By Staff
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Former NASCAR champion Benny Parsons died Tuesday morning due to complications from lung disease.
The 1973 Winston Cup champion and 1975 Daytona 500 winner was 65.
Parsons touched the lives of many through his racing and more recently as a television commentator.
The former Detroit taxi driver began his racing career at the Mt. Clemens Speedway, northeast of the city in 1963. Parsons headed south after winning back-to-back ARCA RE/MAX series championships in 1968 and 1969.
Parsons became a full-time NASCAR driver in 1970.
Born in Wilkes County, N.C. in 1941, Parsons posted 21 victories and was the first stock car driver to break the 200 mph barrier when he won the pole at Talladega, Ala. In 1982. Parson posted a speed of 200.176.
Parsons retired for active driving in 1988 and the following year joined ESPN as a race analyst.
He won an ACE Award in 1989 and an Emmy in 1996 for his broadcast work. In 2001, Parsons joined NBC and TNT when they took over coverage of the sport.
Parsons made his Cup debut at Michigan International Speedway in 1969.
He made 38 Cup starts at MIS, with his only victory coming in the June race of 1980 from the pole. In his MIS career, Parsons posted 16 top 10 finishes with two poles.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of such a great champion and a larger-than-life person," Roger Curtis, President of Michigan International Speedway said in a statement. "Benny Parsons personified everything that was good about racing. He was a true ambassador for our sport with his words and his actions. From his days as a taxi driver in Detroit to his time as a racing champion and popular TV analyst, he exuded an infectious passion for racing that we will all miss."
NASCAR Chairman and CEO, Brian France, echoed those sentiments in a prepared statement.
"Benny Parsons was a true champion – both on the race track and in life," he said. "Benny loved our sport and the people that make it up and those people loved him. He will be remembered as being a great ambassador for the sport. Our thoughts and prayers go to Terri and all of Benny's family."