In Memoriam: Parnelli Jones

[@arfriedman4577]

My dad worked for Mr. Agaganian. My dad was pit crew and mechanic for Parnelli Jones. My dad set up the car 98 that won the Indy 500. RIP Parnell Jones.

[@randyjohnson-er9rd]

One of the original "bad asses" that could drive and win in anything and never took any crap from anybody even Foyt RIP

[@markdinkel-uh2je]

Parnelli looked invincible sitting in that turbine. One tough dude, driver. Could drive anything.🏎️

[@lucdebeuf8444]

Legend..even in Europe, another star is gone 😔

[@RobertEHunt-dv9sq]

A true Champion and innovator. You will always be remembered and cherished. So many victories and in so many different classes of cars. RIP and God bless you and your family. Godspeed.

[@geezer4962]

Awesome tribute to an awesome driver. R. I. P. Parnelli, may you travel faster still, through the heavens.

[@keithstudly6071]

I spoke with Parnelli once and told him about MY memories of his breaking 150 at Indy. I was 3 years and 2 months old and the family was watching from the Paddock Penthouse. I admit I had no idea what was going on but could still understand the excitement as the "New Track Record" was announced! The roar of the car and the crowd amazed me and I struggled to understand what had happened. I knew that the cars were going around and then going to talk to the man on the PA by the tower. When Parnelli did it they said he broke the 'record'. I knew what records were I thought. We played them on the record player and I was warned not to break them! Parnelli broke a record and everyone cheered and he pulled in to talk to the man at the tower and they gave him things. I later learned that this was Phil Headback, an Indianapolis Bryant dealer awarding him 150 silver dollars for qualifying over 150 MPH. So you go and talk to the man by the tower and you get things, this must have something to do with Christmas I thought. In 2002 I met Parnelli Jones and told him of my memories while we watched a sprint car race at Perris, CA and the first words from him were, "You don't hardly look old enough!" A few years later I spoke with another racer, Glen Crossno about something Parnelli had done for the fans as an autograph appearance at Indy. Glen said "I wish I knew when he started to be such a nice guy, because when I was racing against him he was a (expletive deleted)! Parnelli was a gentleman who knew what he had to become to win races and knew that when he was being the racer he was having an effect on the people around him that he cared about. He delayed marriage and family until he was through with his driving career which was more common in his time when the sport was so much more risky for driver than today. I think he valued family and life too much to continue the chances he had to take as a driver. When he quit he gave up the chance to win four Indy 500's but maybe he had his heart in the right place.

[@arfriedman4577]

The part about breaking the records was adorable. Your post is very endearing. My dad set up Parnelli 98 car to win the Indy 500. My dad was mechanic and pit crew..

[@dlbracer56]

The ONE and the ONLY. At a USAC event in the EARLY days, my family followed the tour. We were near his pit one afternoon, my mother had one of those aluminum tumblers in her hand, she offered him a drink. He accepted, took the tumbler, and KEPT it. After that, when we would see him at the track, Mom would ask him IF he still had it? And yes, that tumbler would be right next to the tool box in the pits. He even allowed us to sit in the cars IF they weren't too crowded. A great thrill for us. Sad news and my condolences to the family.

[@skyedog24]

I remember kids saying who do you think you are Parnelli Jones, if you were fast. R I P🏁🏎️🏁🇺🇲

[@barrycuda3769]

His passing is very significant, there's always been Parnelli Jones my entire life ( and well before) , it had to come sometime though. I hate to see the greats of the greatest era leave us.

[@randyeliason6471]

Had the great honor of having met this legend. I have never been one to ask anyone for their autograph, but he was gracious and doing this. The same day, same track, Parris CA I also got Kyle Larson to sign right next to Mr. Jones! Great tribute!

[@waynewilliams839]

I was there that day also !😊

[@davidgoldin2577]

Those were the days. Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt, the Unser brothers, Mario Andretti, Mark Donohue. Guys who could drive every type of car and be competitive. We won't see this again.

[@Dennis-pb7oe]

You will see it one more time Kyle larson

[@mactac25]

RIP Rufus. There will never be another like Parnelli.

[@robsterling9903]

He was before my era, but to get compliments like those from AJ, Al Sr., Mario, says everything you need to know about Parnelli Jones. RIP.

[@jimdeans6540]

To a great man and racer. Now you can meet up with my dad and talk about all your race stories at Ascot. He always told me how he loved racing with you. David will be waiting to hear from you when you meet up again. Rest in peace Champion!!

[@ronsalerno7122]

Saved AJ’s life at Riverside, they had given him up for dead and Parnelli went into the ambulance and pulled a clod of grass and dirt out of his throat AJ started breathing again

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Didn't know that. Thanks.

[@markdinkel-uh2je]

One of many icons in Indy car who we'll never, ever forget. Brought tears to my eyes. Thanks Parnelli for stopping in Gasoline Alley & autographing my 1967 turbine photo. Condolences to the Jones family.🏎️🏁🙏

[@davidgoldin2577]

He has that race locked up - sad what happened at the end with one, inexpensive part.

[@johnnystir9796]

Wonderful, classy tribute to a great man and driver.

[@slidejobcentral]

RIP Parnelli. One of the all time greats!

[@vinesboy9859]

Such a nice tribute ❤

[@barnigranero5882]

Legend.

[@JeffSherlock]

Yes, the remarkable Parnelli Jones. Sad he is gone, But it was a long life.

[@flabarre9776]

"If you're too precise, you're being too slow."

[@caderatliff3712]

Damn ... rest in peace PJ.

[@billsavage1466]

Rip Mr Jones

[@terrystokes3577]

Thanks PJ for giving me a Shot, Drive On!!

[@ku4uv]

One of the greatest for sure!

[@bloqk16]

Parnelli was also instrumental with the early development of adapting the Cosworth DFV F1 engine to run in Indy Cars; which entailed downsizing the engine displacement, converting it from running on gasoline to methanol, and accepting turbocharging . . . no small feat of engineering. The resulting Cosworth DFX engine brought in a new era of open-wheel racing to North America; and made the four-cylinder [turbocharged] Offy engines obsolete.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

Thanks. I hadn't known Parnelli Jones helped develop the Cosworth DFX! The Cosworth DFX went on to dominate Indy car racing from sometime in the '70's thru parts of the '80's! The combined Cosworth record for the DFV and DFX V8 is way beyond any other engine.

[@MMAALL]

Mario is correct about him retiring too early. But racing was so so dangerous back then. Many drivers died or were badly hurt. One cannot blame him for stepping away with his health.

[@bloqk16]

That's true. Parnelli was married and started his family. PJ was born in 1969. Jones was fortunate that his injuries were mostly burns. On the other hand, AJ Foyt had catastrophic injuries in his racing career. In an interview years ago, Foyt admitted that due to all the metal surgically placed in his body, he had to take antibiotics on a daily basis.

[@iuaump4]

Nice tribute and he could take any car that was under performing and by the end of the day have it to where he would win the race in that car.

[@bloqk16]

I recall one year at the Riverside 500 stock car race, where David Pearson's top-end speed on the straight was at 140 mph. For some reason, Pearson had to pit and Jones became his replacement driver. Afterwards, Jones was clocked at 143 mph on the same straight driving Pearson's Ford.

[@arfriedman4577]

My dad set up Parnellis cars. He was mechanic and pit crew. My dad set up the Indy 500 win 98 car.

[@mikehaas3366]

R.I.P Parnelli

[@JB6Lights]

R.I.P. Champ 🏆

[@pacmanindy]

Gentleman racer!!!

[@tommccallan8802]

BEST All Around Of All Time..sprint cars.... Indy cars... Trans AM cars... F~1 cars.... Grand National boats... Offroad bronco.... Pikes Peek racer... I think he tried drag racing....The only thing he didn't try ? Motercycles..R.I.P...❤

[@RRaquello]

I remember some years ago talking to a couple of old time Indy journalists about the Indy drivers who would have been great in F1 had they chosen to go that route and we all three agreed on the two guys who would have been best. The first, of course, was AJ Foyt. The other was Parnelli. He was as good a driver in his day as any driver in the world.

[@bloqk16]

I spoke with a personal rep for Parnelli many years ago and the subject of F1 came up, where there was talk going around, in the mid-1960s, he would drive for the Colin Chapman F1 team, as up to that time he had successes with the USAC Lotus Champ Car on the ovals. Supposedly a reason Jones didn't accept the offer for the F1 ride was that Jim Clark was the number one driver on the team; and Jones's attitude was such that he didn't want to be 'second' driver to any driver on a race team. Had Chapman made Jones the number one driver for Lotus, that could have been the deciding factor for Parnelli to race in F1. My personal opinion: Jones declining the F1 ride may have saved his life. Lotus F1 cars were famous for being constructed light, and a tad on the fragile side, too. The way Jones could manhandle race cars in his career, I could see the likely scenario of suspension, chassis, or transmission failures on the Lotus F1 cars with Parnelli at the wheel.

[@RRaquello]

@@bloqk16 It’s also interesting to note, and maybe hard to believe nowadays when F1 is the end-all and be-all of motorsports, that at one time American drivers wouldn’t have thought of moving to F1 as an elevation of status. One reason is at that time the prize payouts for winning were higher in the big US races than in F1. A driver such as Clark could make more money by winning Indy than he could in the entire F1 season. Also for an American driver winning Indy carried more prestige than being F1 champion. I was a kid in the 70s and even then I couldn’t care less who won the “world’s championship”. Johnny Rutherford or Tom Sneva were much more important names than Alan Jones or Jody Scheckter. AJ Foyt had no interest in racing in F1 because he saw it as a demotion from what he was doing.

[@carlcushmanhybels8159]

@@RRaquello Fans differed. As a USA kid in the late 60's and '70's I best loved F1. Jim Clark was my hero, along with The Beatles, of course. Graham Hill too. And LeMans Sports Car racing: Ford's wins '66,-68. Porsche early '70's. Loved Indy too: Jim Clark '65, dominant; Graham Hill, '66, Parnelli Jones' turbine racer '67... Dan Gurney. Al Unser, Sr and Jr Unser family, from Albuquerque...

[@markmcginn8012]

Great tribute.

[@plantfeeder6677]

I ran the #15 on all my race cars because of Rufus Parnelli Jones and Bud Moore. RIP Warrior. 😢

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

RIP Sir

[@georgeandrews6454]

In his " Retirement " , PJ went Off Road racing in his " BIG OLY " Ford Bronco. When once asked to describe "... what is it like to run the Baja 1000 " ( Kilometer ) - Parnelli's response was classic : " It's like being in a plane crash that lasts for TWENTY - FOUR HOURS ." Worth noting that this was before radial tires, huge shocks and lotsa cushioning... PJ also won the 1967 Motor Trend 500 at California's Riverside Raceway. That's 500 miles in a Ford Fairlane with roll - up windows, bias ply tube -type tires, and very little driver comfort. RIP PJ...

[@captjim007]

Parnelli Jones just might be the greatest race car driver ever.

[@jimnasium452]

Checkered flag. 🙏

[@AAABTonto]

RIP

[@ericwalker2388]

I meet Mr. Jones A Few Times he was driving 18 wheelers for S.T.P Oil and Tires For The Races he didn't act funny when I asked for his Autograph.

[@johnhenryNC]

Godspeed, Parnelli Jones. 🙏♥

Parnelli could have been an F1 Champion if he had pursued it.

[@rayrussell6258]

He was a race car driver. Didn't really matter what kind.

[@Monkeyshines-sl6rv]

A REAL RACER! UNLIKE THESE ( DRIVERS ) TODAY!👍

[@robc.5745]

Another true Champion lost.

[@BivensAlternativeInc]

One of the greatest legends in Indy 500 history!!! Thanks Parnelli. 🏎🏁🧱

[@RustyDarrell]

GOD BLESS RUFUS 🙏 DAM 😥 I HATE BURYING MY HEROES 🤠❤️😺💜 WYOMING 🇺🇸💞 REST IN PEACE 🕊️

[@jims6323]

After winning the 64 Indy, his nickname was "Parn-oily". The officals refused to black flag his oil leaking roadster so Clark couldn't pass and win in his rear engine Lotus!

[@georgeandrews6454]

That was in 1963.