OCBob
VIPER POWERED
Ever since making his driving debut in NASCAR in 1964, Benny Parsons, who died Tuesday at age 65 after a battle with lung cancer, had been one of the most likeable characters in the sport. On race entry race forms, he listed his occupation as a "taxi driver from Detroit," which he had been, and fans quickly connected to Parsons, a common-man's racer if there ever was one.
But it wasn't just the people in the seats who developed an affinity for Parsons. In 1973 he entered the final race of the season at Rockingham, N.C., with a slim points lead over Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty in the championship standings. Though Parsons had won only one race that season, he consistently finished in the top 10. But just 13 laps into that final race in Rockingham, Parsons' Mercury was hit by another car, tearing off the entire right side of his car. The championship seemed lost.
But then something extraordinary happened, something that would never happen in today's NASCAR: Mechanics and crew members from rival teams left their pits and ran to the aid of Parsons. In a matter of moments, crew guys wearing different colored shirts were sprinting all over the garage and trying to salvage parts from different cars. Then they raced back to Parson's Mercury and hammered away at his car, frantically trying to rebuild it. What would have taken 40 hours to repair by Parsons' crew was completed in 75 minutes, and it only happened because of Parsons' sterling reputation in the garage.
Parsons' No. 72 Mercury roared back into action. Because of several wrecks, Parsons finished the race 28th, which was high enough for him to capture the championship by 67 points over Yarborough. For Parsons, who won 21 career races between '64 and '88, it was his first and only Cup title.
"Winning the championship really didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time," Parsons told me once. "I was just out there having fun, which is what this sport is really about."
I never saw Parsons race, but over the last few years I talked to him numerous times on Sunday mornings hours before the green flag dropped. Strolling through the Nextel Cup garage with that big, grandfatherly smile on his face, Parsons could deftly break down race teams and drivers and issues in NASCAR like few others in the sport -- that's why he was such an outstanding broadcaster on NBC and TNT -- and he always took the time to shed some light on whatever I was writing about for that particular race. This is what I'll remember about Benny Parsons, the fan's driver.
But it wasn't just the people in the seats who developed an affinity for Parsons. In 1973 he entered the final race of the season at Rockingham, N.C., with a slim points lead over Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty in the championship standings. Though Parsons had won only one race that season, he consistently finished in the top 10. But just 13 laps into that final race in Rockingham, Parsons' Mercury was hit by another car, tearing off the entire right side of his car. The championship seemed lost.
But then something extraordinary happened, something that would never happen in today's NASCAR: Mechanics and crew members from rival teams left their pits and ran to the aid of Parsons. In a matter of moments, crew guys wearing different colored shirts were sprinting all over the garage and trying to salvage parts from different cars. Then they raced back to Parson's Mercury and hammered away at his car, frantically trying to rebuild it. What would have taken 40 hours to repair by Parsons' crew was completed in 75 minutes, and it only happened because of Parsons' sterling reputation in the garage.
Parsons' No. 72 Mercury roared back into action. Because of several wrecks, Parsons finished the race 28th, which was high enough for him to capture the championship by 67 points over Yarborough. For Parsons, who won 21 career races between '64 and '88, it was his first and only Cup title.
"Winning the championship really didn't seem like that big of a deal at the time," Parsons told me once. "I was just out there having fun, which is what this sport is really about."
I never saw Parsons race, but over the last few years I talked to him numerous times on Sunday mornings hours before the green flag dropped. Strolling through the Nextel Cup garage with that big, grandfatherly smile on his face, Parsons could deftly break down race teams and drivers and issues in NASCAR like few others in the sport -- that's why he was such an outstanding broadcaster on NBC and TNT -- and he always took the time to shed some light on whatever I was writing about for that particular race. This is what I'll remember about Benny Parsons, the fan's driver.
. RIP Benny
