Parsons won the rain-shortened 1950 500 Mile Race after
beginning his open wheel career with the United Midget
Association on the West Coast. In 1942 he won the abbreviated
UMA Championship on the strength of 18 feature wins.
Johnnie began racing with AAA in the midget division
after World War II. In
1948 he captured the third
feature of the “Night Before the 500” midget program at the
famous 16th Street Speedway.
In 1949, after starting in 12th
place, he finished 2nd to Bill Holland in his first
Indianapolis 500 Mile Race . He went on to win the National
Driving Championship that year.
He won the 500 the next year and became a crowd
favorite, competing in twelve consecutive Indy races.
Johnnie also served as the Chief Steward for the USAC
Midget Division on the West Coast in the early 1970s.
Johnnie is a member of the National Auto Racing Hall of
Fame. He died in 1984 before receiving notification of his
selection for the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.
