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It is with a heavy, heavy heart I send this out. Benny will be missed by many, myself amoung them. This is truly hard for me to send.
Benny Parsons -- Fast Talk Host
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Benny retired from NASCAR NEXTEL Cup competition after the 1988 season with many great accomplishments in his racing career. Benny had won the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Championship in 1973, the Daytona 500 in 1975 and was the first driver in the record books to qualify at over 200 mph.
In 1989, Benny embarked on his second career as a race color analyst for ESPN and joined NBC in 2001 as their race analyst. In 1994, he began his weekly stint as a radio show host, talking to drivers and race fans each week on Fast Talk, Monday nights at 7PM on the Performance Racing Network.
His broadcasting career venture has proven to be just as rewarding with Benny winning the prestigious ACE Award in 1989; being inducted to The International Motor Sports Hall of Fame and the Court of Legends at Lowe's Motor Speedway in 1994; winning the ESPN Emmy in 1996 and being named one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR's History in 1998.
Benny has two sons, Keith and Kevin, and resides in Concord, N.C., with his wife Terri and prized pet Chow Winston.
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Benny Parsons Bio
- Born in 1941 in Wilkes County, North Carolina
- Currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with wife Terri
- Two sons, Kevin and Keith Parsons
- Two granddaughters, Emily and Libbie
- Started racing in 1963 at Mt. Clemens Speedway
- AUTOMOBILE RACING CLUB OF AMERICA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR in 1965 (ARCA)
- ARCA Champion 1968 and 1969
- First ARCA Champion inducted into The International Sports Hall of Fame
- Joined NASCAR in 1970
- First Winston Cup victory was at South Boston Virginia Speedway in 1971
- Winston Cup Champion in 1973
- Winner of Daytona 500 in 1975
- First person to every qualify a stock car over 200mph record holder
- Retired from competition immediately following the 1988 season
- Joined ESPN as a RACE ANALYST in 1989
- ACE AWARD winner
- Has a cookbook: BUFFET BENNY’S FAMILY RECIPES
- Host of nationally syndicated radio show on Performance Racing Network called “FAST TALK WITH BENNY PARSONS”
- Inducted into The International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in December of 1994
- 1996 ESPN Emmy Award Winner
- 1998 named one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR History
- Announcer and Color Commentator for NASCAR on NBC & TNT
- 21 Victories
- $3.9 million in Career Earnings
- Per Don Naman, Executive Director of The International Sports Hall of Fame, “Out of 526 NASCAR events, Benny finished in the Top 10 283 times and in the Top 5 199 times, making him one of the most consistent drivers in recent history.”
- Inducted into The Motor Sports Hall of Fame of America August 2006
- Proprietor of Rendezvous Ridge Winery
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Parsons, 65, dies after battle with lung cancer
NASCAR.COM
Benny Parsons, who charmed television audiences with his folksy demeanor as much as he impressed fans with his ability as a driver, died Tuesday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte following complications from lung disease. He was 65.
The former self-proclaimed Detroit taxi driver-turned-NASCAR racer never forgot his humble rural North Carolina roots, and it came through in every aspect of his life.
Even though he gained fame as the 1973 Winston Cup champion and winner of the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons understood that as a broadcast analyst, it was his job to aim the spotlight away from himself.
"I heard someone say this one time and I thought it was fabulous," Parsons said. "Everyone can't be stars. Someone has to sit on the sidewalk and clap as they go by.
"We announcers on TV that talk about sports are simply the people sitting on the sidewalk clapping as the parade goes by. We are no longer the stars. The guys on the racetracks and in football and basketball games -- those are the stars."
Still Parsons was a star in his own right. He was born in 1941 in Wilkes County, N.C., but resided for much of his life in Ellerbe, just a few miles up the road from Rockingham, home of North Carolina Motor Speedway. It was there that perhaps Parsons' greatest accomplishment as a driver took place in the 1973 season finale.
Holding a slim lead over Richard Petty, Parsons' car was heavily damaged in a Lap 13 accident. However, with help from a number of different teams in the garage area, Parsons was able to get back on the track, completing enough laps to finish 28th and win the title.
Parsons' racing career came somewhat by accident. When his parents moved north to Detroit following World War II, Parsons helped work at his father's service station.
One evening in 1963, a truck towing a racecar stopped at the station for fuel. Parsons was invited to join them and hopped into the bed of the pickup on the way to nearby Mount Clemens Speedway. According to the story, when the regular driver failed to show up, Parsons volunteered to drive.
Parsons made his first visit to Daytona that same year.
"I had become a huge race fan and had been going to the races with some guys that were running the ARCA series up in the Midwest. I didn't know a soul [in Daytona], and couldn't get in the garage area," he said.
"But I would buy my infield ticket for three or four dollars -- whatever it was to come in -- and just hang on the fence and watch those cars being pushed by. I would've paid anything I had in my pocket just to push -- you know, [Fred] Lorenzen's car and Ned Jarrett's car and Fireball [Robert's] car."
The highlight of the trip, Parsons recalled, was when he met H.B. Bailey's wife in the lobby of the hotel where they were staying.
"She slipped me a pit pass, so I got in for about two hours one day," Parsons said. "It was the highlight of my life, getting inside the garage area and getting close to those racecars."
Parsons quickly made a name for himself in the Midwest racing ranks, winning ARCA rookie of the year honors in 1965, then capturing the ARCA championship in 1968 and 1969.
He made his NASCAR debut in 1964, earning $250 for a 21st-place finish after his Holman-Moody Ford began overheating.
Parsons qualified for the first of 20 Daytona 500 starts in 1969, finishing eighth in the No. 88 Ford. He would go on to run the entire 1970 season in L.G. DeWitt's No. 72, posting the first of 21 career victories at Virginia's South Boston Speedway in 1971.
When David Pearson spun out while leading with two laps remaining in the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons was there to take the checkered flag, giving Chevrolet its first win in that race since 1960.
Parsons also became the first driver to qualify a stock car at over 200 mph when he won the pole at Talladega for the 1982 Winston 500 at a speed of 200.176 mph.
After retiring as an active driver following the 1988 season, Parsons joined ESPN as a race analyst, winning an Ace Award in 1989 and an Emmy in 1996. He moved over to NBC and TNT when those networks began NASCAR coverage in 2001.
In July, Parsons revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Parsons admitted he had been a smoker but had kicked the habit nearly 30 years before.
"The first thing everyone asks me is, 'Are you a smoker?'," Parsons said at the time. "The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978 and since then I've hated being around smoking. I don't even allow anyone in my foursome to smoke on the golf course."
After treatment, the 65-year-old announced in October that his cancer was in full remission.
"Three months ago my family doctor called me into his office and told me I had lung cancer," Parsons said at the time. "So Rick Hendrick told me if I was going to fight cancer, you have to get [oncologist Steven A.] Limentani. He helped Rick through his leukemia 10 years ago. So we did.
"The last three months we have been battling the disease. Then Wednesday, I had a scan and [Limentani] called me Wednesday afternoon with the best news: 'The cancer is gone ... see ya.' "
However, Parsons was unable to attend the Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony in New York as the cancer treatment reportedly left his left lung too damaged to function properly, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.
He was admitted to the hospital for the final time on Dec. 26 as his condition progressively worsened.
Parsons was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998.
NASCAR.COM
Benny Parsons, who charmed television audiences with his folksy demeanor as much as he impressed fans with his ability as a driver, died Tuesday at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte following complications from lung disease. He was 65.
The former self-proclaimed Detroit taxi driver-turned-NASCAR racer never forgot his humble rural North Carolina roots, and it came through in every aspect of his life.
Even though he gained fame as the 1973 Winston Cup champion and winner of the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons understood that as a broadcast analyst, it was his job to aim the spotlight away from himself.
"I heard someone say this one time and I thought it was fabulous," Parsons said. "Everyone can't be stars. Someone has to sit on the sidewalk and clap as they go by.
"We announcers on TV that talk about sports are simply the people sitting on the sidewalk clapping as the parade goes by. We are no longer the stars. The guys on the racetracks and in football and basketball games -- those are the stars."
Still Parsons was a star in his own right. He was born in 1941 in Wilkes County, N.C., but resided for much of his life in Ellerbe, just a few miles up the road from Rockingham, home of North Carolina Motor Speedway. It was there that perhaps Parsons' greatest accomplishment as a driver took place in the 1973 season finale.
Holding a slim lead over Richard Petty, Parsons' car was heavily damaged in a Lap 13 accident. However, with help from a number of different teams in the garage area, Parsons was able to get back on the track, completing enough laps to finish 28th and win the title.
Parsons' racing career came somewhat by accident. When his parents moved north to Detroit following World War II, Parsons helped work at his father's service station.
One evening in 1963, a truck towing a racecar stopped at the station for fuel. Parsons was invited to join them and hopped into the bed of the pickup on the way to nearby Mount Clemens Speedway. According to the story, when the regular driver failed to show up, Parsons volunteered to drive.
Parsons made his first visit to Daytona that same year.
"I had become a huge race fan and had been going to the races with some guys that were running the ARCA series up in the Midwest. I didn't know a soul [in Daytona], and couldn't get in the garage area," he said.
"But I would buy my infield ticket for three or four dollars -- whatever it was to come in -- and just hang on the fence and watch those cars being pushed by. I would've paid anything I had in my pocket just to push -- you know, [Fred] Lorenzen's car and Ned Jarrett's car and Fireball [Robert's] car."
The highlight of the trip, Parsons recalled, was when he met H.B. Bailey's wife in the lobby of the hotel where they were staying.
"She slipped me a pit pass, so I got in for about two hours one day," Parsons said. "It was the highlight of my life, getting inside the garage area and getting close to those racecars."
Parsons quickly made a name for himself in the Midwest racing ranks, winning ARCA rookie of the year honors in 1965, then capturing the ARCA championship in 1968 and 1969.
He made his NASCAR debut in 1964, earning $250 for a 21st-place finish after his Holman-Moody Ford began overheating.
Parsons qualified for the first of 20 Daytona 500 starts in 1969, finishing eighth in the No. 88 Ford. He would go on to run the entire 1970 season in L.G. DeWitt's No. 72, posting the first of 21 career victories at Virginia's South Boston Speedway in 1971.
When David Pearson spun out while leading with two laps remaining in the 1975 Daytona 500, Parsons was there to take the checkered flag, giving Chevrolet its first win in that race since 1960.
Parsons also became the first driver to qualify a stock car at over 200 mph when he won the pole at Talladega for the 1982 Winston 500 at a speed of 200.176 mph.
After retiring as an active driver following the 1988 season, Parsons joined ESPN as a race analyst, winning an Ace Award in 1989 and an Emmy in 1996. He moved over to NBC and TNT when those networks began NASCAR coverage in 2001.
In July, Parsons revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Parsons admitted he had been a smoker but had kicked the habit nearly 30 years before.
"The first thing everyone asks me is, 'Are you a smoker?'," Parsons said at the time. "The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978 and since then I've hated being around smoking. I don't even allow anyone in my foursome to smoke on the golf course."
After treatment, the 65-year-old announced in October that his cancer was in full remission.
"Three months ago my family doctor called me into his office and told me I had lung cancer," Parsons said at the time. "So Rick Hendrick told me if I was going to fight cancer, you have to get [oncologist Steven A.] Limentani. He helped Rick through his leukemia 10 years ago. So we did.
"The last three months we have been battling the disease. Then Wednesday, I had a scan and [Limentani] called me Wednesday afternoon with the best news: 'The cancer is gone ... see ya.' "
However, Parsons was unable to attend the Nextel Cup Awards Ceremony in New York as the cancer treatment reportedly left his left lung too damaged to function properly, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer.
He was admitted to the hospital for the final time on Dec. 26 as his condition progressively worsened.
Parsons was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the Numbers: B.P.
NASCAR legend Parsons turned consistency into success
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
Only four drivers won NASCAR championships during the 1970s -- Richard Petty won five, Cale Yarborough won three, Bobby Isaac won the 1970 title ... and in 1973 there was Benny Parsons.
Parsons beat Yarborough by 67.15 points for the only NASCAR title of his career despite finishing 28th in the season's final race. It made him the first driver to win both ARCA and NASCAR championships.
But titles never defined Parsons, who died Tuesday from lung cancer.
Some may have known "The Professor" as the analyst for NBC/TNT broadcasts for the past six years, thanks to his colorful insight to sheet metal going 180 mph around a circle 500 times.
Others may know him as the NASCAR legend who was named one of the sport's 50 greatest drivers in 1998. It's no coincidence that Bill France once said such a title defined the competition of the sport.
Key Dates
July 12, 1941 -- Benny Parsons was born in Ellerbe, N.C.
Aug. 9, 1964 -- Benny Parsons' first NASCAR race, the Western North Carolina 500 held at the half-mile Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Parsons started ninth but finished 21st after an overheating problem in his Holman-Moody Ford. He won $250.
May 9, 1971 -- Benny Parsons' first NASCAR victory, the Halifax County 100 at the .357-mile South Boston Speedway. Parsons led 42 laps in his No. 72 L.G. DeWitt Ford and finished one lap ahead of second-place Richard Petty.
March 18, 1984 -- Benny Parsons' final NASCAR victory, the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta International Raceway. Parsons beat Dale Earnhardt by 0.9 seconds. It was his second of just 14 races that seasons, although he finished the year with 10 top-10s.
What you didn't know
1 -- Time B.P. finished on the lead lap during his 1973 championship season, although he wasn't in the car when it crossed the start/finish line -- in first. John Utsman relieved an ailing Parsons and drove the car to its only lead-lap finish at the Volunteer 500 at Bristol and its only victory of the season. Parsons clinched the championship later that year with 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s.
Numerology
Benny Parsons drove at least one race in 21 different seasons. He ran a partial schedule for eight seasons, and for 13 seasons Parsons was a full-timer in NASCAR's premier series. In 10 of those seasons, he finished inside the top 10 in the point standings
NASCAR legend Parsons turned consistency into success
By Josh Pate, NASCAR.COM
Only four drivers won NASCAR championships during the 1970s -- Richard Petty won five, Cale Yarborough won three, Bobby Isaac won the 1970 title ... and in 1973 there was Benny Parsons.
Parsons beat Yarborough by 67.15 points for the only NASCAR title of his career despite finishing 28th in the season's final race. It made him the first driver to win both ARCA and NASCAR championships.
But titles never defined Parsons, who died Tuesday from lung cancer.
Some may have known "The Professor" as the analyst for NBC/TNT broadcasts for the past six years, thanks to his colorful insight to sheet metal going 180 mph around a circle 500 times.
Others may know him as the NASCAR legend who was named one of the sport's 50 greatest drivers in 1998. It's no coincidence that Bill France once said such a title defined the competition of the sport.
Key Dates
July 12, 1941 -- Benny Parsons was born in Ellerbe, N.C.
Aug. 9, 1964 -- Benny Parsons' first NASCAR race, the Western North Carolina 500 held at the half-mile Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Parsons started ninth but finished 21st after an overheating problem in his Holman-Moody Ford. He won $250.
May 9, 1971 -- Benny Parsons' first NASCAR victory, the Halifax County 100 at the .357-mile South Boston Speedway. Parsons led 42 laps in his No. 72 L.G. DeWitt Ford and finished one lap ahead of second-place Richard Petty.
March 18, 1984 -- Benny Parsons' final NASCAR victory, the Coca-Cola 500 at Atlanta International Raceway. Parsons beat Dale Earnhardt by 0.9 seconds. It was his second of just 14 races that seasons, although he finished the year with 10 top-10s.
What you didn't know
1 -- Time B.P. finished on the lead lap during his 1973 championship season, although he wasn't in the car when it crossed the start/finish line -- in first. John Utsman relieved an ailing Parsons and drove the car to its only lead-lap finish at the Volunteer 500 at Bristol and its only victory of the season. Parsons clinched the championship later that year with 15 top-fives and 21 top-10s.
Numerology
Benny Parsons drove at least one race in 21 different seasons. He ran a partial schedule for eight seasons, and for 13 seasons Parsons was a full-timer in NASCAR's premier series. In 10 of those seasons, he finished inside the top 10 in the point standings
- 0 -- Times Benny Parsons finished on the lead lap in 31 races during the 1972 season, although he collected 10 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes and ended the year fifth in the final standings.
- 1 -- Victory for Benny Parsons in 1975 -- the Daytona 500 -- which marked the first of seven consecutive seasons he won a race. Parsons would later say winning the great race meant more to him than winning the 1973 championship.
- 1 -- Victory for Benny Parsons from the pole position: the 1980 Gabriel 400 at Michigan. He started up front, led 75 laps and held off Cale Yarborough for the win. It was the second of three victories for Parsons that season.
- 2 -- ARCA championships for Benny Parsons (1968 and 1969). Parsons became the first ARCA champion to be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and is the only driver to win the ARCA and Cup Series titles.
- 3 -- Top-10 finishes in four starts during the 1969 season for Benny Parsons, his second attempt at NASCAR after a one-race deal in 1964. Parsons finished fifth in a Daytona qualifier, seventh in the Daytona 500 and third at Texas World Speedway. His only blemish was a 38th-place finish at Michigan when his engine expired.
- 4 -- Victories in 1977, the most in a single season during Benny Parsons' career. The victories came at Nashville, Pocono, Dover and Charlotte. He had 22 top-10 finishes and wound up third in the standings behind Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty.
- 5 -- Consecutive races that Benny Parsons either started or finished first at Nashville Speedway. He earned consecutive poles in 1975 and '76, then won two races in a row from 1976-77, then earned the pole at the July race in 1977.
- 7 -- Seasons that Benny Parsons had more than 20 top-10 finishes: 1970 (23), 1973 (21), 1976 (23), 1977 (22), 1978 (21), 1979 (21) and 1980 (21).
- 8.2 -- Average finish for B.P. in 28 races at North Wilkesboro, one of his most successful tracks. He had one victory, 16 top-fives and 21 top-10s at the .625-mile speedway.
- 9 -- Times Benny Parsons finished inside the top five in the season's final point standings.
- 9.259 -- Average starting position for B.P. during his career, 21st on the all-time list. He is one of only 30 drivers who have a career starting average of 10th or better.
- 10 -- Consecutive seasons Benny Parsons finished inside the top 10 in points, nine of which he finished fifth or better. Between 1972 and 1981, he did not miss a race and won in eight of those seasons.
- 14 -- Consecutive races during Benny Parsons' 1973 championship season that he finished in the top 10. Parsons was fifth at Bristol on March 25 and kept the streak going through short tracks and superspeedways until he was credited for a victory in the Volunteer 500 on July 8 -- his only victory of the season.
- 21 -- Victories for B.P. in his 21-year career, tying him for 28th on the all-time list with Bobby Labonte and Jack Smith.
- 53.8 -- Percentage in which Benny Parsons finished in the top 10 during his 526 career starts. He had 283 top-10 finishes, ranking him 17th on the all-time list.
- 199 -- Top-five finishes for Benny Parsons in his career, ranking him 13th on the all-time list. He finished in the top five in 37.8 percent of his starts.
- 200.176 mph -- Speed that Benny Parsons clocked to win the pole for the 1982 Winston 500 at Talladega -- the first NASCAR qualifying run faster than 200 mph.
- 1980 -- Year that Benny Parsons won his second consecutive race at Ontario Motor Speedway. Parsons' two victories happened to be the final two NASCAR races held at the track.
- 1989 -- First full season that Benny Parsons was a NASCAR broadcaster for ESPN. He won an ACE Award that year as the best sports analyst.
- $4,426,278 -- Career earnings for Benny Parsons during his 21-year career, ranking him 74th on the all-time list.
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Rest In Peace Benny. You will be missed.
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