Parnelli and Pacific Raceway

Richard Broadhead

Richard Broadhead

Flag & Com
Just watching a show about the development of the current generation of Ford BOSS 302's and they have Parnelli Jones (who raced the originals in Trans Am) doing some of the testing.

Part of the clips they showed of the 'old' car was of Parnelli Jones going through 3A and 3B at Pacific!!! Good show if you get a chance to see it. Was on SPEED Channel.
 
I used to watch Trans Am racing at Laguna Seca in the 70's. A couple of years ago, Soverns July 4th event featured TRANS AM cars. For their main event on Sunday, I was standing on a small rise on the inside of the track at T1. When approx 25 Trans Am cars took the green flag and went roaring by...well I got goosebumps! Memorable.

Bill
 
Somwhere I have the CP/Autoweek story of the 69 Seattle T/A race, and if I remember, Parnelli was on the pole at 1:25.6 and Donohue right behind him in the 25's. I never got to race on the west coast in my early T/A days, but those seem awesome times, even though the track is now a few seconds slower - maybe 4 or 5 according to what Don Jensen told me.

Recently at the SOVREN banquet I mentioned those times to Myles Winbigler who probably would have seen Parnelli at that race. He said "Parnelli never used all the track - probaby went cross-country" a few times.

Robert Barg
 
One of the reasons for my online moniker is that I still own an original Boss 302.
About 10 years ago I converted it to Open Track duty and ran it at the yearly Mustang open track event
at Pacific. I only quit running it when I started racing with Conference.
Even though it was a street version, running this car hard through its close ratio gearbox and high reving V-8 was a lot of fun.
A quite capable car, especially given its age.
Dang it -- I need to work on the ST car!
 
Andrew was lucky to meet Parnelli at the 2010 Mustang unveiling in Santa Monica, CA. Pretty cool!
Parnelli_Andrew.jpg
 
He's racing R/C cars! Literally, stopped by our local r/c track yesterday and there was cuddles himself!
 
Kyle, did you crew chief for him like the old days??

He will be racing for Traxxas/MOPAR again in 2012 in the TORC Pro Light class., looking to repeat his 2011 championship. Pretty good chance he will get 2 or 3 races in a Pro 2 truck.

Testing starts in early March with the first race in Charlotte, NC on April 20/21.
 
I just sat there and smiled, I *think* I FINALLY found something I can beat him at! Was so cool seeing him again, he was the last person I expected to see there haha.
 
Back to Parnelli - this is for you old-timers who saw some of this racing at Kent - the Camaro Research Group "Trans-Am Camaros" thread has now listed the complete 1970 "The Trans-Am Trail" reports written by Sam Posey - taken from Auto Racing magazine - very interesting and entertaining writing from Sam, who of course, had a ring-side seat.

Robert Barg
 
I hate to admit I saw PJ race here while I was at the UW in the late 60's. Then a few years ago while walking to the IRDC tent at the Historics early morning I saw him sitting all alone, except for the security guard, and asked him to sign my hat. I told him he didn't look all that different than I remembered from the old days, and he just kinda snorted at me!
 
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