Johnnie Parsons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Johnnie Parsons |
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Parsons, circa 1957
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| Born | John Woodrow Parsons July 4, 1918 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Died | September 8, 1984 (aged 66) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Championship titles | |||||||
| AAA Midwest Midget Car (1948) AAA Championship Car (1949) USAC Pacific Coast Midget Car (1956) Major victories Indianapolis 500 (1950) |
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| 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 | ||||||
John Woodrow "Johnnie" Parsons (born July 4, 1918 – died September 8, 1984) was an American racing driver. He competed in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. Johnnie Parsons won the 1949 AAA national championship. He is most famous for winning the 1950 Indianapolis 500.
Parsons was known for his exciting driving style. He was called a "charger" because he often moved from the back of the race to the front. He drove for a team owned by Frank Kurtis. Kurtis Kraft was a top car builder in the early 1950s.
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Johnnie Parsons' Early Life
Johnnie Parsons was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Harmon and Belle Parsons, worked in show business. When he was just three years old, Johnnie joined his family's song-and-dance act. They performed in vaudeville theaters. This early experience helped him become a popular driver later on.
In the mid-1920s, his parents separated. Johnnie then went to live with his uncle, Jack Bridges. His uncle owned a garage in Los Angeles. Many famous drivers rented space there. These included dirt track driver Fred Lecklider and Ralph DePalma. DePalma won the 1915 Indianapolis 500.
Watching these drivers and attending races at the Legion Ascot Speedway made Johnnie want to race. As a teenager, he sold programs at midget races. He worked at places like Gilmore Stadium.
Parsons was inspired by drivers like Bob Swanson. Swanson was a great driver and also a skilled mechanic. Johnnie wanted to be like him. He learned to weld and work on cars. He started working for local drivers in his uncle's garage. After graduating from Polytechnic High School, he worked as a welder for an engineering company.
Johnnie Parsons' Racing Career
Midget and Sprint Car Racing
Johnnie Parsons started his racing career in 1940. He first raced a midget at Atlantic Boulevard Speedway in Los Angeles. Later that year, he won his first race in Colton, California. He began racing in semi-professional midget races on the West Coast.
In 1942, Parsons won the United Midget Association (UMA) championship. He won 18 races that season. Racing was paused during Second World War. During the war, Parsons worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company.
After the war, Parsons continued midget racing in California. He became a professional racer. He sometimes raced five nights a week and twice on Sundays. In 1947, Parsons moved to the Midwest. There, he competed in AAA races across the United States.
In 1948, Parsons won the AAA Midwest Midget championship. He also won a big race called the "Night Before the 500" at the 16th Street Speedway. This success led to chances to race in Championship Car events.
Parsons kept racing midgets even during his Championship car career. He won the 1955 Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race. He also started racing sprint cars. In 1951, he finished third in the AAA Eastern Sprint Car championship.
Championship Car Racing
Parsons started racing in the AAA after World War II. In his first Indianapolis 500 in 1949, he finished second. He then won the season championship that same year. The next year, he won the famous 1950 Indianapolis 500.
After he stopped racing, he became the Chief Steward for the USAC Midget division. He worked on the West Coast in the 1970s.
Formula One World Championship Races
The AAA and USAC-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Drivers' Championship from 1950 to 1960. Drivers who raced at Indianapolis during those years earned points for the World Championship.
Parsons raced in nine World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won one of these races. He also recorded one fastest lap. In total, he earned 12 World Drivers' Championship points.
Johnnie Parsons is one of only three drivers to win their very first World Drivers' Championship race. The others are Nino Farina (who won the first-ever World Championship race) and Giancarlo Baghetti.
Johnnie Parsons' Family Life
Around 1942, Johnnie Parsons married his first wife, Arza. They had two children: a son named John Wayne Parsons and a daughter named Joan. Their son, John, became a race car driver too. People often called him "Johnny Parsons, Jr." Johnnie and Arza separated around 1947. Arza later married Duane Carter, who also had a son, Duane, Jr., also known as "Pancho," who became a race car driver.
In 1947, Parsons married his second wife, Lila. They had a daughter named Patricia.
The Borg-Warner Trophy Mistake
Johnnie Parsons has a unique story related to the Borg-Warner Trophy. This trophy is given to the winner of the Indianapolis 500. His name was accidentally misspelled on the trophy as "Johnny" instead of "Johnnie."
His son, Johnny, also raced at Indy many times. The mistake can be seen in the 1950 movie To Please a Lady. When the camera shows Johnnie Parsons' name on the trophy, the misspelled name is visible.
In 1991, during a trophy repair project, there was a plan to fix the spelling. However, it was decided to keep the mistake. It is now part of the trophy's history and a fun fact about it.
Awards and Honors
Johnnie Parsons has been honored in several halls of fame for his racing achievements:
- National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1984)
- Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1986)
- Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2004)
- National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (2008)
Images for kids
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Parsons planned to drive this Ferrari 375 Indianapolis in the 1952 Indianapolis 500. He later chose to race his Kurtis Kraft car instead.
See also
In Spanish: Johnnie Parsons para niños
