Racing is all Mark Ingersoll has ever known.
Ingersoll’s late father, Buddy, won multiple Sportsman titles in several different classes, while Mark was growing up at the track.
“I was always around racing my whole life,” Mark said. “My dad always raced and it was one of those things you are around and I loved to do it and I still love to do it. I would rather be at the race track than anywhere. It is something you fall in love with and you just love to do it.”
Fast-forward to the present and Mark has established himself as one of the best NHRA Pro Stock crew chiefs. Ingersoll has helped guide Allen Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to fifth-place in the point standings heading into this weekend’s Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
Racing is all Mark Ingersoll has ever known.
Ingersoll’s late father, Buddy, won multiple Sportsman titles in several different classes, while Mark was growing up at the track.
“I was always around racing my whole life,” Mark said. “My dad always raced and it was one of those things you are around and I loved to do it and I still love to do it. I would rather be at the race track than anywhere. It is something you fall in love with and you just love to do it.”
Fast-forward to the present and Mark has established himself as one of the best NHRA Pro Stock crew chiefs. Ingersoll has helped guide Allen Johnson’s Team Mopar Dodge Avenger to fifth-place in the point standings heading into this weekend’s Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
“The season has been really good,” Ingersoll said. “We are learning as we go, and we are learning different things every time we go out. We are just trying to get ourselves situated for the Cowntdown and learn to get better on race day and make smarter decisions.”
The top 10 Pro Stock drivers in the point standings following the U.S. Nationals Aug. 29-Sept. 3 in Indianapolis qualify for NHRA’s six race Countdown to the Championship.
Johnson has one win this season at Las Vegas and two No. 1 qualifying positions, the latest coming last weekend at the Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Johnson lost to Dave Connolly in the semifinals at the Spring Nationals.
Buddy Ingersoll, a drag racing pioneer, passed away March 12 of this year, and Mark took a moment to reflect on the influence his dad had on him.
“The biggest thing for me from him was work ethic,” Mark said. “He believed in if you were going to do it, do it right. Give it all you had and try to do the things you needed to do to win. He won pretty much everywhere when he put his mind to it. He made it happen. He did a lot with not a lot of money, so it was that kind of work ethic he gave to me. I learned from him, always the right way to do things.”
Trying to fill his dad’s enormous shoes in drag racing wasn’t something Ingersoll felt pressure to do.
“That really never crossed my mind,” Mark said. “I tried to do good for him. Even when he was not able to come to the track anymore, he would always call me and ask me what happened. Why didn’t you run better? That kind of thing or you did good. He was really involved even if he wasn’t at the track. He was worrying about what was going on with us and I tried to do good for him.”
Mark admitted when Jim Yates came onboard with the Team Mopar Dodge Avenger, he has been able to flourish even more. Yates joined the team late last season. Mark Ingersoll has been with driver Allen Johnson and his father Roy Johnson’s team since 2001.
“I have been basically doing two cars with Vincent’s (Nobile’s) car, I’m responsible for it as well,” said Mark about Nobile who uses the same Roy Johnson motors as Allen Johnson does. “I’m trying to do Allen’s (Johnson’s) car, and it is a lot going on. I also do a lot of the work on our car (Allen’s car). Not only am I trying to figure what to do, but I’m doing things to it with suspension and transmissions, and I just have a lot going on. I didn’t really have the time I needed to make good decisions. It kind of frees me up a little bit to make better decisions. It is just another set of fresh eyes (with Yates). He has his thoughts and I have my thoughts and together we try to make the best decision we can. I will make the final decision, but a lot times he (Yates) makes me think about things I wouldn’t think about. He (Yates) is more of a numbers guy and a thinker, so it is just a really good combination between us. We are just getting better. We are hitting our stride now. Plus, I think we are doing a real good job working together with (Nobile’s) team. I think it has helped us.”
Nobile, in the Mountain View Tire Dodge Avenger for owner Nick Mitsos, is third in the point standings, thanks to winning at Baytown last Sunday.
Allen Johnson also weighed in on having Ingersoll and Yates on his team.
“Mark has been with 11 years and he is a very hard-working individual, and if the not best crew chief in the pits,” Allen said. “Things have been great for a long time between he and I and my dad, and the whole team. He (Ingersoll) has Jim Yates to work with it, so that has definitely helped the situation. We brought Jim in to improve our consistency and it has definitely helped.”
Ingersoll has high expectations for the remainder of the season.
“I think we have as good a chance as anybody,” said Ingersoll about his team winning the season championship. “I know we have not proved ourselves to be yet. KB (Keith Black) has won championships and Mike Edwards has won championships. I think we have to prove ourselves to be there, but I feel like our whole team feels like we have as good a chance as anybody (to win the championship). We just have to keep trying and keep working and keep moving forward.”
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