Benny Stewart Parsons

Year Inducted: 2014

Benny Stewart Parsons was born in North Wilkesboro in 1941. Parsons was a multi-sport athlete and student body president at West Wilkes High School. He began his racing career in 1963 at Mt. Clemens Speedway. He was selected as the Automotive Racing Club Rookie of the year in 1965 and was its series champion in 1968 and 1969. Parsons started racing in NASCAR in 1970 and his first NASCAR victory was in South Boston Speedway in 1971. Parsons was the Winston Cup Champion in 1973 and winner of the Daytona 500 in 1975. He was the first person to ever qualify a stock car over 200 MPH. Parsons retired as a driver from NASCAR at the completion of the 1988 season with 21 racing victories and $ 3.9 million in career earnings.

In 1989 Parsons joined ESPN as a racing analyst. He hosted the nationally syndicated radio show on Performance Radio Network (PRN) called Fast Talk with Benny Parsons. He was also a color commentator for NASCAR on NBC, TNT, TBS, ESPN, CBS, ABC as well as MRN radio. During Parson’s 21-year career in broadcasting, the studios collectively gathered information stating he mentioned Wilkes County or North Wilkesboro/ Wilkesboro 92,826 times on the air. Also 92 short piece videos of Wilkes County were shown during races by ESPN per Parsons’ request.

Benny Parsons was inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in December of 1994. Per Don Narman, Executive Director of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, “Out of 526 NASCAR events, Benny finished in the top ten 283 times and in the top five 195 times, making him one of the most consistent drivers in recent history.” In 1996, Parsons was awarded an ESPN Emmy and in 1998 was named one of the 50 greatest drivers in NASCAR history.

In 2006, Parsons was inducted into the Motors Sports Hall of Fame and won a Sports Emmy for outstanding live sport series NASCAR on NBC/TNT.

Benny Parsons received the North Carolina Motor Sports Industry Life Time Tribute Award and the National Motor Sports Press Association Award in 2007. Parsons received the North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine and was honored by having a section of Highway 421 renamed as the Benny Parsons Highway.