occurred at 11:21 a.m. on Amboy Road, not far from the former Asheville Motor Speedway. Witnesses told officers that Ingram’s vehicle, a 2002 Chevrolet, “did not stop at the stop sign and drove straight onto Amboy Road,” where it was struck in the driver’s side door by a 1999 Ford driven by 36-year-old Hendersonville resident Justin Thomas Thrift.

Ingram was transported to nearby Mission Hospital with “unknown injuries,” but a post on a CaringBridge page for Ingram says that he suffered internal bleeding and underwent surgery Sunday evening. He remains in the ICU and his family has asked for privacy.

While Ingram spent most of his racing career one notch below the top-tier racers at the Winston Cup level, he’s a local legend in his hometown of Asheville. Throughout eight seasons in the NASCAR Busch Series, he won 31 races and 5 poles, as well as the 1982 Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Championship and the 1985 Busch Grand National Series Championship. Until 1997, he held the record for the most wins in the Busch Series. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2013.

This is a serious accident, and despite Ingram’s talent and experience with cars, we’re praying for his fast recovery. At the age of 80, Ingram will likely have much difficulty coming back from this. We’re keeping Ingram and his family in our thoughts at this time.

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