Parnelli Jones, a racer with starts and wins across numerous series, has died at the age of 90.
His son, PJ Jones, announced the news Tuesday evening. PJ said in the announcement that his father had battled Parkinson’s for the last few years.
Born Rufus Jones in Texarkana, Arkansas, on Aug. 12, 1933, he grew up in Torrance, California. His friend Billy Calder gave him the nickname Parnelli to hide the fact that Jones was racing cars as a minor.
Jones honed his racing skills in the 1950s and competed in a variety of series. He won three races in what is now the ARCA Menards Series West in 1956-57. He made the first of his 34 career Cup starts.
Jones won three Cup races before 1960 — one at Kitsap County Airport, one at the California State Fairgrounds, and one at Ascot Stadium. He won his fourth and final Cup race at Riverside International Raceway in 1967.
Jones raced in sprint cars and claimed his first championship in 1960. He won the USAC Sprint Car championships in 1961-62. He then won the USAC Stock Car championship in 1964.
Jones’s accolades include success in IndyCar. He earned Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honors in 1961 after finishing 12th. The Arkansas native became the first driver to qualify faster than 150 mph in 1962 and then repeated the feat in 1963.
He won the prestigious Indy 500 in 1963, one of his six victories in IndyCar. Jones finished top-five in 23 of his 59 career IndyCar starts.
Off-road racing presented another challenge
Jones stopped competing in IndyCar after the 1967 Indy 500 but he continued racing. He won the 1970 Trans-Am Championship while driving a Mustang Boss 302 race car. He also took on off-road racing.
Jones drove a heavily modified Ford Bronco featuring sponsorship from Olympia Beer. Known as Big Oly, this off-road racer was the chariot that carried Jones to multiple prestigious off-road wins.
He won the Baja 1000 endurance race in 1971-72 and the Baja 500 in 1970 and ’73. He also won the Las Vegas Mint 400 in 1973.
Jones earned his spot in multiple Hall of Fames. The list includes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, and both the National Sprint Car and National Midget Halls of Fame.