Where did Buddy Ingersoll go?
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turbofabricator
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2004
Last I heard he was crew chief on Barry Grant's NHRA Pro Stock team. He also consulted for WJ.
Here is a pic of him. http://www.barrygrant.com/images/now_and_then/BuddyIngersoll-crewchief.jpg
Here's some more interesting info on his early days. http://pintopage.fordpinto.com/buddy.htm
And more: Drag Racing List - Back When Pro Stock Was… Strange!
And this from IHRA:
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. A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
The precedent for this action was established in 1986 when the IHRA legalized the V-6 turbocharged Regal of Buddy Ingersoll. It was outlawed after qualifying for one event.
The International Hot Rod Association with founder Larry Carrier as President was labeled as a drag racing sanctioning body that made decisions out of the ordinary - decisions that often bordered on the absurd. However, one particular decision made nearly two decades ago made it clear that the IHRA was marching to the beat of a completely different drum than the one their rivals, the National Hot Rod Association, was listening. At the time, one of the more popular entries in the NHRA’s Comp Eliminator division was the BB/Altered Turbocharged 1986 Buick Regal entry of Buddy Ingersoll.
A serious lobbying effort was put forth in an attempt to have IHRA’s Vice President & Competition Director Ted Jones legalize the combination in their “run whatcha brung” competition. In those days, there was no 810-inch limit on cubic inch displacement. It was simply how many cubes could be shoehorned between the rails of your Thunderbird and IROC Camaro.
After all, why should drivers fear cars that carried almost 500 cubic inches less than the leaders of the popular doorslammer division? In May of 1986, Ingersoll made his debut with the V-6 and despite a valiant effort from the Buick engineers and McClaren Engines, the car fell short of expectations in the early going. This was the learning curve era.
As most racers will attest, there comes a time when most every learning curve comes full circle, a time when a racer finally gets his timing down and knocks the learning curve into the upper deck of the stadium.
Ingersoll’s “day” came during the final event of the ’86 season when he graduated from a 7.90 pit space occupier to a 7.2-second low qualifier. The ex-Warren Johnson Olds 4-4-2 re-skinned into a Buick Regal also wowed the crowd with a reported “rear-wheel” start in early qualifying that netted a 7.0 run. The IHRA Pro Stock contingent was not impressed. In fact, they were down right ticked off.
It didn’t matter if the Buick Regal V-6 combination was one of the hottest things rolling out of Detroit and could be bought by the fans in attendance, those racing the non-attainable 700 cubic inch IROC Camaro, Thunderbird or Mustang were not going to sit idly by and let the “foreign” domestic combination come into their house and take over.
The end result of Ingersoll’s graduation to competitiveness was his banishment from the class. Many of the sport’s leading figures have always contended that this move set the class back decades as it deviated from its original intention – to be a marketing arm for Detroit. If Ingersoll had remained, there’s a strong chance that today’s Pro Stock would include fuel-injected and turbocharged combinations.
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Here is a pic of him. http://www.barrygrant.com/images/now_and_then/BuddyIngersoll-crewchief.jpg
Here's some more interesting info on his early days. http://pintopage.fordpinto.com/buddy.htm
And more: Drag Racing List - Back When Pro Stock Was… Strange!
And this from IHRA:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
. A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY
The precedent for this action was established in 1986 when the IHRA legalized the V-6 turbocharged Regal of Buddy Ingersoll. It was outlawed after qualifying for one event.
The International Hot Rod Association with founder Larry Carrier as President was labeled as a drag racing sanctioning body that made decisions out of the ordinary - decisions that often bordered on the absurd. However, one particular decision made nearly two decades ago made it clear that the IHRA was marching to the beat of a completely different drum than the one their rivals, the National Hot Rod Association, was listening. At the time, one of the more popular entries in the NHRA’s Comp Eliminator division was the BB/Altered Turbocharged 1986 Buick Regal entry of Buddy Ingersoll.
A serious lobbying effort was put forth in an attempt to have IHRA’s Vice President & Competition Director Ted Jones legalize the combination in their “run whatcha brung” competition. In those days, there was no 810-inch limit on cubic inch displacement. It was simply how many cubes could be shoehorned between the rails of your Thunderbird and IROC Camaro.
After all, why should drivers fear cars that carried almost 500 cubic inches less than the leaders of the popular doorslammer division? In May of 1986, Ingersoll made his debut with the V-6 and despite a valiant effort from the Buick engineers and McClaren Engines, the car fell short of expectations in the early going. This was the learning curve era.
As most racers will attest, there comes a time when most every learning curve comes full circle, a time when a racer finally gets his timing down and knocks the learning curve into the upper deck of the stadium.
Ingersoll’s “day” came during the final event of the ’86 season when he graduated from a 7.90 pit space occupier to a 7.2-second low qualifier. The ex-Warren Johnson Olds 4-4-2 re-skinned into a Buick Regal also wowed the crowd with a reported “rear-wheel” start in early qualifying that netted a 7.0 run. The IHRA Pro Stock contingent was not impressed. In fact, they were down right ticked off.
It didn’t matter if the Buick Regal V-6 combination was one of the hottest things rolling out of Detroit and could be bought by the fans in attendance, those racing the non-attainable 700 cubic inch IROC Camaro, Thunderbird or Mustang were not going to sit idly by and let the “foreign” domestic combination come into their house and take over.
The end result of Ingersoll’s graduation to competitiveness was his banishment from the class. Many of the sport’s leading figures have always contended that this move set the class back decades as it deviated from its original intention – to be a marketing arm for Detroit. If Ingersoll had remained, there’s a strong chance that today’s Pro Stock would include fuel-injected and turbocharged combinations.
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- Joined
- May 28, 2001
Last time I visited Buddy,['94, I think], he was running his "mom & pop" repair shop, in Ziegler, Il.
The remaining pieces of his P/S program were a couple pistons, in an old candy display case, and a trailer full of old sheetmetal, I/C tanks, and other junk.
His engines were long gone...
An era of innovation gone w/ them.
AIRC, it was crybaby Bob Glidden that had the $hit scared out of him, that resulted in the call for a ban.
The remaining pieces of his P/S program were a couple pistons, in an old candy display case, and a trailer full of old sheetmetal, I/C tanks, and other junk.
His engines were long gone...
An era of innovation gone w/ them.
AIRC, it was crybaby Bob Glidden that had the $hit scared out of him, that resulted in the call for a ban.
turbofish38
Le Pétomane
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2002
I can recall reading a story in National Dragster or SuperStock from the late 90's where he was running a BBC powered Cutlass in PS.
- Joined
- May 28, 2001
I remember watching Buddy Ingersoll hand Glidden his @ss on quite a few occasions with that car. Glidden could not match him in HP.
It was great.
It was great.
buddy ingersoll
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2009
this is why
your postings above are at least 50% incorrect. i am semi retired,last job was crew chief for barry grant. i still build engines and restore old mercs and diamond t pick-ups, also collect and restore gas pumps. as far as mom and pop deal(wont comment on above junk pile)
i still put in 40 hour days and ma is settin at home ,happy......from the cluttered desk of buddy ingersoll.
your postings above are at least 50% incorrect. i am semi retired,last job was crew chief for barry grant. i still build engines and restore old mercs and diamond t pick-ups, also collect and restore gas pumps. as far as mom and pop deal(wont comment on above junk pile)
i still put in 40 hour days and ma is settin at home ,happy......from the cluttered desk of buddy ingersoll.your postings above are at least 50% incorrect. i am semi retired,last job was crew chief for barry grant. i still build engines and restore old mercs and diamond t pick-ups, also collect and restore gas pumps. as far as mom and pop deal(wont comment on above junk pile)
Good to hear for you Buddy!! For those that don't already know Buddy has agreed to come to NC to talk to all of you about his Pro Stock Buick days at the 2010 Turbobuick.com Nationals!! Welcome aboard Mr. Ingersoll and I will see ya in a few months!!
Turbo Indian
worlds quickest 6cyl bird
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2003
lets all welcome a legend to the Buick community.
A blast from the past....:biggrin:
I use to watch you run/test and tune at Benton when I was a pup.
Good to see you, Hope you stick around.
buddy ingersoll
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2009
reply
i dont web browse much,too busy having my hands in something all day,so ill check in time and again....if your gonna talk about me please get the facts straight, their written in black and white (hell i otta know)....thank you to all who have welcome me here, did i start all this here? haha!
i dont web browse much,too busy having my hands in something all day,so ill check in time and again....if your gonna talk about me please get the facts straight, their written in black and white (hell i otta know)....thank you to all who have welcome me here, did i start all this here? haha!
I think you did! :biggrin:
buddy ingersoll
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2009
junior member?
i just noticed this,haha......whats it cost to upgrade?, im not gonna live long enough to post 1000 times:biggrin: not a biggy, just thought it funny.
i just noticed this,haha......whats it cost to upgrade?, im not gonna live long enough to post 1000 times:biggrin: not a biggy, just thought it funny.
Yes sir you did and it's an honor to have you post on here.
Welcome and please feel free to share some of your racing stories as I'm sure you have plenty to tell!!!
BuckeyeTroop
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2007
Cool stuff.
Welcome Sir! It is a post count thing as far as the member thing but I think I can handle that for you:biggrin:
Thank you so much for taking the time to join the board, it is a honor to have you on!!!
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