Remembering the great Parnelli Jones

ROGER:

This is Roger Penske and you're listening to Pit Pass Indie, sponsored by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcast. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series. Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans and insiders view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport. I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as NBCSports.com, SI.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Auto Week and Speed Sport. So let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental and Hy-Vee, as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind-the-scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers and teams that compete in the Indianapolis 500. Our friends from Hy-Vee have returned for the month of June, as Penske Truck Rental shares the show in the big build-up to the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race weekend at Iowa Speedway, July 12th through the 14th. This year's schedule includes a night race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 13th, with another full race scheduled for Sunday, July 14th. Four of the biggest names in entertainment will perform before and after each race, including Luke Combs, Eric Church, Kelsey Ballerini, and Post Malone. For Malone, it will be the first time the famed entertainer has performed in Central Iowa. It promises to once again be the biggest racing weekend of the summer for IndyCar because of big event stature and the debut of the hybrid assist unit for the first time in oval competition. The hybrid assist will increase the horsepower along with the speeds and give the drivers another tool to work with in competition. On this special bonus edition of Pit Pass Indy, we remember the great Parnelli Jones, a true racing hero who passed away peacefully of natural causes after a long battle with Parkinson's on June 4th. He was 90 years old. Rufus Parnelli Jones was a true racing hero. As a driver, he could race anything and drive it to victory. He was as proficient in NASCAR stock cars as he was United States Auto Club midgets and sprint cars. He made history at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1962 as the first driver to break the 150 mile an hour barrier in qualifications for the Indianapolis 500. He drove J.C. Agajanian's Calhoun to victory in the 1963 Indianapolis 500 and four years later came within three and a half laps of driving Andy Granatelli's revolutionary STP turbine to victory before a $6 ball bearing broke. That left his car stranded in the north end of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after dominating the race and leading 171 laps of the 200-lap contest. Jones was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, and moved with his family to Fallbrook, California, at the age of two, and then to Torrance, California, at the age of seven. He was born during the height of the Great Depression. Jones's mother named him after a local judge, Rufus Parnell, whom she respected, christening her new son, Rufus Parnell Jones. At age 17, while racing jalopies in Gardena, California, the town next to Torrance, Jones needed an alias to prevent race officials from learning that he was not yet 18. The legal age needed to compete. Lying about his age was easy, but racing as Rufus Jones would have gotten him thrown out because race fans from Torrance attending that race would have recognized his name. Jones's school friend, Billy Calder, came up with an idea to solve the problem. There had been a girl in their school named Nelly, and Billy used to tease Jones about her liking him. Billy knew Jones's middle name was Parnell, and he would joke around with him calling him Parnelly. Billy painted the name Parnelli on the jalopy door and the rest is history. The E was dropped somewhere along the way and he's been known as Parnelli ever since. He was married to his wife Judy on July 15th, 1967. The couple had two sons, PJ and Paige Jones. Grandchildren including Jagger, Jace, Jimmy, Joey, Jet and Moxie. His record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was brief, but spectacular. He is the first driver to qualify at over 150 miles an hour at Indianapolis in 1962. His four laps were 150.729 miles per hour, 150.150, 150.276, and 150.326 for a four-lap average of 150.370 miles an hour. He also won the Indianapolis 500 pole in 1963. He was the 1961 Indianapolis 500 co-rookie of the year with Bobby Marshman. He made seven Indianapolis 500 starts from 1961 to 67 and led five of seven 8,500 races for a total of 492 laps. In the 1965 Indianapolis 500, Jones finished second to Scotsman Jim Clark. He had six USAC IndyCar wins, 12 USAC IndyCar pole positions, and only 59 USAC IndyCar starts. His first USAC IndyCar start was June 5th, 1960 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He started 13th and finished 16th, completing 97 of 100 laps in a race won by Roger Ward. Jones had three Daytona 500 starts in 1960, 1963, and 1964, 25 USAC National Sprint Car Feature wins, 25 USAC National Midget Feature wins, 18 of which were after he won the 1963 Indianapolis 500. Jones had one USAC Midwest Sprint Car Championship in 1960, two USAC National Sprint Car Championships in 1961 and 1962, one USAC Stock Car Championship in 1964. He also had 22 NASCAR West Coast stock car wins, two Pikes Peak Hill Climb stock car wins in 1963 and 1964, and was the SCCA Can-Am Los Angeles Times 500 winner in 1964. He was the NASCAR Motor Trend 500 winner in 1967, the SCCA Trans Am champion in 1970, had two Baja 500 off-road wins in 1970 and 1973, two Baja 1000 off-road wins in 1971 and 1972. He won four NASCAR Cup Series races and three NASCAR pole positions in only 34 NASCAR Cup starts. Following numerous wins, estimated at over 100, he progressed to NASCAR's Pacific Coast Lake model division, NASCAR Cup, CRA Sprint Cars, IMCA Sprint Cars, USAC Sprint Midget, and IndyCars. After his driving career was over, he became one of the most successful team owners in his era as co-owner of Vell's Parnelli Jones Racing with California businessman Vell Miletic. His car won the 1970 and 1971 Indianapolis 500 with driver Al Unser, seven USAC IndyCar 500 mile race wins, 53 USAC IndyCar wins, 47 USAC IndyCar pole positions, three USAC National Driving Championships, Al Unser in 1970, Joe Leonard in 1971 and 1972, and two USAC National Dirt Car Championships, including Al Unser in 1973 and Mario Andretti in 1974. He fielded a Formula One car with driver Mario Andretti for the final two races of 1974, all 12 races in 1975, and two races in 1976, with a best finish of fourth at Anderstorp, Sweden, in June of 1975. Jones was a strong man who could manhandle any type of racing machine and take it to victory. But in his later years, he grew frustrated at the effects Parkinson's had taken on his body and how he needed help for basic tasks. A proud man, Parnelli Jones was universally revered by some of the greatest names in auto racing, including modern day greats such as Scott Dixon. Parnelli Jones was a racer's racer. There is no greater compliment than that. We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

JOSEF:

Hey, everyone, this is two time Indy 500 winner, Josef Newgarden, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to this special edition of Pit Pass Indy as we remember the great racing hero, Parnelli Jones. Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Ari Leyendijk never raced against Parnelli Jones, but during his racing career, he had many great memories of the man who was a fixture at the Indianapolis 500. Their families became friends and they spent much time together as the Leyendijk family lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Parnelli Jones and his family lived in Torrance, California. Leyendijk talks about his friendship with Parnelli Jones in this exclusive interview for Pit Pass Indy.

ARI:

On Ellie Jones?

BRUCE:

Yeah, so you said you spent a lot of time with her. Not at all then.

ARI:

Well, I think we'll have to go back to like the early 90s when Annie Walker started to organize these trips to Hawaiian PJ, Paige, who else was there? Al Arciero, a good friend of ours from the Super V days in the 80s, early 80s. And so it was always like a band of Parnelli, Mike Palmer, Al Arciero, Jim, What's his name, Jim, Jimmy, who was with Penske?

BRUCE:

Yeah, Jim, he was the guy that ran Golden State.

ARI:

Yeah, Jim. It was always that group. So we always had a lot of fun together out for dinners and doing that. And if I would go to the Palm Springs vintage races that were at the time set up by, started by Sonny Bono. Yeah. And they were great events. We would be going out with Bonelli for dinner. And yeah, countless, just countless times spent together. But the last couple of years, not so much. The last time I saw him was last year. I went to his home and obviously he was already frail then, which he hated. He hated being like that because he was an unbelievable strong person when he was, you know, in his, well, even when he was older, he was, you know, strong. And obviously he couldn't stand the fact that he was, you know, that he needed help. Like we helped him one year at Indy. He couldn't get to the track easy, so I made sure we got him to the track and drove him there and got his credentials, because he didn't know where to go. And he was just kind of like, he said, this is the last time I'm coming, he said, because he just hated being dependent. Jim Williams.

BRUCE:

Yeah. But when you first started racing, what did the name Parnelli Jones mean to you? Because this was a guy who was revered. It goes way back.

ARI:

Yes. For me. Because here, so here I am a kid being a Jim Clark fan and I read about the 1963 race where, that was the race where he was driving for Agajanian and the oil tank leaked, right? And Agajanian convinced the USAC, not Black Flag, because the oil had gotten below the point where that tank had cracked. I guess he convinced them of that theory and they let him go and he won the race. And I believe Jim Clark was second, right? Am I right? So that's already as a kid I knew about the name Parnelli Jones. So we're talking me being 10 years old in 63.

BRUCE:

A lot of people talk about the golden era and as Chip Ganassi pointed out to me yesterday that Parnelli actually preceded that era where you had Mario and the Uncers and Johnny Rutherford and even to some degree A.J. Foyt Pardelli and AJ started around the same year, but it was almost like that was a generation that preceded what is considered the other group that came in that a lot of people, the Marios of the world.

ARI:

Because you also had Roger Ward and you had Jim Rathman in those days, right? So those were the competitors for Pardelli. But yeah, you look at Panelli's career and that's just based on stats for me, and you know the stats better than I do, but his career at Indy was phenomenal. But not just that, he was very versatile. So, driving sprint cars, driving, like I speak, the Baja, which he did even after... I don't know if he ever did Formula 5000 or Can-Am, but... I'm not sure about that, you probably know better than I do, but he was just good in anything that he drove.

BRUCE:

He did K&M, I'm not sure about Formula 5000, but he did K&M. I think maybe he did Trans Am as well. He was huge in Trans Am.

ARI:

And that's where the days with his biggest competitors were Dan Gooney and I think Dan Gooney, right? But anyway, he had a great career, but more than that, he associated himself with people that were great mentors in a way to advise him in business, and he excelled in business.

BRUCE:

So when's the first time you remember meeting Parnelli Jones?

ARI:

I can barely remember the first time I met my wife, so I don't remember that. I mean, no. It's just, you know, the paddock is a place for where we all go. And we meet, like today I met the guys from Prima for the first time. If you ask me 10 years from now, when did you meet, what's his name? Rene. I thought he was French with that name, so I started talking. Yeah, 10 years from now, hey, when did you meet Rene? I go, I don't know. I met him in the paddock somewhere, but the same with Pernelli.

BRUCE:

But yeah, Pernelli was always at the Indy 500 and he was always in a lot of other races, the Long Beach Grand Prix, places like that.

BRUCE:

So when you...

ARI:

Saw him you knew this was one of the Mount Rushmore type racers in America Yeah, and we had that with you know when I met Mario for the first time you know Mario Andretti is like an unbelievable name in racing you When I started when I came to the stage for me it was like Meeting all these guys that I read about and that was the same with Parnelli The thing that struck me about Parnelli was here he is a hero to many of us and

BRUCE:

But yet he would go across the room to say hello to us rather than the other way around, which in a lot of ways just showed what a great guy he was.

ARI:

Well, I think that shows that he was just like we all are and should be. You should not feel that you are more than anybody else. I don't care who you are. So that to me is like normal because that's how it should be. So I wouldn't, you know, but we have a saying in Holland, you know, act normal because everything's crazy as it is. So just act normal, which he did.

BRUCE:

What about some of the other races that you may go to?

BRUCE:

You know, he was big in California. Like I said, he invested very wisely. He was a Firestone dealer in Torrance, California.

ARI:

His commercials... ...made back then because the Firestone War, the Goodyear and the Firestone War back in the 60s made a lot of these guys wealthy. Goodyear would pay, I think that Foyt was paid a lot of money to be a Goodyear guy, right? Or a Firestone guy. Same with Bonelli.

BRUCE:

A.J. Foyt says he was able to buy his ranch in South Texas from all the money they made in tire testing, which was like a couple of million dollars in the 60s.

ARI:

You know, was Bonelli always, you know, what it was, when I met him the first time, what struck me of him, that he was so fit.

ARI:

Yeah, well, yeah, we're just unbelievable. I mean, was it?

BRUCE:

Oh, yeah when he was younger when he raced you didn't mess with Parnelly Jones because he knocked you out But that's the same with Voight.

ARI:

Yeah No, but yeah But there's no way that yeah, those guys were they were just built like a brick house and those guys were born fit and But I do believe that Panelli actually worked a little bit on his fitness as he got older. Yeah.

BRUCE:

Well, yeah, somebody taught, I think it was Chip Ganassi telling me that he, but in his late 80s, he would still do 100 push-ups and 100 sit-ups every day.

ARI:

Yeah, I remember that he did do that. He didn't sit still. Yeah. Like me. I don't do 100 push-ups. Last time I did a push-up was Maybe in the 90s.

BRUCE:

You mentioned earlier that you would spend a lot of time, social time, with Parnelli and his family. Yeah.

ARI:

Yeah, that was because, you know, funny enough, when I moved to this area in Scottsdale, PJ was living there as well, PJ Jones. So Parnelli would be visiting PJ and then we would get together and go out for dinner. Mark Blundell lived in the same neighborhood back then. Nick Firestone lived in the same neighborhood and they were like, buddies growing up, Nick and PJ. So yeah, we would be hanging out a lot together. So much that I can't remember all the times it was just a normal thing to do as a group.

BRUCE:

So a lot of people look at the Mount Rushmore names or the heroes as they call them from that special era of the 60s. when race drivers drove everything. Midgets, sprints, stock cars, Indy cars.

ARI:

Yeah, because he won in NASCAR stock cars as well. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Mario did. AJ did. I mean, they all... Johnny, Rutherford. So, yeah. Yeah, when I came to the States, when I... My first race that I did here at Elkhart Lake, to be exact, 40 years ago, 1984, The field was John Cork, Andretti, Rutherford, Sneva, Unzer. I'm forgetting a few, but all these people that I used to read about. I mean, it was pretty special to be in that race.

BRUCE:

But then when people reflect back on your generation, it's going to be names like Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, Ari Leyendyk. So, yes, in many ways, that's going to be an era held in high regard here. Not pretty soon.

ARI:

Yeah. No, I think it is already there. I mean, you know, we're all in our 70s. Rick, Bobby, me, Danny. And we're all, you know, you look at, Alan's a junior, he's not quite in his 70s yet, he's 62, we had dinner last night. But that was also a great era to be an IndyCar. I think you can look at, I've never claimed to be the best at anything, so I've never, I've looked at these guys and I knew exactly what I had for them and what I didn't. And a lot of that is obviously equipment related because you can't win a race if you don't have good equipment. But I certainly held my own and I feel that I'm privileged to be in that group. But these guys were like, like I said before, Alonzo Jr. in my eyes was just unbelievably good.

BRUCE:

Did you look at that group with Parnelli and those?

BRUCE:

In some ways, they were almost like the way people in America looked at the original seven astronauts, because those guys were doing something. You didn't know when that capsule went up, whether it was going to come back.

ARI:

Yeah, that was such an era of, you know, bravery, but I would call it Unknown bravery to them because they did what they love to do that passion and a lot of times when you have such great passion for something you tend to look the other way to the dangers and They they seem to me they were able to do that and Mario once told me I didn't want to become friends with everybody or have a Relationship because I didn't know if those guys were gonna be around next week and when that all changed, I guess, as you get to the next generation. But there were still a lot of dangers in the 80s and 90s. Obviously, we had some drivers pass away, but back then, so many guys did pass away. And you go like, man, what motivated them? And I think Parnelli might be a great example of a guy who said, you know what? Enough is enough. I've made good money here. I've got some great opportunities for the future. And he kind of early retired because I don't remember the age, but his career wasn't that long in IndyCar. So he was smart, too.

BRUCE:

But if you look at his percentage in the Indianapolis 500, it's amazing. He won it in 63, and I believe he only competed in six or seven of them. But he led in like over 600 laps in that short period of time. So the races he was in, he was a dominant figure. Yeah, absolutely.

ARI:

But do you know the age when he retired?

BRUCE:

It was quite early, and then he became a team owner, and then Al Unser won back-to-back Indy 500s for the team that battles Parnelli Racing. But when you think about just everything he was involved in, the mentoring of drivers that he helped bring into IndyCar, like Bobby Unser and others, who Parnelli Jones really worked behind the scenes to help them get good rides.

ARI:

Yeah, yeah, well, and you know, That shows you that, although he retired from driving, his heart was still in the sport. But for him, too. to retire that early is such a contrast with a guy like Mario Andretti, who never wanted to retire. But Mario is, you know, an A.J. And, you know, who else stuck around so long? Johnny Rutherford stuck around very long. John Cocke as well, many of them. So, to each their own. And I think what made the difference for Panelli was that he did have good fortune with his business ventures and they kind of, they probably took too much of his time. And he said, you know, I got to either do this or do that. And that's it. That I can't tell, but Judy would be the one to ask.

BRUCE:

Well, we all knew that the time would come, but when the time actually does come, I don't think any of us are really prepared for it. What was your reaction when you heard that he'd passed away?

ARI:

Obviously, I was sad, but and on the other hand, I thought I was thinking about what he said that he hated being like this. He just hated it so much. He didn't like the sympathy visits, you know, because our visits were, in the end, they were sympathy visits, right? Because you knew he wasn't going to be around longer. And that's the sad thing about life, but it is life. There's a beginning and there's an end. And he actually, I mean, let's call it five years ago that he was starting to struggle really bad. So he had 85 good years. And he had a full agenda in those 85 years, so I wouldn't be blessed if I had that kind of beginning to end life.

BRUCE:

Well, Arie Luyendyk, thank you for joining us and remembering the life of Barnelli Jones. Absolutely.

BRUCE:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

ARI:

This is Will Power of Team Penske, and you're listening to Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental.

BRUCE:

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy. Chip Ganassi has built a legendary team in IndyCar. The spark for his interest in the Indianapolis 500 dates to 1973, when his father attended a convention in Indianapolis and brought home a gift to his five-year-old son. It was a film on the 1963 Indianapolis 500, and young Chip would watch that movie over and over. Parnelli Jones was the winner that year, and the young boy from Pittsburgh became a fan. Later, when Ganassi became a race driver, Jones observed his rookie tests at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1982. Ganassi became the Indianapolis 500 fastest rookie of the year in qualifications. After Ganassi's driving career concluded, he became a very successful IndyCarSeries team owner. He also forged a friendship with Parnelli Jones and his family. Let's hear more about this great friendship from Chip Ganassi in this exclusive interview for PitPass Indy. Joining us now on Pit Pass Indy is Chip Ganassi. Chip, earlier this week we lost a true hero to race fans all over the world. A guy that you and I grew up idolizing as a racing hero, Parnelli Jones. You had a very good relationship with Parnelli. I remember a couple of years ago when he showed up at the Speedway, you basically said, Parnelli's my pal. How far back do you go with Parnelli Jones and how did that relationship start?

CHIP:

Well, it's a great, it's a great story, Bruce, and thanks for having me on today. I think the, you know, my initial, my initial interest in, in, in, in motorsports or cars, I was five years old and my, my, my father went to an equipment auction in Indianapolis and he, of course, he took the bus ride around the track and came home with an eight millimeter film of the 1963 Indianapolis 500. I must have watched that thing a thousand times, you know, shooting it against the living room wall. I could tell you anything you want to know about 1963 at Indy, not the least of which is what Parnelli's win. And, you know, you have to, you have to keep in mind that, you know, Parnelli was a, he was in the era that preceded really Mario and Rutherford and John Klock and those guys, although he raced with those guys and, and raced very well against them being, you know, Parnelli was, I think in Mario's words, the greatest driver of all, you know, the one he respected the most. So you have to remember, Parnelli was kind of before those guys, which some called the greatest era of racing. Well, I think the doorstep of that greatest era was started by Parnelli. I think it was just, he had one of those names that, you know, in the 60s and that it was something you remembered, you know, that was before the days of cell phones and internet and what have you. And, you know, you had a name like Parnelli, boy, that stuck out. Uh, you know, you can just, I can just hear Chris Akonemaki saying his name on the, uh, over the television set or during an interview. And, uh, so, That was really my introduction to Parnelli, you know, was, was, was when he, you know, and I was a little, I was a little tyke basically. So you fast forward and obviously I had an interest in racing and came up through the ranks of the different levels of racing and, uh, made it to Indianapolis in, in 1982 some, you know, 20 years later almost. And, uh, uh, You know, when I got there, you had to have a veteran driver sign off on your license in those days. They would watch you and, you know, watch you during your rookie orientation. And Parnelli just happened to be there that week. He really wasn't hanging around Indy much in those days. And, uh, but he was there and I introduced myself to him and I said, can you watch me? And he said, sure. And, uh, he signed off on my, on my license. I remember with, uh, At the time, Roger McCluskey was running things at USAC there that you had to sign off on. And it was a big day. It was a big day for me to have a guy like Parnelli, you know, say you were okay to drive, you know. And so that sort of started, I guess, a relationship, if you could call it that at the time, you know, But, but as you, as I, as I, you know, as I, as I became more involved in the sport, uh, you know, you begin to understand the, you know, not only your own, your own, uh, interest in the sport and your own goals and whatever, but you, you start to have an appreciation for what other drivers have done along the way. And it was always, you know, Parnelli was always, held in a little higher, a little higher level on the ladder than everyone else. You know, they talked about obviously the Marios and the John Cox and Rutherfords and Foyt and whatever, but boy, when you mention Parnelli, you know, there was something special that came to those guys. Even those guys, they were something that they, recognized that Parnelli was special. And so, you know, just over time, getting to know him and, you know, it was just really special to be in his company. I never met someone who had been out of the car so long, yet was so current on what was going on in the sport. He stayed very current. not only with the equipment, but with the drivers. And, you know, obviously him having, you know, gone, making the transition from a driver to a team owner, to a successful team owner as well. I mean, he obviously had the first super team, you know, he and Val Meletich. And so it was, you know, it was just to do, I didn't, it was one of those, It was one of those relationships that I had with him that you really don't appreciate, you know, almost until it's gone, you know, like it's, you know, you, you, um, I mean, I, like I said, I, I, I had my Thanksgiving dinner with he and Judy and Paige and PJ and all their families and kids and everything. One year at PJ's house in Arizona there and, Went over, went to plenty of events together at the Peterson Museum in LA, you know, him and Jimmy Dellamarte and Parnelli and, you know, they were always on the, they were always in the car culture scene even today in the Los Angeles area. You know, they were, you could not, you could not talk about car culture in any facet without Parnelly coming into the sentence at one time or another, you know, and so that was always a That was always pretty special to be involved in that and so, you know So to have you know, I Mean, I can't tell you how many times and he would come back to the Speedway I was a I was the first one there, you know and welcoming him back and and You know, we just had a special relationship. We could talk about IndyCars, NASCAR, off-road racing, motorcycles. I'll give you another great story. I was on Wally Dollenbach's Colorado 500. This had to be about their, you know, mid-90s. And I was a pretty hot motorcycle rider at one time, motocross rider. And I was on the Colorado 500 with with a 495 KTM, brand new. I mean, this thing could pull telephone poles out of the ground. And I'm on this 495 KTM and I'm, you know, on the Colorado 500, there's maybe 200 riders there, you know, and you get broken off in these little groups of five or 10 guys. And our group, you know, we ran this other group on some road and we're going down the road I'm chasing these two guys that are on KTM 504, KTM four strokes. And I was on a 495 two stroke. And I was a hot rider. I mean, I could ride that thing. And I'm going out this road and I'm having trouble running down these two guys in front of me. And I mean, I must've chased them for 20, 30 minutes down this road, pitching it sideways and I'd get in front of them and then they'd get back in front of me. And I'm saying to myself, Jesus, who are these two guys? You know, I was pretty good, you know, like, and I'm thinking, wow, who are these guys? And I mean, you know, doing slide jobs on them, going into corners and they're doing slide jobs on me and thinking, holy moly, who are these few guys? And turns out it was Parnelli and Walker Evans. And I'm telling you what, it took all I could do just to keep up with those guys. And they had 20 years on me, you know, so more than 20 years on me. So, to read this past week's news was, to say the least, a sad moment.

BRUCE:

Yeah. He was a very proud man and a very strong man. And I think that in his latter years, I remember going into his office in 2019 and we went to lunch, Jimmy and Steve Schunk and those guys. But Parnelli would get frustrated because he didn't want anybody to see him needing help. But at that time, he was needing help to get up, get out of chairs, get into the car. And you could tell that it was really frustrating him, because the man always was strong as an ox. And I think a lot of people didn't realize, because if you look at pictures of him, he looks like a medium-sized to a smaller individual. But watching him race and hearing stories about him, he was as strong as they got.

CHIP:

No question. I mean, it's the guy that I remember up until 10 years ago, He was, up until I think he was 80 years old, he was doing 100 sit-ups and 100 push-ups a day. But that was just, that was a speck of what the strength the man had. He was, I just cannot explain how current he was in motor racing. You have to understand, this is a guy that won the Indianapolis 500 and then went and won the Baja 1000, you know? And a lot of people don't know that one of the reasons he stopped racing, probably the reason he stopped was You know, he was in Baja and he, you know, he came over some hill. Of course, there was a spectator there and he had a coming together with a spectator and that took him out of racing. I mean, I don't blame him why he stopped, but just his, success in so many different things. I mean, you know, for a California guy to, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't that big of a stretch for a California guy to come win the Indianapolis 500, but I'll tell you what, for an, for an Indy winner to go and win Baja afterward was a big step, uh, for off-road racing and for motor racing in general. I mean, you know, we all remember the big Ole, the, uh, you know, the scout that, that, uh, that he won with, with that big wing on the roof. He brought IndyCar technology to Baja.

BRUCE:

The other thing about Parnelli was he played such a key role in the beginning of so many great drivers' careers. He was the one who, 1963, helped Bobby Unser get a decent enough ride that he was able to make the race. And Bobby Unser went on to become an Indy legend. As a team owner, he had that super team. Al Unser got two of his four victories at the Indy 500 with Parnelli Jones. He had a fantastic IndyCar team. And it seemed that everything he was involved in was a success.

CHIP:

No question. And, you know, I remember Bobby answer with the first guy to tell you that if it wasn't for Parnelli, he wouldn't, he wouldn't be what he was as a, you know, a three time champion, if it wasn't for Parnelli and same with Al, you know, those guys had a lot of time for Parnelli and a lot of, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of, a lot of respect. And, uh, you know, the guy was just mega in, in a, in a time when racing was in its fledgling years. This was somebody who was not only interested in the sport, but interested in the, the betterment of, of other drivers and giving other drivers opportunities. And, and, uh, yeah, I mean, he was the, uh, he was the model that, that we all, uh, built our, our teams after, I think, you know, the, the, when you talk about the super team, It was Vels Parnelli racing, you know, whether it was in IndyCars or in Formula One, that everybody built their model around.

BRUCE:

The other interesting thing about him was Dario Franchitti comes over here and he ends up becoming great friends with Parnelli Jones, that he was one of his, one of his heroes. And the fact that, like you said, he stayed current.

CHIP:

Right.

BRUCE:

and just to have that type of impact.

CHIP:

Yeah, I mean, I remember talking to him about Kyle Larson. We went to Turkey night at, I forget, I'm trying to forget where it was that year, Paris Speedway, maybe. Yeah, and there was Kyle Larson driving a USAC champ dirt car, I guess, I don't know if it was a midget, or maybe it was a midget. I think it was USAC midgets. And Parnelli was there, and we talked at length about Larson and his talent, and he kept an eye on Larson all through his NASCAR career with us.

BRUCE:

And if you go talk to Dario about Parnelli, you just hear the reverence and the respect and the absolute adoration that he had for Parnelli, and this is a driver he only saw race on film.

CHIP:

I think that goes back to Parnelli's interest in other drivers and why he had a mutual respect for Dario and what Dario had accomplished and vice versa with Dario and what Parnelli had accomplished. There's a certain unspoken bond that IndyCar drivers have with each other that they have a lot of respect knowing what guys went through in their careers.

BRUCE:

And then just to wrap up a little bit about Parnelli, you and I are pretty close in age, both born in the late 50s. Parnelli Jones was one of the first names I'd heard of as a small kid. Exactly. You know, he was the first to break the 150 mile an hour barrier. And that was a huge, huge, huge accomplishment in 1962. He won the 1963 race. I'll never forget the 1967 race, the STP turbine dominated the race. The $6 ball bearing breaks with three and a half laps to go. He ends up not finishing the race. A.J. Foyt goes on to win his third. But it seemed that everything that he did took on a mythical presence. He didn't run a lot of Indy 500s, but what he did was he led Every race but two of them and it was amazing. You look at his career records. He didn't run there that long He was only there like seven six seven races and to put up the numbers that he did he won NASCAR races The one Trans Am races NASCAR races everything he got anyone with you know pikes peak.

CHIP:

I mean There's a great story about he and Bobby answer and they took They took David Pearson to Pike's Peak. Ford in those days, when they pulled out a NASCAR or whatever, they took their drivers to Pike's Peak. And the story goes, Bobby had been there so many times in Pardelli that they were showing David Pearson the way up. And of course, they had an area they knew where there was a runoff area. And that was blind, though it was one of those blind corners, but I knew there was a runoff area. I guess Parnelli was driving and Bobby was in the backseat and he put his hands over and David Pearson was in the passenger seat and he put. Bobby put his fingers over Parnelli's eyes and left him a little slit to see, and Parnelli drove off the track, drove off this blind corner, straight off, it looked like it was going off a cliff, but there was a runoff there. But I guess David Pearson was so mad, he didn't talk to those guys for three years, I think, afterward. But that's the kind of things that were going on in those days. You talk about a lot of respect for a lot of great drivers, that was one of them.

BRUCE:

But just wrapping up on the great life of Parnelli Jones, As I said, it was a hero of mine. He was this name that I had read about and had never got a chance to see him race in person, obviously, but just this legendary name. And then when he got to know him, it didn't take long before you were friends with him. And he would always go out of his way to say hello to me. And this is Parnelli Jones doing this. This is, you know, it was always special. It was, it was, he just had a special way with people.

CHIP:

He had a special way with people. He befriended my father. He was just one of those guys that, you know, you look back now and you say, hmm, when I hear the name Parnelli Jones, it just brings a smile to your face. And, you know, all the things he did and the way he was with people, the way he was about motorsports and about car culture and about racing, it just brings a smile to your face. I just hope someday I can be as Parnelly was among motorsports.

BRUCE:

And he was also a hugely successful businessman. And that's one thing that I don't think a lot of people realize, which is how successful he was in the business.

CHIP:

Absolutely, absolutely. from his house up there in Rancho Palisades. Yeah, he was a special guy. We're certainly gonna miss him.

BRUCE:

Well, we certainly are. It was bad news when I got the phone call from Steve Schunk. I know that Parnelly meant a lot to him. Parnelly meant a lot to all of us. But when you think of a Mount Rushmore of American automotive, auto racing greats, Parnelly Jones's face is one of the four that's on that mountain.

CHIP:

Absolutely.

BRUCE:

Well, Chip Ganassi, I appreciate you taking the time to talk about the great Parnelli Jones, and thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy. Thanks, Bruce. And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Penske Truck Rental and Hy-Vee as we remember the great Parnelli Jones. We want to thank our guests, New Time Indianapolis 500 winning driver Ari Leyendijk and the great IndyCarSeries team owner Chip Ganassi as they remember the life of Parnelli Jones on today's podcast. Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy, presented by Penske Truck Rental and Hy-Vee, your path to victory lane in IndyCar. On the highways, the raceways, and every pit stop in between, Penske Truck Rental keeps you moving forward. Gain ground with Penske. And for all your shopping needs, be sure to visit your local Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle. For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter at chrismartin, one word, uppercase B, uppercase M, underscore 500. This has been a production of Evergreen Podcast. A special thanks to our production team, executive producers are Bridget Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcast.com. Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.