Benny Parsons

Born

Benjamin Stewart Parsons
July 12, 1941
Wilkes County, North Carolina

Died

January 16, 2007 (aged 65)
Charlotte, North Carolina

Cause of death

Complications resulting from lung cancer

Achievements

1973 Winston Cup Series Champion
1968 ARCA Racing Series Champion
1969 ARCA Racing Series Champion
1975 Daytona 500 Winner
1980 World 600 Winner
1969 Daytona ARCA 300 Winner
1982 Daytona 500 Pole Sitter

Awards

1965 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994)
Court of Legends at Charlotte Motor Speedway (1994)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2005)
ESPN Emmy (1996)
ACE Award (1989)

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career

526 races run over 21 years

Best finish

1st (1973)

First race

1963 (Weaverville)

Last race

1988 Atlanta Journal 500 (Atlanta)

First win

1971 Halifax County 100 (South Boston)

Last win

1984 Coca-Cola 500 (Atlanta)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
21	283	20

NASCAR Grand National East Series career

2 races run over 2 years

Best finish

33rd (1973)

First race

1972 Buddy Shuman 300 (Hickory)

Last race

1973 Sunoco 260 (Hickory)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
0	2	0

Statistics current as of October 31, 2013.

Benjamin Stewart "Benny" Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) champion. He was the older brother of former NASCAR driver car owner and broadcaster Phil Parsons of Phil Parsons Racing.

He was nicknamed "BP" and The Professor, the latter in part because of his popular remarks and relaxed demeanor.

He was the founder of Rendezvous Ridge, a winery in North Carolina, which opened shortly after his death.

Early life

Parsons was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina. He spent his childhood years in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and played football at Millers Creek High School (now known as West Wilkes High School). Following high school, he moved to Detroit, Michigan where his father operated a taxicab company. Parsons worked at a gas station and drove cabs in Detroit before beginning his racing career. While working at the gas station one day, a couple of customers towing a race car invited him to a local race track. The driver of the car never showed up for that evening's race, and Parsons drove the car in a race for the first time later that night.^[1]

Driving career

1960s

Parsons began his NASCAR career by running a single race in 1964 for Holman-Moody with a young Cale Yarborough.

Parsons won the 1968 and 1969 ARCA championships.

Parsons had three top-10 finishes in four NASCAR races in 1969.

1970s

Benny joined the NASCAR circuit full-time in 1970 with crew chief, John Hill. He had 23 top-10 finishes in 45 races, a pole at Langley Field Speedway, and finished eighth in the final point standings. He raced in the No. 72 L.G. DeWitt/DeWitt Racing car.

Parsons had 18 top-10 finishes in 35 starts in 1971, including his first win at South Boston Speedway. He finished eleventh in the points.

In 1972 he had 19 top-10 finishes in 31 races. He finished fifth in the final points standings.

In 1973 he won the NASCAR Championship with only one win, even though David Pearson won eleven races (but Pearson only entered eighteen events). Parsons' consistency likely won him the championship: he had 21 top-10 and 15 top-5 finishes in the 28 events. His improbable return to the track after an early crash cemented his championship at Rockingham, North Carolina. He saw his championship hopes start to fade as he was involved in a lap 13 crash and his car was heavily damaged. He took to the pits to muster whatever he could out of the car and hope for a top five finish in the final standings. The rest of the garage was hoping to see the underdog unseat the mighty Richard Petty and joined in to help Parsons' crew put the car back together. Parsons miraculously got back on the track 136 laps later and completed enough laps to finish 25th and take the 1973 championship. Richard Petty, with the championship in his sights after winning the pole and seeing Parsons' accident, had engine trouble and was relegated to a 35th-place finish. The poor performance dropped Petty all the way to fifth in the final standings, as Cale Yarborough took the runner up spot on the season with his third-place effort. He finished 67 points behind the champion.

Parsons also became the only person to win both ARCA and NASCAR championships.

Parsons finished between third and fifth in the final points standings from 1974 to 1980 and won the 1975 Daytona 500. He switched to the No. 27 car for M.C. Anderson starting in 1979.

In 1979 at North Wilkesboro Speedway Bobby Allison led most of the race but in the final 150 laps, Darrell Waltrip caught Allison. The two hit together hard and Darrell nailed the front stretch wall. Waltrip began crowding off Allison under the caution and got black flagged for the crowding. Benny Parsons would win the race, but it would be his only win at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track which his wife Terri (married from 1992 until his death in 2007) would become an investor two years after his death.^[2]

1980s

He won the 1980 World 600 at Charlotte and finished 3rd in points.

In 1981 he starting racing in the No. 15 Bud Moore car. He had a win at Nashville Speedway USA and he won the final race at Texas World Speedway. He received his final top-ten points place finish, finishing tenth that year.

Parsons qualified for the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway at 200.175 miles per hour (mph), which was the first NASCAR qualification run over 200 mph (322 km/h).

1983 racecar

Parsons raced in about half of the races between 1983 and 1986 for owner Johnny Hayes. Parsons final career victory came in 1984 at the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta.

He appeared in the 1983 Burt Reynolds movie Stroker Ace.

Parsons returned to Hendrick Motorsports in 1987 as a substitute driver for Tim Richmond, who was stricken with AIDS and would succumb in 1989. During the first lap of a race at Darlington Raceway, Parsons hit the wall and badly damaged his race car. He was able to continue, but had to make several pit stops for repairs. At one point, his crew chief, Harry Hyde refused to allow Parsons to pit because he and the crew were on an ice cream break. This incident was alluded to in the film, Days of Thunder. Another scene in the film was inspired by a real-life incident at Martinsville Speedway involving Parsons and the notoriously cantankerous Hyde: Hyde sarcastically told Parsons to hit the pace car on a restart because it was the only thing on the track Parsons had not hit.^[3]

Parsons raced in the No. 90 Bulls Eye Ford for Junie Donlavey in his final NASCAR season in 1988 and then moved to the broadcast booth, a position that he would hold until his death.

Parsons did decide to race a few other times, the first during the 2003 Old Dominion 500 as part of Wally's World segment and he drove a ceremonial victory lap at the last fall race at Rockingham in 2003 in a car similar to the one he won the championship with.

He is also credited for discovering current NASCAR driver Greg Biffle at a "Gong Show" held in Tucson, Arizona.

Awards and statistics

Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016 as part of the Class of 2017.
Inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.
Named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
Inducted into the Court of Legends at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1994.
Inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005.
Had 283 top 10 finishes, led at least one lap in 192 races, and finished no lower than fifth in points between 1972 and 1980.^[4]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50	51	52	53	54	55	56	57	58	59	60	61	62	NGNC	Pts	Ref
1964	Holman-Moody	06	Ford	CON	AUG	JSP	SVH	RSD	DAY	DAY	DAY	RCH	BRI	GPS	BGS	ATL	AWS	HBO	PIF	CLB	NWS	MAR	SVH	DAR	LGY	HCY	SBO	CLT	GPS	ASH	ATL	CON	NSV	CHT	BIR	VAL	PIF	DAY	ODS	OBS	BRR	ISP	GLN	LIN	BRI	NSV	MBS	AWS 21	DTS	ONA	CLB	BGS	STR	DAR	HCY	RCH	ODS	HBO	MAR	SVH	NWS	CLT	HAR	AUG	JAC	120th	130	^[5]
1969	Russ Dawson	88	Ford	MGR	MGY	RSD	DAY 5	DAY	DAY 7	CAR	AUG	BRI	ATL	CLB	HCY	GPS	RCH	NWS	MAR	AWS	DAR	BLV	LGY	CLT	MGR	SMR	MCH	KPT	GPS	NCF	DAY	DOV	TPN	TRN	BLV	BRI	NSV	SMR	ATL																											56th	183	^[6]
1969	Russ Dawson	18	Ford																																					MCH 38	SBO	BGS	AWS	DAR	HCY	RCH	TAL	CLB	MAR	NWS	CLT	SVH	AUG	CAR	JFC	MGR	TWS 3									56th	183	^[6]
1970	Benny Parsons	88	Ford	RSD	DAY	DAY 7	DAY 14																																																											8th	2993	^[7]
1970	DeWitt Racing	72	Ford					RCH 15	CAR 21	SVH 4	ATL 8	BRI 27	TAL 4	NWS 28	CLB 16	DAR 5	BLV 12	LGY 5	CLT 3	SMR	MAR 38	MCH 10	RSD 18	HCY 6	KPT 13	GPS 5	DAY 31	AST 25	TPN 3	TRN 7	BRI 19	SMR 13	NSV 22	ATL 8	CLB 16	ONA 23	MCH 8	TAL 35	BGS 5	SBO 4	DAR 39	HCY 15	RCH 6	DOV 5	NCF 14	NWS 6	CLT 4	MAR 9	MGR 7	CAR 33	LGY 2															8th	2993	^[7]
1971			Ford	RSD 3	DAY	DAY 5	DAY 35		RCH 3		HCY 3	BRI 5	ATL 36	CLB 2*	GPS 5	SMR 2	NWS 4	MAR 16		SBO 1		ASH 12	KPT 23																										RCH 25	NWS 5																11th	2611	^[8]
			Mercury					ONT 9		CAR 25									DAR 23		TAL 48			CLT 7	DOV 23	MCH 28	RSD 22	HOU	GPS	DAY	BRI	AST	ISP	TRN	NSV 3	ATL 3	BGS	ONA	MCH 38	TAL 47	CLB	HCY	DAR 16	MAR 6	CLT 10	DOV 29	CAR 6	MGR
			Chevy																																																TWS 38

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	NWCC	Pts	Ref
1972	DeWitt Racing	72	Ford	RSD 40		RCH 8		CAR 7																											5th	6844.15	^[9]
1972			Mercury		DAY 4		ONT 14		ATL 7	BRI 21	DAR 4	NWS 5	MAR 20	TAL 10	CLT 4	DOV 6	MCH 25	RSD 2	TWS 4	DAY 36	BRI 4	TRN 8	ATL 4	TAL 25	MCH 7	NSV 4	DAR 35	RCH 23	DOV 34	MAR 6	NWS 4	CLT 38	CAR 35	TWS 6	5th	6844.15	^[9]
1973			Chevy	RSD 14	DAY 30	RCH 10	CAR 31		ATL 3	NWS 2	DAR 2	MAR 6	TAL 3	NSV 2	CLT 5	DOV 6	TWS 7	RSD 3	MCH 9	DAY 5	BRI 1*	ATL 25	TAL 38	NSV 19	DAR 5	RCH 4	DOV 4	NWS 5	MAR 6	CLT 4	CAR 28				1st	7173.8	^[10]
1973			Mercury					BRI 5																											1st	7173.8	^[10]
1974			Chevy	RSD 4	DAY 22	RCH 13	CAR 23	BRI 3	ATL 29	DAR 32	NWS 4	MAR 4	TAL 2	NSV 16	DOV 4	CLT 31	RSD 3	MCH 25	DAY 27	BRI 17	NSV 7	ATL 8	POC 5	TAL 5	MCH 22	DAR 26	RCH 2	DOV 4	NWS 13	MAR 15	CLT 27	CAR 9			5th	1591.5	^[11]
1974			Ford																														ONT 35		5th	1591.5	^[11]
1975			Chevy	RSD 24	DAY 1	RCH 3	CAR 22	BRI 2	ATL 28	NWS 6	DAR 6	MAR 6	TAL 43	NSV 2	DOV 23	CLT 39	RSD 3	MCH 34	DAY 8	NSV 4	POC 4	TAL 6	MCH 34	DAR 20	DOV 3	NWS 6	MAR 2	CLT 4	RCH 18	CAR 24	BRI 5	ATL 19	ONT 34		4th	3820	^[12]
1976				RSD 5	DAY 3	CAR 5	RCH 9	BRI 3	ATL 2	NWS 4	DAR 3	MAR 20	TAL 26	NSV 3	DOV 1	CLT 5	RSD 3	MCH 19	DAY 7	NSV 1	POC 3	TAL 39	MCH 9	BRI 4	DAR 7	RCH 29	DOV 26	MAR 5	NWS 2	CLT 5	CAR 31	ATL 6	ONT 3		3rd	4304	^[13]
1977				RSD 21	DAY 2	RCH 3	CAR 12	ATL 26	NWS 3	DAR 5	BRI 5	MAR 2	TAL 3	NSV 1	DOV 6	CLT 3	RSD 27	MCH 3	DAY 3	NSV 18	POC 1*	TAL 24	MCH 3	BRI 3	DAR 25	RCH 3	DOV 1*	MAR 2	NWS 5	CLT 1*	CAR 7	ATL 3	ONT 12		3rd	4570	^[14]
1978				RSD 2		RCH 1	CAR 3	ATL 13	BRI 2*	DAR 1	NWS 3	MAR 15		DOV 4		NSV 20	RSD 1			NSV 6	POC 29				DAR 10	RCH 6	DOV 26	MAR 3	NWS 6		CAR 4		ONT 8		4th	4350	^[15]
1978			Olds		DAY 3								TAL 31		CLT 6			MCH 3	DAY 26			TAL 3	MCH 13	BRI 2						CLT 28		ATL 5			4th	4350	^[15]
1979	M.C. Anderson Racing	27	Chevy	RSD 26		CAR 10	RCH 4	ATL 5	NWS 3		DAR 4	MAR 19		NSV 7	DOV 7	CLT 5	TWS 25	RSD 5	MCH 31		NSV 4	POC 4		MCH 3	BRI 4*	DAR 5	RCH 8	DOV 22	MAR 27	CLT 6	NWS 1	CAR 2*	ATL 31	ONT 1*	5th	4256	^[16]
1979			Olds		DAY 18					BRI 5			TAL 35							DAY 2			TAL 21												5th	4256	^[16]
1980			Chevy	RSD 33		RCH 28	CAR 21	ATL 30	BRI 4	DAR 2	NWS 5	MAR 2		NSV 2	DOV 22	CLT 1	TWS 23	RSD 3	MCH 1*		NSV 3*	POC 20		MCH 8	BRI 5	DAR 4	RCH 10	DOV 5	NWS 6	MAR 4	CLT 33	CAR 23	ATL 32	ONT 1	3rd	4278	^[17]
1980			Olds		DAY 5								TAL 8							DAY 6			TAL 4												3rd	4278	^[17]
1981	Bud Moore Engineering	15	Ford	RSD 16	DAY 31	RCH 5	CAR 24	ATL 5	BRI 5	NWS 21	DAR 5	MAR 23	TAL 36	NSV 1	DOV 32	CLT 37	TWS 1	RSD 20	MCH 3	DAY 39	NSV 3	POC 3	TAL 13	MCH 26	BRI 6	DAR 39	RCH 1	DOV 34	MAR 24	NWS 29	CLT 38	CAR 6	ATL 36	RSD 27	10th	3449	^[18]
1982	Ranier-Lundy Racing	28	Pontiac	DAY 26	RCH 3*	BRI 9	ATL 4	CAR 3	DAR 4	NWS 4	MAR 29	TAL 3*	NSV 22	DOV 20	CLT 39	POC 3	RSD 23																		18th	2892	^[19]
	Ellington Racing	1	Buick															MCH 32													CAR 34
	Gray Racing	19	Buick																DAY 28	NSV	POC	TAL
	Johnny Hayes Racing	55	Buick																				MCH 5	BRI	DAR 8	RCH	DOV 5	NWS	CLT 5	MAR		ATL 20	RSD 7
1983			Buick	DAY 42	RCH	CAR	ATL 14	DAR 34	NWS	MAR	TAL 2	NSV	DOV 29	BRI	CLT 34	RSD	POC 5	MCH 13																	29th	1657	^[20]
1983			Chevy																DAY 26	NSV	POC 31	TAL 22	MCH 13	BRI	DAR 8	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT 3	CAR	ATL 25	RSD 2		29th	1657	^[20]
1984				DAY 29	RCH	CAR	ATL 1*	BRI	NWS	DAR 27	MAR	TAL 5*	NSV	DOV	CLT 42	RSD	POC 9	MCH 28	DAY 5	NSV	POC 5	TAL	MCH 6	BRI	DAR 9	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT 2*	NWS	CAR	ATL 4	RSD 5		27th	1865	^[21]
1985	Jackson Bros. Motorsports			DAY 31	RCH	CAR	ATL 8	BRI	DAR 32	NWS	MAR	TAL 29	DOV	CLT 42	RSD	POC 6	MCH 10	DAY 11	POC 6	TAL 36	MCH 5	BRI	DAR 8	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT 41	CAR	ATL 33	RSD				29th	1427	^[22]
1986	Jackson Bros. Motorsports		Olds	DAY 5	RCH	CAR	ATL 6	BRI	DAR 28	NWS	MAR	TAL 20	DOV	CLT 34	RSD	POC 33	MCH 41	DAY 36	POC 29	TAL 5	GLN 8	MCH 26	BRI	DAR 31	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT 30	CAR	ATL 11	RSD 27			30th	1555	^[23]
1987	Hendrick Motorsports	35	Chevy	DAY 2	CAR 34	RCH 10	ATL 2	DAR 21	NWS 15	BRI 28	MAR 26	TAL 12	CLT 26	DOV 5	POC 33	RSD 34	MCH 9	DAY 35	POC 4	TAL 30	GLN 5	MCH 18	BRI 26	DAR 31	RCH 16	DOV 16	MAR 23	NWS 19	CLT 38	CAR 15	RSD 2	ATL 7			16th	3215	^[24]
1988	Donlavey Racing	90	Ford	DAY 31	RCH 14	CAR 33	ATL 13	DAR 34	BRI 13	NWS 17	MAR 14	TAL 24	CLT 25	DOV 22	RSD 13	POC 31	MCH 38	DAY 35	POC 35	TAL 27	GLN 39	MCH 15	BRI	DAR 13	RCH 20	DOV 27	MAR 20	CLT 12	NWS QL^†	CAR 13	PHO 8	ATL 34			24th	2559	^[25]
^† - Qualified but replaced by Jimmy Means

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1969	Russ Dawson	Ford	11	7
1970	Benny Parsons	Ford	14	14
1971	DeWitt Racing	Ford	12	35
1972		Mercury	33	4
1973		Chevrolet	13	30
1974			10	22
1975			32	1
1976			32	3
1977			6	2
1978		Oldsmobile	8	3
1979	M.C. Anderson Racing	Oldsmobile	5	18
1980	M.C. Anderson Racing	Oldsmobile	14	5
1981	Bud Moore Engineering	Ford	4	31
1982	Ranier-Lundy Racing	Pontiac	1	26
1983	Johnny Hayes Racing	Buick	14	42
1984	Johnny Hayes Racing	Chevrolet	8	29
1985	Jackson Bros. Motorsports	Chevrolet	5	31
1986	Jackson Bros. Motorsports	Oldsmobile	31	5
1987	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	4	2
1988	Donlavey Racing	Ford	42	31

International Race of Champions

(key) (Bold – Pole position. * – Most laps led.)

International Race of Champions results
Year	Make	Q1	Q2	Q3	1	2	3	4	Pos.	Pts	Ref
1975–76	Chevy				MCH 4	RSD 5	RSD 9	DAY 1	3rd	NA	^[26]
1977–78	Chevy				MCH 9	RSD 9	RSD 8	DAY 5	7th	NA	^[27]
1978–79		MCH 6	MCH	RSD	RSD	ATL			NA	0	^[28]
1979–80		MCH 6	MCH	RSD	RSD	ATL			NA	0	^[29]
1984	Chevy				MCH 2	CLE 4	TAL 5	MCH 7	4th	47	^[30]

NASCAR announcer

He began announcing as a pit reporter in the 1980s on ESPN and TBS while he was still racing part-time. After permanently retiring from racing in 1988, Parsons became a broadcaster – first on ESPN, and then with NBC and TNT in 2001. He received an ESPN Emmy in 1996, and the ACE Award in 1989. He appears in the videogame NASCAR '99, NASCAR 2000 & NASCAR 2001 as a commentator as well as an unlockable legend (He was only featured in NASCAR 2001 as an announcer). He later appeared in NASCAR Rumble as a legend in the game as well as NASCAR Thunder 2002, NASCAR Thunder 2003 & NASCAR Thunder 2004 as an unlockable driver and featured the game in NBC and TNT telecasts where Parsons did EA Sports Thunder Motion where he took viewers on a virtual ride of each track.

Parsons co-hosted coverage of Winston Cup Qualifying on North Carolina radio station WFMX with Mark Garrow in the early '90s. He continued to co-host a radio program called "Fast Talk" on Performance Racing Network (PRN) with Doug Rice until his death (he was replaced by an alternating host). He also had a podcast available on iTunes, in conjunction with CNN called "The CNN Radio Racing Report with Benny Parsons," who talks about NASCAR with CNNRadio's Michael Jones.

In 2005, Parsons made a cameo appearance as himself in the movie Herbie: Fully Loaded. In 2006, he again appeared as himself in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Illness and death

Parsons began having trouble breathing in the summer of 2006. He was diagnosed with lung cancer. He announced later that the treatment had been successful, and that he had a clean bill of health. Parsons had stopped smoking in 1978.

His health prevented him from attending a ceremony in November 2006 where he was to be presented with the Myers Brothers Award, honoring his contributions to racing.

On December 26, 2006, Parsons was readmitted to the hospital and placed in intensive care because of complications relating to lung cancer.^[31]

On January 16, 2007, Parsons died of complications from lung cancer treatment in the intensive care unit of the Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[32] He is buried near his childhood home in Purlear, North Carolina, which is now the site of Benny Parsons' Rendezvous Ridge, which is also Terri's residence in addition to a racing museum and winery.

References

↑ Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ Save The Speedway Race Timeline
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-17. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
↑ http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/07/26/bparsons.statement/index.html
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1964 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1969 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1970 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1974 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1976 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1978 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1979 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1980 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ "Benny Parsons – 1984 IROC Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
↑ Parsons in Intensive Care Archived January 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Archived January 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ NASCAR.com "Parsons, 65, dies after battle with lung cancer"

External links

Official website
Benny Parsons driver statistics at Racing-Reference
Rendezvous Ridge, a Benny Parsons Vineyard (owned by his widow)
Benny Parsons at NASCAR.com
Benny Parsons at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
"Fast Talk with Benny Parsons" radio show
"Talking with legends" USA WEEKEND, Feb. 19, 2006.

Sporting positions
Preceded by Richard Petty	NASCAR Winston Cup Champion 1973	Succeeded by Richard Petty
Preceded by Iggy Katona	ARCA Champion 1968-1969	Succeeded by Ramo Stott
Achievements
Preceded by Richard Petty	Daytona 500 Winner 1975	Succeeded by David Pearson

NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Inducted Members	Richard Childress Rick Hendrick Mark Martin Raymond Parks Benny Parsons

Squier Hall Award	Benny Phillips

Landmark Award	H. Clay Earles

Sprint Cup Series Drivers' Champions

1949 R. Byron
1950 B. Rexford
1951 H. Thomas
1952 T. Flock
1953 H. Thomas
1954 L. Petty
1955 T. Flock
1956 B. Baker
1957 B. Baker
1958 L. Petty

1959 L. Petty
1960 R. White
1961 N. Jarrett
1962 J. Weatherly
1963 J. Weatherly
1964 R. Petty
1965 N. Jarrett
1966 D. Pearson
1967 R. Petty
1968 D. Pearson

1969 D. Pearson
1970 B. Isaac
1971 R. Petty
1972 R. Petty
1973 B. Parsons
1974 R. Petty
1975 R. Petty
1976 C. Yarborough
1977 C. Yarborough
1978 C. Yarborough

1979 R. Petty
1980 D. Earnhardt
1981 D. Waltrip
1982 D. Waltrip
1983 B. Allison
1984 T. Labonte
1985 D. Waltrip
1986 D. Earnhardt
1987 D. Earnhardt
1988 B. Elliott

1989 R. Wallace
1990 D. Earnhardt
1991 D. Earnhardt
1992 A. Kulwicki
1993 D. Earnhardt
1994 D. Earnhardt
1995 J. Gordon
1996 T. Labonte
1997 J. Gordon
1998 J. Gordon

1999 D. Jarrett
2000 B. Labonte
2001 J. Gordon
2002 T. Stewart
2003 M. Kenseth
2004 Ku. Busch
2005 T. Stewart
2006 J. Johnson
2007 J. Johnson
2008 J. Johnson

2009 J. Johnson
2010 J. Johnson
2011 T. Stewart
2012 B. Keselowski
2013 J. Johnson
2014 K. Harvick
2015 Ky. Busch
2016 J. Johnson

Daytona 500 winners

Multiple

Seven-time	Richard Petty

Four-time	Cale Yarborough

Three-time	Bobby Allison Dale Jarrett Jeff Gordon

Two-time	Bill Elliott Sterling Marlin Michael Waltrip Matt Kenseth Jimmie Johnson Dale Earnhardt Jr.

One-time

Hendrick Motorsports

Personnel

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

Drivers	(5) Kasey Kahne (24) Chase Elliott (48) Jimmie Johnson (88) Jeff Gordon / Alex Bowman

Crew chiefs	(5) Keith Rodden (24) Alan Gustafson (48) Chad Knaus (88) Greg Ives

Former drivers

NASCAR Hall of Fame	Terry Labonte Mark Martin Darrell Waltrip Benny Parsons

Winners	Kyle Busch Ricky Hendrick Geoff Bodine Casey Mears Jerry Nadeau Joe Nemechek Tim Richmond Ricky Rudd Ken Schrader Regan Smith Jack Sprague Tony Stewart Brian Vickers

Other drivers	Brett Bodine Buddy Baker Ricky Craven Wally Dallenbach Jr. Jim Fitzgerald Ron Hornaday Jr. Scott Lagasse Randy LaJoie Greg Sacks Al Unser Jr.

Partnerships and affiliations

ESPN SpeedWorld

Major Racing Series	NASCAR Formula One IndyCar CART Champ Car USAC IMSA IROC NHRA

Key figures	Bob Jenkins Larry Nuber Jerry Punch Marty Reid Paul Page Bob Varsha Dave Despain Todd Harris Ned Jarrett Benny Parsons Scott Goodyear Gary Gerould Dick Berggren Jack Arute Rusty Wallace Jamie Little Derek Daly David Hobbs Steve Chassey Larry Rice

Lore	Million Dollar Bill Death of Rich Vogler Kulwicki's Miracle Death of Ayrton Senna Schumacher-Hill Incident at Australia Mario's Last Ride Earnhardt-Labonte Duel at Bristol IndyCar vs the Indy 500 "It Hurt So Good!" The Pass Texas-Sized Argument: Luyendyk vs Foyt Gordon's Winston Million Schumacher-Villeneuve Incident at Jerez Hornaday vs Sprague Title Battle Earnhardt-Labonte Duel at Bristol II: Rattling His Cage Death of Greg Moore The Big One at Daytona: Bodine Takes a Wild Ride Spiderman: Helio Climbs the Fence Mr. "Restrictor Plate": Earnhardt's Final Victory Zanardi's Accident Five-Way Title Fight/Brack's Accident

Other	NASCAR on ESPN SpeedWeek RPM 2Night Saturday Night Thunder ABC Sports ESPN programs

NASCAR on ESPN/ABC

Networks	ESPN (1981-2002, 2007-14) ABC (1961-2000, 2007-14) ESPN2 (1994-2002, 2007-14) ESPN Classic (2007-10) ESPNews (2011-14)

NASCAR Countdown	Nicole Briscoe Rusty Wallace Brad Daugherty Ray Evernham Tim Brewer

Pit reporters	Dave Burns Mike Massaro Jamie Little Shannon Spake Vince Welch Jerry Punch Mark Johnson Brienne Pedigo

Race coverage	Allen Bestwick Play-by-Play Dale Jarrett Color Commentary Andy Petree Color Commentary Dave Burns Nationwide Series Fill-in Play-by-Play Ricky Craven Fill-in Color Commentary

Former key figures	Bob Jenkins Ned Jarrett Benny Parsons Larry Nuber Bill Weber Ray Dunlap Paul Page John Kernan Dick Berggren Amy East Jack Arute Marty Reid

Lore^[abc]	Petty/Pearson Crash (ABC) Petty's 200th Win (ABC) Million Dollar Bill (ESPN) Allison's crash into the fence (ESPN) Pass In The Grass (ABC) Kulwicki's Polish Victory Lap (ESPN) Wallace spins Waltrip (ABC) Controversial Caution leads Bodine for lone Cup win (ESPN) Death of J.D. McDuffie (ESPN) Kulwicki's Miracle (ESPN) First race at the Brickyard (ABC) Earnhardt's Lone Road Course Win (ESPN) Earnhardt-Labonte Duel at Bristol (ESPN) Gordon's Winston Million (ESPN) Earnhardt-Labonte Duel at Bristol II: Rattling His Cage (ESPN) Mr. "Restrictor Plate": Earnhardt's Final Victory (ESPN) Stewart wins after Smith's mistake (ABC) Johnson ties Cale with 3 (ABC) Johnson wins 4th straight (ABC) Kyle Busch makes history (ABC) Gordon-Johnson Pit Swap Controversy (ESPN) Jimmie beats Denny Hamlin for 5th straight title (ESPN) Jeff Gordon wins #85 (ESPN) Stewart & Edwards tie with Stewart winning the tiebreaker (ESPN) The Singapore Sling (ABC) Jimmie Johnson wins a sixth title (ESPN) Jeff Gordon becomes a five time winner at Indy (ESPN) A. J. Allmendinger wins 4-hour race (ESPN) Gordon vs. Keselowski (ESPN) First Championship 4 (ESPN)

ESPN SpeedWorld NASCAR Now NASCAR Countdown RPM 2Night Wide World of Sports ^[abc] includes races before 2006 which appeared on ABC

NASCAR on NBC

Networks	NBC (2001-06, 2015-present) NBCSN (2015-present) CNBC (2006, 2015-present) USA Network (2016) Comcast SportsNet (2015-present) Telemundo (2015-present) NBC Universo (2014-present) NBC Sports Live Extra (2015-present)

Commentators	Rick Allen Jeff Burton Steve Letarte Mike Massaro Kelli Stavast Leigh Diffey Allen Bestwick Wally Dallenbach Jr. Benny Parsons Bill Weber Kyle Petty Ralph Sheheen Dave Burns Marty Snider Matt Yocum Joe Gibbs Lindsay Czarniak Adam Alexander Liz Allison Chris Neville Larry McReynolds Krista Voda Mike Wallace

Lore	First race at Daytona after Earnhardt's death First race after September 11 attacks Marlin's Mistake McMurray's Upset Sadler goes for a ride Earnhardt Jr.'s first Daytona 500 win Hendrick plane crash In Loving Memory All The Way First Chase for the Cup Late Night Firecracker: Smoke Climbs the Starter's Stand Mexico Series Comes to Phoenix (2014) Late Night Firecracker 2: Dillon Takes a Hit Harvick's Fuel Mileage The Southern 500's Return to Labor Day Kenseth vs. Logano Busch Completes Remarkable Comeback Buescher Uses Fog to Pull Off Stunning Upset Jimmie Johnson ties Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for seven titles

Daytona 500	2002 2004 2006

Theme songs	"Fuel" (2001–03, NBC and TNT) "Bringing Back the Sunshine" (2015-present)

Related articles	NASCAR America NASCAR on TNT NASCAR on USA

NASCAR on CBS

Commentators	Buddy Baker Dick Berggren Neil Bonnett Dave Despain Chris Economaki Eli Gold Greg Gumbel David Hobbs Ned Jarrett Mike Joy Bud Palmer Benny Parsons Richard Petty Ralph Sheheen Ken Squier Bill Stephens Brock Yates

Lore	The Fight Fastest 500 In History The Bumpergate The Slingshot Pass Elliott's Dominant Performance Beginning of the Curse of Dale Earnhardt Like Father, Like Son Waltrip's Fuel Milage Derrike Cope's Upset over Earnhardt The Dale and Dale Show Smith/Bonnett Incidents and Photo Finish Marlin's First Win: Tragedy in Speedweeks Miller edges Skinner by 0.001 seconds The Dale and Dale Show II Last Tape Delayed Cup race: Earnhardt's Big Wreck at Talladega This One's For You (Hendrick Podium Sweep) Earnhardt's Daytona Win Junior Breaks Through Adam's lone start/Junior's First Cup Win Jeff Burton wins the final NASCAR Winston Cup race on CBS

Daytona 500	1960 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

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