Patriarch of Ingalls clan dies at 91
"Papa" Ray Ingalls, the patriarch of the famed east Texas dirt racing family whose successful career of driving and team-owning stretched more than 70 years, died Jan. 19. He was 91.
The Longview, Texas, resident, whose last victory in his familiar "Lazy 8" entry came in the Late Model division at the age of 73 at Boothill Speedway near Shreveport, La., was part of the bedrock of the region's dirt racing in a variety of divisions including super modifieds.
"Words cannot fully express what Ray Ingalls meant to racing and its history in our region," a statement on Boothill's Facebook page said. "The impact Papa Ray and his Lazy 8 race car had on our community is without equal and will never be replicated."
Ingalls continued his driving career until his mid-70s, competing at area tracks even after undergoing triple bypass surgery in 2002.
“I wasn’t feeling too good one night at Boothill, and someone said I should get my blood pressure checked at the ambulance,” Ingalls said at the time. “I did, and it was well over 200, or something like that. They sent me to the hospital, and it ended up I had to have a couple stints put in during the surgery. I spent three days in the hospital, but I’ve been doing good ever since. I’m fine now … I’m back racin.’ ”
Upon Papa Ray's retirement, grandson Justin Ingalls was among drivers who kept Papa Ray's No. 8 in action. "He likes to see his car go around the track," Justin said in 2006. "He gets pretty down if it's not out there."
Orval Ray Ingalls was retired from LeTourneau Technologies in Longview and is survived by his wife of 69 years, Martha Ann McCullough Ingalls. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.
Other survivors include sons Doug, a National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer, and Ricky, the 1996 Southern United Professional Racing champion, along with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and a great-great grandchild. Entombment was Jan. 27 at Memory Park Cemetery in Longview. Find a complete obituary at lakeviewfh.com.
