Podcast interview with 1970 Trans Am Series champion Parnelli Jones

[satman]

    Here is a link to a recent podcast interview  with 1970 Trans Am Series champion Parnelli Jones that you might find interesting .... I my opinion Parnelli was one of the most exciting drivers to ever strap into a race car. http://carcastblog.adamcarolla.com/category/carcast/

AL

[Jon Mello]

Very cool. Thanks for posting that Al. Parnelli was certainly one of the best drivers of his era and he had an intimidating style. If he wasn't at the front he was going there and you better not get in his way.

[satman]

Jon you are so right I still have vivid memories of the terrific duel that he had with Mark Donahue at the 1969 Riverside Mission Bell 250 Trans-Am....... I believe our driver Dick Hoffman got some great footage of the battle on his in car cameras but for some reason Ford decide not to use it in their film Ford Flat Out ...... Perhaps Ford didn't like the final results.

[oldtransamdriver]

This book is a great read  "As a matter of fact, I AM Parnelli Jones".  Lots of detail about his early racing, "Big Oly" and the BaJa,
and Indy car ownership  etc.

Robert

[satman]

Bob,
    You must feel very blessed to have competed in the Trans am series against legends like Parnelli ...
To quote Mario Andretti ....... "Parnelli Jones was the greatest driver of his era. He had aggressiveness and also a finesse that no one else possessed. And he won with everything he put his hands on, including off-road."

Sadly Parnelli doesn't seem to get much respect from the model car aficionados that frequent this forum

[oldtransamdriver]

Al,

You are so right.  Indeed, I was blessed to be able to compete, thanks to you and your able crew.

Lots of smiles on my face when I relate some of those adventures. It was a great era.

Robert

[Jon Mello]

You and Al have got us all jealous.