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Parnelli Jones Extravaganza

black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
edited March 13, 2010 in Other Cool Shots
This fabulous collection of cars were all driven, at some point in his career, by the storied American race car driver Parnelli Jones. He raced primarily in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. His victories included the Indianapolis 500 in 1963. This is the only time in history wherein all these important cars were assembled in one place at one time.

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I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.

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    AzzaroAzzaro Registered Users Posts: 5,643 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2010
    Hi Tom...Parnelli Jones......now there is a trip down memory lane. Broke the 150 mph barrier at the Indy 500...drove the only turbo jet powered car at Indy it sounded like a sweeper when it went by..... Another set of great pictures .........thumb.gif azzaro
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    StaystillStaystill Registered Users Posts: 232 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2010
    Somehow I remember Andy Granatelli having something to do with the "Willard Battery Special" could be wrong though. Nice shots thumb.gif
    I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams

    My Photoblog: Mind Tap media
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    TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2010
    Indianapolis is my home town, and I've been to nine of the 500 mile races and many of the qualification days.

    At two of them, when I was in high school, I sold the Indianapolis Star at the race. The newspaper let us pick a section to sell in and I picked the pit parquet where I could watch the race from behind the pits. I got in free, sold enough papers before the race to make a few bucks, and got a free seat for the race.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
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    vintagemxrvintagemxr Registered Users Posts: 224 Major grins
    edited March 12, 2010
    Lots of wonderful memories there. The Willard Battery Special is one of my all time favorite race cars. Nicely captured.

    Doug
    "A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into." - Ansel Adams
    My B&W Photos
    Motorcycles in B&W
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    TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Staystill wrote:
    Somehow I remember Andy Granatelli having something to do with the "Willard Battery Special" could be wrong though. Nice shots thumb.gif

    JC Agajanian was behind the 1963 #98 Willard car driven by Jones.

    Andy Granatelli (of STP fame) was the guy who bought the rights to the Novi V8 in 1963. Bobby Unser drove it that year, but crashed early and finished 33rd.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
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    PantherPanther Registered Users Posts: 3,658 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Howdy Tom,

    WOW, the Colors just jump off the Screen, and the Car themselves are so

    wonderful, Parnelli Jones, man I haven't heard that name in a while.

    Love all of these, can't wait to see what the new season holds:D:D:D
    Take care,

    Craig

    Burleson, Texas
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    black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Hey Gary,

    The older racers tend to drift from our memory until something like this exhibit hits you square in the face. To refresh yourself with their accomplishments and to see the actual cars they performed in is exhilarating. It was a monumental effort on the part of the show organizers to get all these cars here.

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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    black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Hey Staystill,

    Thanks for the comment. Tony Cooper graciously added some neat insight to things....particularly the JC Agajanian connection to the 1963 winning car.

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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    black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Hi Doug,

    Thanks for the nice comments. I actually got to sit in the Willard Battery Special. That was a real biggie for me.

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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    black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Hey Tony,

    Thanks for the info you shared about the 1963 Indy winning car. I didn't know you were also a car hound but anybody who's been to 9 Indy races has got have it in his blood.

    Take care,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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    TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    black mamba wrote:
    Hey Tony,

    Thanks for the info you shared about the 1963 Indy winning car. I didn't know you were also a car hound but anybody who's been to 9 Indy races has got have it in his blood.

    Take care,

    Tom
    \

    Was, not now, though. I got burned out on it after nine 500s. I still prefer open wheel to stock, though. And, I think the pits is the only place to watch a race. Instead of zoom, zoom and gone, you really see action.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
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    AzzaroAzzaro Registered Users Posts: 5,643 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    TonyCooper wrote:
    \

    Was, not now, though. I got burned out on it after nine 500s. I still prefer open wheel to stock, though. And, I think the pits is the only place to watch a race. Instead of zoom, zoom and gone, you really see action.[/quot

    Tony....my home town is Richmond Ind......In 63 we would have been neighbors...well close:D......azzaro
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    black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,321 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    You're dead right, Tony, about the pits being the place to be. On two occasions, I was able to get INTO the pits during the Daytona 24 Hour race. I mean INTO the pits...when they changed drivers, I had to scoot out of the way. I was like 6 feet away when the mechanics swarmed the car during a pit stop. And this was in about 10 different pits. UNBELIEVABLE.

    I got shots during those times that rivaled anything I ever saw in a magazine. Unfortunately, all that production is on Velvia and, while I routinely look at the slides, I have never scanned them over to digital. It's the one project I can't seem to ever really get after. I sold ( and gave away ) a good bit of that work to several teams. One of the big-time Ferrari drivers of that time has a huge blow-up I took of him hanging in his office.

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
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    TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    Azzaro wrote:
    TonyCooper wrote:
    \

    Was, not now, though. I got burned out on it after nine 500s. I still prefer open wheel to stock, though. And, I think the pits is the only place to watch a race. Instead of zoom, zoom and gone, you really see action.[/quot

    Tony....my home town is Richmond Ind......In 63 we would have been neighbors...well close:D......azzaro

    One of the attributes of people who grow up in Indiana is remembering, after all these years, the team nicknames of the high school sports powerhouses. The Richmond Red Devils were one of the powerhouses.

    To give you an idea of my era, Oscar Robertson and I graduated from high school the same year, but from a different school. I saw Bobby Plump take that shot for Milan. The tie between the two schools is that in the movie "Hoosiers", the team that played the fictional town of "Hickory" in the state finals was coached (on screen) by Ray Crowe...Oscar's coach in real life.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
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    vintagemxrvintagemxr Registered Users Posts: 224 Major grins
    edited March 13, 2010
    black mamba wrote:
    Hi Doug,

    Thanks for the nice comments. I actually got to sit in the Willard Battery Special. That was a real biggie for me.

    Tom

    Oh man, I'd have paid money to do that! bowdown.gif

    Small side story: Some years ago I had a chance to sit in a modern Indy car. I couldn't get in much past my knees. People kept saying "Twist sideways and then slide down." Uh, yeah, right. Either modern drivers are all elves or I have gained more weight than I thought. Never managed to get my behind on the seat. :cry

    Doug
    "A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into." - Ansel Adams
    My B&W Photos
    Motorcycles in B&W
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