John Woodrow Parsons (July 4, 1918 – September 8, 1984) was an American racing driver in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series. He was the 1949 AAA national champion, and won the 1950 Indianapolis 500.
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.
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. 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. During the war, Parsons worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company.
Borg-Warner Trophy
thumb|right|Parsons' misengraved name on the [[Borg-Warner Trophy]]
Parsons has 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 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. 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)
Motorsports career results
AAA/USAC Championship Car results
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! 12
! 13
! 14
! 15
! Pos
! Points
|-
! rowspan=1| 1948
| ARL
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| INDY<br><small>DNQ</small>
| MIL
| LAN
| MIL
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| SPR<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| MIL<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DUQ<br><small>11</small>
| ATL
| PIK
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SPR<br><small>13</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| DUQ<br><small>1</small>
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 11th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 700
|-
! rowspan=1| 1949
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| ARL<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| INDY<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>13</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TRE<br><small>11</small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| SPR<br><small>3</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| MIL<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DUQ<br><small>11</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| SYR<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DET<br><small>12</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| SPR<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| LAN<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SAC<br><small>5</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DMR<br><small>15</small>
|colspan=1|
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1st
!style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 2,280
|-
! rowspan=1| 1950
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| INDY<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>11</small>
|style="background:#FFFFFF;"| LAN<br><small>DNS</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFFFFF;"| MIL<br><small>DNS</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SYR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DET<br><small>16</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SAC<br><small>11</small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| PHX<br><small>3</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| BAY<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| DAR<br><small>1</small>
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 3rd
!style="background:#FFDF9F;"| 1,313
|-
! rowspan=1| 1951
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>21</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFFFFF;"| LAN<br><small>DNS</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR<br><small>23</small>
| SPR
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| MIL<br><small>3</small>
|style="background:#DFDFDF;"| DUQ<br><small>2</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DUQ<br><small>16</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SYR<br><small>17</small>
| DET
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DNC<br><small>14</small>
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SJS<br><small>7</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| PHX<br><small>1</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| BAY<br><small>1</small>
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 6th
!style="background:#CFEAFF;"| 1,012
|-
! rowspan=1| 1952
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| INDY<br><small>10</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| MIL<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| RAL<br><small>22</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
| MIL
| DET
| DUQ
| PIK
| SYR
| DNC
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SJS<br><small>16</small>
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| PHX<br><small>1</small>
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 18th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 350
|-
! rowspan=1| 1953
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>26</small>
| MIL
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DET<br><small>8</small>
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| SPR<br><small>4</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>21</small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DUQ<br><small>3</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SYR<br><small>12</small>
|style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ISF<br><small>3</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SAC<br><small>15</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| PHX<br><small>16</small>
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 435.5
|-
! rowspan=1| 1954
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>32</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>16</small>
| LAN
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR<br><small>30</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SPR<br><small>DNQ</small>
| MIL
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| DUQ<br><small>7</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| SYR<br><small>8</small>
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ISF<br><small>16</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SAC<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| PHX<br><small>DNQ</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| LVG<br><small>DNQ</small>
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 33rd
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 122.5
|-
! rowspan=1| 1955
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>21</small>
| MIL
| LAN
| SPR
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MIL<br><small>9</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DUQ<br><small>DNQ</small>
| PIK
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SYR<br><small>DNQ</small>
| ISF
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=4|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 39th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 53.2
|-
! rowspan=1| 1956
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| INDY<br><small>4</small>
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>17</small>
| LAN
| DAR
| ATL
| SPR
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| MIL<br><small>11</small>
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| DUQ<br><small>DNQ</small>
| SYR<br><small>DNP</small>
| ISF
|style="background:#FFCFCF;"| SAC<br><small>DNQ</small>
| PHX
|colspan=3|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 13th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 650
|-
! rowspan=1| 1957
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>16</small>
| LAN
| MIL
| DET
| ATL
| SPR
|style="background:#CFEAFF;"| MIL<br><small>7</small>
| DUQ
| SYR
| ISF
| TRE
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 27th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 120
|-
! rowspan=1| 1958
| TRE
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| INDY<br><small>12</small>
|style="background:#DFC484;"| MIL<br><small>Wth</small>
| LAN
| ATL
| SPR
| MIL
| DUQ
| SYR
| ISF
| TRE
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 34th
!style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 50
|-
! rowspan=1| 1959
| DAY
| TRE
| INDY<br><small>DNP</small>
| MIL
| LAN
| SPR
| MIL
| DUQ
| SYR
| ISF
| TRE
| SAC
| PHX
|colspan=2|
! -
! 0
|}
Indianapolis 500 results
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Year
!Car
!Start
!Qual
!Rank
!Finish
!Laps
!Led
!Retired
|-
!1949
|12
|12
|132.900
|2
|style="background:#dfdfdf;"| 2nd
|200
|0
|Running
|-
!1950
|1
|5
|132.044
|8
|style="background:#ffffbf;"| 1st
|138
|115
|Running
|-
!1951
|3
|8
|132.154
|28
|21
|87
|0
|Magneto
|-
!1952
|5
|31
|135.328
|19
|10
|200
|0
|Running
|-
!1953
|21
|8
|137.667
|3
|26
|86
|0
|Crankshaft
|-
!1954
|15
|15
|139.578
|6
|32
|79
|0
|Stalled in pits
|-
!1955
|16
|27
|136.809
|27
|21
|119
|0
|Magneto
|-
!1956
|98
|6
|144.144
|7
|4
|200
|16
|Running
|-
!1957*
|18
|17
|140.784
|21
|16
|195
|0
|Flagged
|-
!1958
|45
|6
|144.683
|6
|12
|200
|0
|Running
|-
|colspan=6|Totals
|1504
|131
|
|}
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!Starts
|10
|-
!Poles
|0
|-
!Front Row
|0
|-
!Wins
|1
|-
!Top 5
|3
|-
!Top 10
|4
|-
!Retired
|4
|}
- 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 results
(key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
! Year
! Entrant
! Chassis
! Engine
! 1
! 2
! 3
! 4
! 5
! 6
! 7
! 8
! 9
! 10
! 11
! WDC
! Points
|-
| 1950
! Wynn's Friction / Kurtis-Kraft
! Kurtis Kraft 1000
! Offenhauser L4
| GBR
| MON
|style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 500<br>
| SUI
| BEL
| FRA
| ITA
|
|
|
|
! 6th
! 9
|-
| 1951
! Wynn's Friction Proofing / Walsh
! Kurtis Kraft 3000
! Offenhauser L4
| SUI
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| ITA
| ESP
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1952
! Jim Robbins
! Kurtis Kraft 1000
! Offenhauser L4
| SUI
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| NED
| ITA
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1953
! Belond Equa-Flow
! Kurtis Kraft 500B
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| NED
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| SUI
| ITA
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1954
! Belond Equa-Flow / Calif. Muffler
! Kurtis Kraft 500C
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| SUI
| ITA
| ESP
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1955
! Trio Brass Foundry / Anderson
! Kurtis Kraft 500C
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| NED
| GBR
| ITA
|
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1956
! J.C. Agajanian
! Kuzma Indy Roadster
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#DFFFDF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| ITA
|
|
|
! 18th
! 3
|-
| 1957
! Sumar/Chapman Root
! Kurtis Kraft 500G
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| PES
| ITA
|
|
|
! NC
! 0
|-
| 1958
! Fred Gerhardt
! Kurtis Kraft 500G
! Offenhauser L4
| ARG
| MON
| NED
|style="background:#CFCFFF;"| 500<br>
| BEL
| FRA
| GBR
| GER
| POR
| ITA
| MOR
! NC
! 0
|-
|}
References
External links
- Johnnie Parsons - ChampCarStats.com
- Johnnie Parsons - Motorsport Memorial