Parnelli Jones died of natural causes on Monday at 90 years old at Torrance Memorial Medical Center in Torrence, California, his hometown. The 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner was considered one of the defining drivers in American racing throughout the Sixties. Jones was arguably the fastest driver in an era of unprecedented change when the Fifties roadsters were swept away by rear-engined machines and turbine-powered monsters.
Jones first arrived at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1961 with accolades from sprint automobile and late-model stock automobile racing. He would split Rookie of the Yr honors with Bobby Marshman after a Twelfth-place finish. The subsequent yr, he was the primary to interrupt the 150-mph barrier in qualifying.
Within the 1963 Indy 500, Jones would earn his place alongside the Speedway’s legends. He held off Jim Clark’s rear-engined Lotus 29 to win the race. Nevertheless, controversy still surrounds the event’s conclusion. Jones’ Watson roadster was leaking fuel throughout the closing laps and race officials considered black flagging, which might have forced Jones to yield the lead. After a heated arguement between team owner J. C. Agajanian and officials, the flag was never show and Jones won.
Jones would get his own likelihood on the wheel of a pioneering maching in 1967. He was offered the prospect to race Andy Granatelli’s STP-Paxton Turbocar. The four-wheel-drive Indy special was powered a 550-horsepower aircraft turbine. Despite being 400 kilos obese and having a three-second throttle lag, it was the hands-down favorite to win. In line with Speed Sport, Jones said:
“So I made a decision I’d do what Jim Hurtubise did throughout the ‘63 race. He’d dropped back initially, then pulled to the skin and passed a half dozen cars, including me, to steer the primary lap. So when Gordy dove down, I stayed high and zipped around everyone. Mario [Andretti] gave me the finger once I waved as I went by him.”
With only 4 laps left, a $6 transmission bearing gave out on the Turbocar. Jones had led 171 laps of the 200-lap classic. He would never race within the Indy 500 again. While Jones would go on to race in other categories and develop into a fair more successful team owner, he’ll remain inseparable from his seven-year stint as a driver at Indianapolis.
This Article First Appeared At jalopnik.com
