More evidence NASCAR audiences are ‘dying’

Linda Chase of Jackson, Mich., is a big NASCAR fan, but she hates watching races alone. Hates it so much that she has been watching races with longtime friend Charles Zigler — who died 18 months ago.

The mummified body of Charles Zigler was found at this home in Jackson, Michigan. Police in Jackson found Zigler’s body after a 911 call last week. According to Yahoo! and the Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson officials believe Zigler died around Christmas of 2010 and estimate he was 67 or 68 years old.

Chase and Zigler had lived together for about 10 years, and Chase told the Jackson paper that Zigler “just fell asleep." She said she kept him in his chair after he died, keeping him dressed and cleaned, and that his body did not stink. She said she talked to him and watched NASCAR races on television with him.

According to the Citizen Patriot, family members contacted police after not hearing from Zigler for a while.

Chase is also being investigated for cashing Zigler’s Social Security checks, telling the paper, “I’m probably going to prison."

When family members tried to contact Zigler, Chase told them he was gone.

"It's not that I'm heartless," she told the paper. “It's just that after so many bad things happen to you, I don't know. I didn't want to be alone. He was the only guy who was ever nice to me."