Johnnie Parsons
American racing driver (1918–1984) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the Indianapolis 500 winner. For his son, also a racing driver, see Johnny Parsons.
John Woodrow "Johnnie" Parsons (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American racing driver in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. He was the 1949 AAA national champion, and won the 1950 Indianapolis 500.
Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Johnnie Parsons | |||||||
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Born | John Woodrow Parsons (1918-07-04)July 4, 1918 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||
Died | September 8, 1984(1984-09-08) (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||
Championship titles | |||||||
AAA Midwest Midget Car (1948) AAA Championship Car (1949) USAC Pacific Coast Midget Car (1956) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1950) | |||||||
Champ Car career | |||||||
61 races run over 11 years | |||||||
Best finish | 1st (1949) | ||||||
First race | 1948 Springfield 100 (Springfield) | ||||||
Last race | 1958 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
First win | 1948 DuQuoin 100 (DuQuoin) | ||||||
Last win | 1952 Phoenix 100 (Phoenix) | ||||||
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Formula One World Championship career | |||||||
Active years | 1950 – 1958 | ||||||
Teams | Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma | ||||||
Entries | 9 | ||||||
Championships | 0 | ||||||
Wins | 1 | ||||||
Podiums | 1 | ||||||
Career points | 12 | ||||||
Pole positions | 0 | ||||||
Fastest laps | 1 | ||||||
First entry | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
First win | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Last win | 1950 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Last entry | 1958 Indianapolis 500 | ||||||
Close
Parsons was known as a "charger" - needing others to compete against in order to bring out the best in him as a driver - frequently moving from near the back of the grid to the front in spectacular displays of driving ability. He drove for several seasons on a team owned by Frank Kurtis, owner of Kurtis Kraft, the leading constructor of AAA Championship cars during the early 1950s.[1]