The world of NHRA Pro Stock racing is holding its breath today, as Elite Motorsports\u2019 crew chief, Mark Ingersoll, undergoes an emergency double lung transplant. Known for his sharp mind and relentless work ethic, Ingersoll has long been a driving force behind some of the sport\u2019s biggest successes. His expertise and passion for racing are well-known within the community, and his absence at the track is already being deeply felt by his close-knit team.<\/p>\n
A racing lifer, Mark grew up around the sport, following in the footsteps of his late father, Buddy Ingersoll, a drag racing pioneer who won multiple Sportsman titles across several different classes. Racing was ingrained in Mark from an early age, and it became more than just a passion\u2014it became his life\u2019s work. Over the years, he has solidified his reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and successful crew chiefs in the NHRA.<\/p>\n
Despite the ongoing health battles, which have seen him on oxygen in the pits in recent events, Ingersoll has continued to show up for his team, determined to be a part of the action. Just this past weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, he was barely able to make it up to the starting line, yet his dedication to the team and the sport remained unwavering. \u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have even been there, but it\u2019d have killed him not to be,\u201d said Elite Motorsports team owner, Richard Freeman. \u201cSeeing someone you care about in a situation like this is hard and knowing what he\u2019s facing is even harder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Freeman\u2019s words reflect the sentiment of the entire Elite Motorsports family. Known for being one of the most dominant teams in NHRA Pro Stock, with multiple world championships to their name, the current season has been a strong one for the team. But, as Freeman admits, the focus isn\u2019t entirely on winning right now. \u201cI\u2019d be lying if I told you that\u2019s what we\u2019re focused on right now. Between Mark, the health issues my brother Robert and our engine builder Jake [Hairston] have been contending with, our main concern right now is getting our team healthy. That\u2019s what really matters to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For the Elite team, Mark Ingersoll isn\u2019t just a crew chief\u2014he\u2019s family. \u201cMark is the smartest man to ever work on a Pro Stock car, and I\u2019ve been lucky enough to get to learn from him. I love him, and we\u2019re all just praying right now that things go well,\u201d shared Chase Freeman, another key member of the Elite crew.<\/p>\n
Erica Enders, six-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion and a cornerstone of the Elite Motorsports team, also expressed her deep admiration and concern for Ingersoll. \u201cI think he\u2019s the baddest dude to ever tune a Pro Stock car. The best there is. Beyond that, he means the world to me personally, as well as our whole Elite Motorsports family and his daughter. We\u2019re torn up over this and leaning on the power of prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aaron Stanfield, who is having a career-best season, echoed the feelings of the entire Elite Motorsports crew. \u201cWe\u2019re praying for him, and we\u2019re going to try and make him proud the rest of the year\u2014that\u2019s for sure. He is an incredible person and extremely passionate about what he does, and we are all very lucky to have him in our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The strength of the bond between the team members of Elite Motorsports is palpable. Despite being in the heat of NHRA\u2019s Countdown to the Championship, the health and well-being of their teammate and friend, Mark Ingersoll, is at the forefront of their minds.<\/p>\n
While Mark prepares for the fight of his life off the track, the team is rallying behind him with the same relentless energy that\u2019s helped them win countless races. And they\u2019re all holding on to the hope that Mark, as tough and resilient as he is, will be back where he belongs\u2014at the track, doing what he loves most\u2014sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published on October 2, 2024. <\/p>\n
The post Elite Motorsports Team Opens Up on Crew Chief Mark Ingersoll Undergoing Emergency Lung Transplant<\/a> first appeared on Drag Illustrated<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The world of NHRA Pro Stock racing is holding its breath today, as Elite Motorsports\u2019 crew chief, Mark Ingersoll, undergoes an emergency double lung transplant. Known for his sharp mind and relentless work ethic, Ingersoll has long been a driving force behind some of the sport\u2019s biggest successes. His expertise and passion for racing are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96270\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racepages.com\/Videos\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}