Parnelli: A story of auto racing

by Bill Libby

The story of Parnelli Jones is the story of American auto racing. Jones grew up in Torrance, a tough city on the edge of Los Angeles. A teenage love affair with cars turned into a full-blown relationship with adult speed, running hardscrabble races across the country: from jalopies at Carrell Speedway to the dirt track at Ascot Park to sprint cars in the Midwest to the stock circuit in the South. By today's standards the racing was unbelievable in its recklessness. His life was on the line in every race, but his courage was impenetrable. In 1963 Parnelli qualified for Indy and won. In 1964 he was almost killed at the same race. In 1967 he was eight miles from victory when his car broke down, leaving him unable to finish. In 1968 he was the lion in winter, battling equipment and overwhelming odds. This is a gritty, American tale of survival and the unlikely birth of a savage and spectacular sport.

Genres: Biography

337 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Bill Libby was an American writer and biographer best known for his prolific work on sports figures, authoring more than 65 books that chronicled the lives of athletes and explored the world of professional and college sports. A Navy veteran and graduate of Indiana University, Libby began his journalism career as a sports editor before moving on to the New York Post. His writing captured the stories of legends such as Wilt Chamberlain, Rocky Marciano, and Pete Rose, and he also co-wrote books on celebrities and public figures. His 1975 book Champions of College Football remains a notable effort to retrospectively designate national champions across decades.

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is classic Bill Libby: a thorough blow-by-blow account of the driver's career, but with an antiseptic touch. Yes, you will learn about Parnelli Jones. Yes, you will hear stories of behind-the-scenes hijinks and hell-raising. But Libby always seems so distant from the subject. It's like reading a very straight documentary, in which interviews allow the subject to characterize themselves rather to be naturally characterized by thoughts and deeds. (It's not 'The Right Stuff'; it's a 60 Minutes feature.)

It is not a bad book, but it strays from its subject - Parnelli Jones - frequently and will waste page after page going through meaningless details about old races. (Not the interesting details either. 'This back-marker retired on lap 10 with brake failure'; 'this one on lap 26 from overheating', etc.) Plus, I wanted to learn more of Parnelli's Baja successes, but this was published before they occurred. (Shall I blame Bill Libby for that too?)

I am almost certainly being too hard on the 'Parnelli'. I found the late chapter about the 1967 Indy 500 and the Andy Granatelli Turbo Cars to be enthralling, but I learned very little about Jones from it.

[Bob Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my 5th birthday my Dad took me to the jalopy races at Gardena Stadium. The winner of the main event was Parnelli Jones. I’m 68 now and recall it like it was yesterday.

Growing up in SoCal, we rooted for Parnelli and for Aggie and were thrilled when Parnelli and “Old Calhoun” won the 500 in 1963. Dad and I went to Ascot a month later for an Agajanian-promoted USAC midget race billed as Parnelli’s homecoming. Driving Aggie’s 98 Jr Jones won.

This book brought back a lot of great memories of growing up near Ascot, going to the races with my Dad when USAC was still king of the hill, and of the guys who were my heroes.

And it reminded me of how dangerous it was. I saw two deaths on the track, including my favorite CRA sprint car driver before I became a teen.

For fans of those racers and of the late 50s-and 60s Indy races, this was a great read.

[Aaron Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good account of Parnelli's career through 1968. Simply written, maybe a bit lurid or blunt in the description of events. I'd rate higher if it were written with a more professional tone.