Chuck Parsons
Charles W. "Chuck" Parsons (February 6, 1924 – January 3, 1999) was an American
Can Am series. Like many drivers of the era, he participated in multiple venues, such as the 24 Hours of Daytona and 24 Hours of Le Mans
endurance races while driving the same year in the Can Am series.
Career
Parsons was born in 1924 in Bruin, 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
Laguna Seca Raceway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
, and Las Vegas.
Later in 1966, Parsons began driving in the Canadian American Challenge Cup with a
Lola T160, the following two years a Lola T163. During the 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
Penske Racing Lola T70 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 Donohue drove most of the race. In 1970, Parsons drove a Ferrari 312P at the rainy 24 Hours of Le Mans race, where he finished 8th 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
Championship Car race at Riverside International Raceway.[1]
After his racing career, Parsons lived in California until his death on January 3, 1999.
Racing results
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 |  North American Racing Team
|
 Ricardo Rodríguez Cavazos
|
Ferrari 365 P2 | P 5.0 | 30 | DNF | DNF |
| 1970 | North American Racing Team
|
Tony Adamowicz
|
Ferrari 312 P Coupé | P 3.0 | 281 | NC | NC |
References
- ^ Chuck Parsons, Champ Car Stats, Retrieved 2010-12-06
- Argetsinger, Michael (2009). Mark Donohue: Technical Excellence at Speed. Phoenix, Arizona: David Bull Pub. ISBN 978-1-935007-02-9.
- Cutter, Robert; Fendell, Bob (1974). The Encyclopedia of Auto Racing Greats. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-275206-9.
- Lyons, Pete (2004). Can-Am. Osceola, Wisconsin: Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-7603-1922-7.