DirtonDirt.com

Lynn Acklin, general manager of the Dirt Late Model racing's longest running tour and righthand man to legendary Southern All Star Dirt Racing Series founder B.J. Parker, died Saturday afternoon at an Alabama hospital after falling ill. He was 58.

"It is with a heavy heart to let my racing family know that long time GM of the Southern All Stars Lynn Acklin has passed away," the series posted Saturday evening on Facebook. "Please keep his family in your prayers at this time."

Acklin began work on the Southern All Star asphalt tour founded by Parker and Ben Atkinson beginning in 1989, then shifted to managing Parker's 16-year-old dirt series 10 years later. Acklin learned the intricacies of race promoting and series direction from the folksy, silver-haired Hall of Famer until Parker's 2011 death.

"One thing he taught me is you gotta look out for the racers, cause without them, you ain't got a series," Acklin said of Parker. "He did everything he could to help out his drivers and made a lot of friends along the way."

Series announcer Dewayne Keith, expected to take over many of Acklin's duties, called the death a "major blow" to the tour.

"Lynn loved this series with a burning passion," Keith said. "He literally ate and breathed this series (and) brought so much knowledge and experience that helped keep the series running 37 years. Lynn had a very charismatic charm that was infectious. His humor and outgoing demeanor was something like no other."

Acklin, of Fayetteville, Tenn., died at Decatur Morgan Hospital after suffering stomach pain and internal bleeding while being housed in Decatur's Morgan County jail, according to a report at AL.com. The report said he'd been held since Feb. 25 after violating terms of federal supervised release connected to a 2009 sentence.

Survivors include his parents and a brother. Visitation is 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, at Hazel Green (Ala.) Funeral Home; the funeral is 1 p.m. Thursday.

Editor's note: Updates with Dewayne Keith quote and arrangements.