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{{short description|American racing driver (1918–1984)}}
{{Infobox F1 driver
{{About|the nameIndianapolis 500 winner|his son, also a racing = Johnniedriver|Johnny Parsons}}
{{Infobox racing driver
| nationality = {{flagicon|USA}} American
| name = Johnnie Parsons
| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|7|4}}
| image = Johnnie Parsons USAC circa 1957.jpg
| death_date = {{death date and age|1984|9|8|1918|7|4}}
| Yearscaption = {{F1|1950}}Parsons, –circa {{F1|1958}}1957
| birth_name = John Woodrow Parsons
|Team(s) = [[Kurtis Kraft]], [[Kuzma (constructor)|Kuzma]]
| Races birth_date = 9{{birth date|1918|07|04}}
| birth_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| Championships = 0
| death_date = {{death date and age|1984|09|08|1918|07|04}}
| Wins = 1
| Podiumsdeath_place = 1Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| titles = [[AAA Contest Board|AAA Midwest]] [[Midget car racing|Midget Car]] (1948) <br/> [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]] [[Championship Car]] ([[1949 AAA Championship Car season|1949]]) <br/> [[United States Auto Club|USAC Pacific Coast]] [[Midget car racing|Midget Car]] (1956) <br/> '''Major victories''' <br/> [[Indianapolis 500]] ([[1950 Indianapolis 500|1950]])
| Points = 12
| Polesawards = 0
| Fastest laps module1 = 1
{{Infobox Champ Car driver|embed=yes
| First race = [[1950 Indianapolis 500]]
| Total_Champ_Races = 61
| First win = [[1950 Indianapolis 500]]
| Years_In_Champ = 11
| Last win = [[1950 Indianapolis 500]]
| Best_Champ_Pos = 1st ([[1949 AAA Championship Car season|1949]])
| Last race = [[1958 Indianapolis 500]]
| 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]])
'''Johnnie Woodrow Parsons'''<ref>''[[Donald Davidson (historian)|The Talk of Gasoline Alley]]'' – [[WIBC (FM)|1070-AM WIBC]], May 15, 2007</ref> (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American race car driver from [[Los Angeles]], [[California]] who won the [[Indianapolis 500]] in 1950.
| First_Champ_Win = [[1948 AAA Championship Car season|1948]] [[DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack|DuQuoin 100]] ([[DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack|DuQuoin]])
| Last_Champ_Win = [[1952 AAA Championship Car season|1952]] [[Bobby Ball Memorial|Phoenix 100]] ([[Arizona State Fairgrounds|Phoenix]])
| Champ_Wins = 11
| 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''' "'''Johnnie'''" '''Parsons''' (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American [[racing driver]] in the [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]] and [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] [[Championship Car]] series. He was the [[1949 AAA Championship Car season|1949 AAA]] [[List of American open-wheel racing national champions|national champion]], and won the [[1950 Indianapolis 500]].
During his racing career, he drove for several seasons, including his AAA championship and Indianapolis 500 win, for Ed Walsh's team. Walsh was an owner of Kurtis Kraft, the leading constructor of AAA championship cars. Parsons was a charger, needing cars to race against, frequently moving from last on the grid to a win in spectacular displays of dirt track driving ability.
 
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>
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 carved "Johnny" instead of "Johnnie." He had a son named [[Johnny Parsons|Johnny]] who competed at Indy a dozen times. 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.
 
==Racing careerEarly life ==
 
Parsons first raced in open wheel cars on the West Coast of the United States in a [[midget car racing|midget car]]. He won the 1942 season championship in the [[United Midget Association]]. He won 18 feature events in the abbreviated season.<ref name=NMARHoF>[http://worthyofhonor.com/Inductees/Johnnie_Parsons.htm Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927032911/http://worthyofhonor.com/Inductees/Johnnie_Parsons.htm |date=2007-09-27 }} at the [[National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame]]</ref> Parsons began racing in the [[American Automobile Association|AAA]] after [[World War II]]. He captured the third feature in the 1948 [[Night Before the 500]] midget race at the [[16th Street Speedway]]. 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]]. He won the 1955 [[Turkey Night Grand Prix]] midget car race.
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 ===
==Awards==
 
*He was inducted in the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]<ref name=MSHoF>[http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/johnnie-parsons.html Johnnie Parsons] at the [[Motorsports Hall of Fame of America]]</ref> in 2004.
[[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]]
*He was inducted in the [[National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame]] in 1984. Parsons died before receiving notification that he was selected to the hall of fame.<ref name=NMARHoF />
 
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 ===
 
==Complete AAA Championship Car results==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
Line 88 ⟶ 159:
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 2.,280
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1950 AAA Championship Car season|1950]]
Line 106 ⟶ 177:
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3rd
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 1.,313
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1951 AAA Championship Car season|1951]]
Line 125 ⟶ 196:
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| [[Bay Meadows Racetrack|BAY]]<br><small>1</small>
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 6th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 1.,012
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1952 AAA Championship Car season|1952]]
Line 159 ⟶ 230:
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 435,.5
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1954 AAA Championship Car season|1954]]
Line 177 ⟶ 248:
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 33rd
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 122,.5
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1955 AAA Championship Car season|1955]]
Line 193 ⟶ 264:
|colspan=4|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 39th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 53,.2
|-
! rowspan=1| [[1956 USAC Championship Car season|1956]]
Line 267 ⟶ 338:
|}
 
=== Indianapolis 500 results ===
 
[[File:Borgwarnertrophy018.JPG|thumb|Parsons's misspelled likeness on the [[Borg-Warner Trophy]]]]
{{col-begin|width=auto}}
{{col-break}}
Line 413 ⟶ 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 careerresults summary===
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Johnnie Parsons participated in 9 World Championship races. He won one race, set one fastest leading lap, and finished on the podium once. He accumulated a total of 12 championship points.
 
Parsons is one of only three drivers to win on his world championship début. The other two are [[Giuseppe Farina|Nino Farina]], who won the first world championship race{{snd}}the [[1950 British Grand Prix]], 17 days earlier{{snd}}and [[Giancarlo Baghetti]], who won the [[1961 French Grand Prix]].
 
==Complete Formula One World Championship results==
([[:Template:F1 driver results legend 2|key]]) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
Line 606 ⟶ 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}}
Line 614 ⟶ 688:
{{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#ForLed for at least one lap, youngest leaderleaders|Youngest race leader,<br>for at least one lap in Formula One]] | years = 31 years, 330 days<br/>([[1950 Indianapolis 500]]) | before = [[Juan Manuel Fangio]]{{small|<br/>38 years, 323 days<br/>([[1950 British Grand Prix|1950 British GP]])}} | after = [[Jimmy Davies (racing driver)|Jimmy Davies]]{{small|<br/>21 years, 285 days<br/>([[1951 Indianapolis 500]])}}}}
{{s-end}}
 
{{Indy 500 winners}}
{{American open-wheel car racing champions}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Johnnie}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:Champ Car champions]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 drivers]]
[[Category:Indianapolis 500 winners]]
[[Category:20th-centuryRacing Americandrivers racingfrom driversLos Angeles]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:AAA Championship Car drivers]]
[[Category:Formula One race winners]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnnie_Parsons"