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{{short description|American racing driver (1918–1984)}}
{{About|the Indianapolis 500 winner|his son, also a racing driver|Johnny Parsons}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| name = Johnnie Parsons
| image = Johnnie Parsons USAC circa 1957.jpg
| caption = Parsons, circa 1957
| birth_name = John Woodrow Parsons
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|
| birth_place = [[Los Angeles
| death_date = {{death date and age|1984|
| death_place =
| titles =
| awards =
| module1 =
| Total_Champ_Races = 61
| Years_In_Champ = 11
| Best_Champ_Pos = 1st ([[1949 AAA Championship Car season|1949]])
| First_Champ_Race = [[1948 AAA Championship Car season|1948]] [[Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack|Springfield 100]] ([[Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack|Springfield]])
| Last_Champ_Race = [[1958 USAC Championship Car season|1958]] [[1958 Indianapolis 500|Indianapolis 500]] ([[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]])
Line 25 ⟶ 24:
| Champ_Podiums = 20
| Champ_Poles = 1
| module2 =
{{Infobox F1 driver|embed=yes
| Years = {{F1|1950}} – {{F1|1958}}
| Team(s) = [[Kurtis Kraft]], [[Eddie Kuzma|Kuzma]]
| Races = 9
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 1
| Podiums = 1
| Points = 12
| Poles = 0
| Fastest laps = 1
| First race = [[1950 Indianapolis 500]]
| First win = 1950 Indianapolis 500
| Last win = 1950 Indianapolis 500
| Last race = [[1958 Indianapolis 500]]
}}}}}}
'''John Woodrow'''
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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Johnnie Parsons |url=https://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/johnnie-parsons.html |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=www.mshf.com}}</ref>
== Early life ==
Parsons was born in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], to Harmon and Belle Parsons, who both made their living in [[show business]]. By the age of three, Parsons was a participant in his family's song-and-dance act, working [[vaudeville]] theaters of the [[Orpheum Circuit]].<ref name=":3" /> During these experiences Parsons developed a knack for showmanship that helped him become a fan favorite during his racing career.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Johnnie Parsons |url=https://imsmuseum.org/fame_inductee/johnnie-parsons/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=IMS Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> Parsons' parents separated in the mid-1920s, after which he went to live with his uncle, Jack Bridges, who owned a garage in Los Angeles.<ref name=":3" />
Among those who leased space from Bridges included local legend [[Dirt track racing|dirt track]] driver [[Fred Lecklider]], rising star [[Frank Lockhart (racing driver)|Frank Lockhart]], and [[Ralph DePalma]], winner of the [[1915 Indianapolis 500]]. Exposure to these drivers coupled with the experiences attending his first races at the [[Legion Ascot Speedway]] during the late 1920s inspired Parsons to aspire to a driving career for himself.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> As a teenager, he sold programs during [[Midget car racing|midget races]] in the grandstands of venues such as [[Gilmore Stadium]].<ref name=":0" />
Parsons was heavily influenced by drivers such as [[Bob Swanson]] - a two-time winner of the [[Turkey Night Grand Prix]] - who were also skilled mechanics. Parsons, determined to emulate the career of Swanson, learned to weld and work on cars, becoming multi-talented within the sport.<ref name=":0" /> During junior high school he began working for some of the local drivers who had cars stored at his uncle's garage. By the time of his graduation from [[John H. Francis Polytechnic High School|Polytechnic High School]], he had worked for drivers such as [[Louis Wetteroth|Curly Wetteroth]] and [[Kelly Petillo]]. He was then hired by an engineering firm in [[Glendale, California|Glendale]], where he did design layouts and worked as a welder.<ref name=":3" />
== Driving career ==
=== Midget and Sprint car career ===
Parsons' open-wheel racing career began in 1940, competing in a [[midget car|midget]] race at [[Atlantic Boulevard Speedway]] in Los Angeles. Later that year, he scored his first victory at a race held in [[Colton, California]].<ref name=":0" /> Around this time he began competing in semi-professional, [[United Midget Association]] (UMA) sanctioned midget races on the U.S [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]]. In 1942, Parsons won the UMA championship, winning 18 races during the season, which was interrupted by the [[Second World War]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2007-09-27 |title=Johnnie Parsons |url=http://worthyofhonor.com/Inductees/Johnnie_Parsons.htm |access-date=2023-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927032911/http://worthyofhonor.com/Inductees/Johnnie_Parsons.htm |archive-date=2007-09-27 }}</ref> During the war, Parsons worked for the [[Douglas Aircraft Company]].<ref name=":3" />
Post-war, Parsons resumed racing in UMA sanctioned events throughout California. He also turned professional, in one week racing as often as five nights, and twice during Sundays.<ref name=":3" /> In 1947, Parsons raced out of state for the first time, relocating to the [[American Midwest|Midwest]], where he competed in [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]]-sanctioned events held throughout the United States.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2" /> In 1948, Parsons claimed the AAA Midwest Midget championship, a year during which he won the prestigious third feature of the [[Night Before the 500]] triple-header held at the [[16th Street Speedway]] - located across from the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]].<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> His successes during this year earned Parsons [[Championship Car]] opportunities.
Parsons continued racing midgets during his Championship car career. He won the 1955 [[Turkey Night Grand Prix]] midget car race, and also began racing sprint cars. In 1951, he finished third in the AAA Eastern Sprint Car championship.<ref name=":1" />
=== Championship car career ===
[[File:Indy500winningcar1950.JPG|thumb|Parsons' winning car from the 1950 Indianapolis 500]]
Parsons began racing in the [[American Automobile Association|AAA]] after [[World War II]]. Parsons finished second in his first Indy 500 in [[1949 Indianapolis 500|1949]]. He won the season championship that season. He also won the [[1950 Indianapolis 500]].
After he retired, he became the Chief Steward for the [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] Midget division on the West Coast in the 1970s.
=== World Drivers' Championship career ===
[[File:Ferrari 375 Indy front-left Enzo Ferrari Museum.jpg|thumb|Parsons intended to drive this [[Ferrari 375 F1|Ferrari 375 Indianapolis]] in the [[1952 Indianapolis 500]] - he later elected to race the [[Kurtis Kraft]] in which he had driven the [[1949 Indianapolis 500|1949]] and [[1950 Indianapolis 500|1950]] events]]
The [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]]/[[United States Auto Club|USAC]]-sanctioned Indianapolis 500 was included in the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] [[List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions|World Drivers' Championship]] from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indianapolis during those years were credited with World Drivers' Championship points and participation in addition to those which they received towards the [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]]/[[United States Auto Club|USAC]] [[List of American open-wheel racing national champions|National Championship]].
Parsons participated in nine World Drivers' Championship races at Indianapolis. He won once, recorded one fastest lap, and accumulated 12 World Drivers' Championship points.
Parsons is one of only three drivers to win on their World Drivers' Championship début. The other two are [[Giuseppe Farina|Nino Farina]], who won the inaugural World Championship race – the [[1950 British Grand Prix]], 17 days earlier – and [[Giancarlo Baghetti]], who won the [[1961 French Grand Prix]].
== Personal life ==
Around 1942, Parsons met and married his first wife, Arza. Together they had two children; a son, [[Johnny Parsons|John Wayne Parsons]], and a daughter, Joan. John, commonly referred to as "Johnny Parsons, Jr.," would grow up to also become a race car driver. Parsons, Sr. and Arza separated around 1947. Arza would later marry [[Duane Carter]], having a son, [[Pancho Carter|Duane, Jr.]] - commonly known as "Pancho" - who coincidentally also grew up to be a race car driver.<ref name=":3" />
In 1947, Parsons married his second wife, Lila, together having a daughter, named Patricia.<ref name=":3" />
== Borg-Warner Trophy ==
[[File:Borgwarnertrophy018.JPG|thumb|right|Parsons' misengraved name on the [[Borg-Warner Trophy]]]]
Johnnie Parsons had the dubious distinction of being the only Indianapolis 500 winner to have his name misspelled on the [[Borg-Warner Trophy]]. The silversmith engraved "Johnny" instead of "Johnnie." He had a son named [[Johnny Parsons|Johnny]] who competed at Indy a dozen times. Evidence of the engraver's mistake can be seen in MGM’s production, ''[[To Please a Lady]]'' (1950). When the camera pans across Johnnie Parsons' name and bust relief, while they’re doing a brief segment on the trophy, his misspelled name is revealed.<ref>MGM, ''To please a Lady'' (1950)</ref> In 1991, during a trophy restoration project, it was proposed to correct the spelling, albeit posthumously. However, it was decided to keep the error intact, as part of the trophy's lore.
== Awards and honors ==
Parsons has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
* [[National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame]] (1984)<ref name=":2" />
* [[Auto Racing Hall of Fame]] (1986)<ref name=":1" />
* [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]] (2004)<ref name=":0" />
* [[National Sprint Car Hall of Fame]] (2008)<ref name=":3">{{cite web |url=https://www.sprintcarhof.com/helper_pages/FileGet.aspx?id=289|title=Johnnie Parsons |website=www.sprintcarhof.com |access-date=2023-05-08}}</ref>
== Motorsports career results ==
=== AAA/USAC Championship Car results ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
Line 115 ⟶ 159:
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 2
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1950 AAA Championship Car season|1950]]
Line 133 ⟶ 177:
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3rd
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 1
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1951 AAA Championship Car season|1951]]
Line 152 ⟶ 196:
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Bay Meadows Racetrack|BAY]]<br><small>1</small>
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 6th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 1
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1952 AAA Championship Car season|1952]]
Line 186 ⟶ 230:
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 435
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1954 AAA Championship Car season|1954]]
Line 204 ⟶ 248:
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 33rd
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 122
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1955 AAA Championship Car season|1955]]
Line 220 ⟶ 264:
|colspan=4|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 39th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 53
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1956 USAC Championship Car season|1956]]
Line 294 ⟶ 338:
|}
=== Indianapolis 500 results ===
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
Line 439 ⟶ 484:
|}
{{col-end}}
*Parsons initially failed to qualify for the 1957 Indianapolis 500. However, Dick Rathmann (who had qualified) was mugged the day before the race and therefore deemed unable to drive. Parsons was selected as replacement driver for the car and allowed to start from the position Dick Rathmann had qualified the car at (in later years such a driver change would see the car in question moved to the rear of the field).
=== FIA World Drivers' Championship
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
Line 632 ⟶ 672:
|}
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.champcarstats.com/drivers/ParsonsJohnnie.htm Johnnie Parsons - ChampCarStats.com]
* {{Find a Grave|20185}}
* [http://www.motorsportmemorial.org/LWFWIW/focusLWFWIW.php?db=LWF&db2=ms&n=2690 Johnnie Parsons - Motorsport Memorial]
* {{Racing-Reference driver|Johnnie_Parsons}}
{{s-start}}
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{{s-ach|rec}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest winners|Youngest Grand Prix<br>race winner]]| before = [[Juan Manuel Fangio]]{{small|<br/>38 years, 331 days<br/>([[1950 Monaco Grand Prix|1950 Monaco GP]])}} | after = [[José Froilán González]]{{small|<br/>28 years, 282 days<br/>([[1951 British Grand Prix|1951 British GP]])}} | years = 31 years, 330 days<br/>([[1950 Indianapolis 500]])}}
{{succession box|title=[[List of Formula One driver records#Youngest drivers to set a fastest lap|Youngest driver to set<br/>fastest lap in Formula One]]| before = [[Juan Manuel Fangio]]{{small|<br/>38 years, 331 days<br/>([[1950 Monaco Grand Prix|1950 Monaco GP]])}} | after = [[José Froilán González]]{{small|<br/>29 years, 338 days<br/>([[1952 Italian Grand Prix|1952 Italian GP]])}} | years = 31 years, 330 days<br/>([[1950 Indianapolis 500]])}}
{{succession box| title = [[List of Formula One driver records#
{{s-end}}
{{Indy 500 winners}}
{{American open-wheel car racing champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Johnnie}}
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[[Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 winners]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:AAA Championship Car drivers]]
[[Category:Formula One race winners]]
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