Benny Parsons (July 12 1941 – January 16 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup) champion.
He was nicknamed BP and The Professor, the latter in part because of his popular remarks and relaxed demeanor.
Parsons spent his childhood years in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and played football for Millers Creek High School (now known as West Wilkes High School) in Wilkes County. Following high school, he moved to Detroit, Michigan where his father operated a taxicab company. Parsons worked at a gas station and drove cabs in Detroit before beginning his racing career. While working at the gas station one day, a couple of customers towing a race car invited him to a local race track. The driver of the car never showed up for that evening's race, and Parsons drove the car in a race for the first time later that night.
Parsons began his NASCAR career by running...
Created by dipity
on Feb 7, 2008
Last updated: 11/12/09 at 07:58 PM
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