User:DGNW/Chuck Parsons

Chuck Parsons

Chuck Parsons was a professional auto racing driver in the United States during one of the great eras of motorsports history. Parsons drove in SCCA and USSRC competition, then became a driver in the Can Am series. Like many drivers of the era, he participated in multiple venues, such as the prestigious Daytona 24 hours and 24 hours of LeMans endurance races while driving the same year in the Can Am series. Parsons was born in 1924 in Kentucky. He moved to California at age 24 and settled near Monterey. Parsons worked in automobile sales and eventually owned his own import car lot. At age 31 he bought his first competition car - an Austin-Healey, from the proceeds of his work in sales. After he raced the Healey in amateur events he moved on briefly to a Porsche, then a Lotus type 15. In 1959 he bought a Maserati Birdcage racer from Texan Jim Hall, later of Chaparral cars fame. Following his experience with the Maserati, which turned out to be expensive to campaign, Parsons sold Birdcage and raced a Sunbeam Alpine roadster. The Alpine racing effort was sponsored by Randy Hilton. During the 1963 SCCA season in California he raced a Lotus 23B twin cam. By 1964 he was driving the an AC Cobra roadster powered by a 289 cubic inch Ford V8. In 1965 he campaigned a Genie - Chevy Mark 10. In 1966 he switched to a McLaren-Elva Mark II, and won the USSRC Championship, with a win at the final race at Road America, and second place finishes at Leguna Seca, Mid-Ohio and Las Vegas. Later in 1966 Parsons began driving in the Canadian American Challenge Cup with a Chevrolet powered McLaren. Parsons drove a series of historic Can Am cars over the next six years. In 1968 he drove a Lola cars T160, the following two years a Lola T163. During 1971 Can Am campaign Parsons raced a McLaren M8D, another Lola T163, and eventually returned to the cockpit of a McLaren M8D by the end of the season. The last M8D he drove belonged to actor-driver Paul Newman. The original Can Am series was from 1966 to 1974. In the years that Parsons participated, he scored 145 points, which places him eighth overall among Can Am drivers. His highest total was 81 points in 1969. 1969 was also the year of his highest finish as an endurance race car driver, when he won the prestigious Daytona 24 hours with Mark Donohue as a co-driver in a Penske Racing Lola Mk IIIB coupe. Parsons had been a last minute substitute for an injured team driver, and Donohue gave Parsons credit as being key to the win, even though Mark drove most of the race. In 1970 Parsons drove a Ferrari 312P at the rainy LeMans 24 hour race, where he finished 10th overall with fellow American driver Tony Adamowicz. In addition to Donohue and Adamowicz, Parsons teamed once with Jo Bonnier at Watkins Glen International in 1969. Parsons also briefly drove Formula 5000 and Indianapolis 500 open wheel race cars. After his racing career Parsons lived in California until his death on January 3, 1999.

References

Argetsinger, Michael (2009) Mark Donohue, Technical Excellence at Speed, David Bull ISBN 978 1 935007 02 9
Cutter, R.,Fendell, B. (1973) The Encyclopedia of Auto Racing Greats, Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 275206 9
Lyons, Pete (1995) Can Am, Motorbooks International ISBN 0 7603 1922 7