Parnelli Jones was a racing driver who won the 1963 Indianapolis 500 and was a two-time champion at the Baja 1000 desert race.
- Died: June 4, 2024 (Who else died on June 4?)
- Details of death: Died at a hospital in Torrance, California after suffering from Parkinson’s disease at the age of 90.
- We invite you to share condolences for Parnelli Jones in our Guest Book.
Parnelli Jones’s legacy
Born Rufus Parnell Jones, the Indy 500 champ adopted a new name when he was growing up in Torrance and racing cars underage. A friend gave him the nickname Parnelli with which to enter races in the hopes his parents wouldn’t discover their son was competing. He was successful enough that they were bound to find out – by his late teens, Jones was racing widely, and he competed in his first Indianapolis 500 in 1961. He came in 12th place yet was named Rookie of the Year after a strong race hampered when Jones was hit in the face with a stone that drew blood, slowing him down as it filled his goggles.
Two years later, Jones won the Indy 500 in a controversial finish. Racing officials had vowed to black-flag any car that leaked oil on the track, but when Jones’ car did just that, they declined to disqualify him. He won the race, his lone win out of seven strong Indy 500 runs. In his final year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he led by a lap as the end of the race neared, but when a ball bearing failed, he fell behind and finished sixth.
The same year he won the Indianapolis 500, Jones also won the stock car division of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, a course he called the most dangerous he ever drove. Pikes Peak was an off-road race in those days, and it may have given Jones a taste for off-road racing because a few years later, he began entering the notoriously grueling Baja 1000 and 500 off-road races in Mexico. Jones won the Baja 1000 in 1971 and 1972 and the Baja 500 in 1970 and 1973. His storied career also included NASCAR Cup, USA National Stock Car, and USA National Midget victories, in addition to other titles.
Jones ended his driving career in 1974, transitioning to ownership, which he had begun not long before his retirement. He cofounded Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing in 1969, scoring Indy 500 wins in 1970 and 1971 by driver Al Unser (1939–2021). He later founded Parnelli Jones Tire Centers.
Notable quote
“[I]n road racing, if you crash, you’re out, that’s it, you’re done for the day. In off-road racing, it feels like you’re crashing all day long, but you just keep going.” — from a 2014 interview for Off Road Xtreme
Tributes to Parnelli Jones
Full obituary: Indy Star
