- Rufus Parnell ‘Parnelli’ Jones died on Tuesday
- Jones lived to be 90 years old
- Jones was the oldest living winner of the Indianapolis 500
American racing legend Rufus Parnell ‘Parnelli’ Jones died on Tuesday at the age of 90.
Citing comments from his family, Associated press reported Wednesday that Jones died at Torrance Memorial Medical Center after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Jones, whose long list of achievements includes a win in the 1963 Indianapolis 500was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in 1933. Two years later, he moved with his family to Torrance, California, where he would live for the rest of his life.
He would start racing before he reached the minimum age of 21, using the pseudonym Parnelli so he wouldn’t be identified, Jones said in a 2012 interview with Hot Rod Magazine. His first taste of racing was at Carrell Speedway, in nearby Gardena.
Parnelli Jones – Photo credit: Ford
In the 1950s he would go on to race sprint cars, joining several associations, including the United States Auto Club, and earning himself the title in USAC’s first national sprint car championship in 1961. The USAC also sanctioned the Indy 500, a race Jones would first attempt it in 1961.
He returned for the 1962 race and set a new qualifying record of 150.370 mph, making him the first driver to qualify at speeds over 150 mph. He would take home the trophy the following year.
He would later find success in the SCCA Trans-Am series, most famous behind the wheel of one Ford Mustang boss 302. He would also have the Baja 1000 to a challenge, and find successes there too. Once again it was with a Ford, in this case a modified Bronco known as Big Oly.
Jones is survived by his wife Judy, sons PJ and Page, and six grandchildren.