Ingle brings excitement to ODS
By ED TURNER
For the News & Messenger
Published: April 16, 2008
Billy Ingle is at it again. Published: April 16, 2008
Saturday nights, the 38-year-old Manassas driver is stirring up plenty of excitement at Old Do-minion Speedway. Last week in the opener, Ingle and Bryan Fox, two veteran U-car guys, had fans yelling and screaming and out of their seats as the two barreled wheel-to-wheel in the final four laps of their race.
Ingle came in second to Fox by less than two feet at the black-and-white checkers. Some had wanted Ingle to win. Others were glad that Fox had taken his first feature. But most were bright-eyed and cheery because the race had pumped them up.
“Racin’ is what I do for fun,” said Ingle, who admitted that he suffers withdrawal from it in the off-season. “It takes up my time and it keeps me out of trouble.”
Ingle also loves the adrenalin rush of seeking victory lane.
Last year, he grabbed three wins, had several near victories, and produced fan-screaming races.
“I’m definitely excited,” Ingle said. “We had a great time last year. It was a real good class with lots of competition and real good camaraderie. Nobody was beating the heck out of each other for money or tires. Everybody showed up and cooked out and played ladder golf or horseshoes. Then we all got in our cars and went racing.”
As the most experienced driver in U-cars, Ingle will be leading the championship hunt this sea-son.
Last year, he ran up the excitement meter in the class. In two races, he ran door-to-door with champion Scotty Gore and won both. In one, Ingle held off Gore, who had the fastest car, crossing the finish line by less than a foot.
“It’s fun to go at it with somebody you trust,” Ingle said. “We were racing as hard as I’ve ever raced even though it’s a U-car and we’re not going as fast as the other divisions.”
One highlight occurred the week before the finale when Ingle won his third victory and team-mate Marouse took second, giving the McGee Crane Rental team their first one, two finish.
“The McGee Crane people have been awesome to us and good friends to me and Richie.”
Another highpoint was winning the 2007 Sportsman Award for U-Cars at both the MARF and ODS banquets.
“I’ve never been a sportsmanlike driver by any means,” said Ingle, “but off the track, I do my best to try to mentor anybody and help the newer guys who are struggling. When I started out, there was no one to show me how to do it.”
Besides notching three wins last season and coming in fourth in points, Ingle also collected 11 top fives, seven of which were top threes.
Ingle would’ve snagged more wins and top threes had he not had bad luck. He was leading one race when he developed axle problems and another when a tire burst. He was wrecked in yet an-other while running strong.
Ingle has competed in Grand Stocks and Mini Stocks. His favorite all-time race was with track legend Greg Compton when the two battled for the win, with Ingle staying tight on Compton’s bumper the whole race.
“That was one of the greatest moments I’ve ever had,” Ingle said. “Nothing has made me more satisfied than to get it done with a guy who was a past Grand Stock champion and has done it all his life.”
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