SPOTLIGHT : PARNELLI JONES

The competitive versatility of Rufus Parnell Jones is, perhaps, unmatched in all of racing.

     He won six Indy Car races. He won 25 Sprint Car races. He won 25 Midget races. He won 13 Stock Car races on different circuits. He won the Indianapolis 500. And he won in Off-Road vehicles, and in Sports Cars.

     It is fair to say that such a record is indicative of a man truly one with motorsports.

Parnelli Jones

100 YEARS

 

 

 

100 YEARS

First race August 19th 1909

Winner:Louis Schwitzer

First  Indy 500 winner:Ray Harroun 1911

above 1911 Marmon He drove

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History

WORLD OF OUTLAWS HONORS MARIO ANDRETTI

	Mario Andretti and Donny Schatz to unveil No. 15 Car Racing icon, Mario Andretti, and three-time World of Outlaws Sprint Series and Knoxville Nationals champion, Donny Schatz, will unveil the No. 15 STP/ParkerStore/Chevy J&J entry that Schatz will drive in the 49th Annual Knoxville Nationals on Tuesday, August 11th, at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Museum. The car pays tribute to Andretti’s 1969 victory in the Indianapolis 500, which he won in an STP-sponsored entry. The No. 15 entry will resemble the No. 2 STP/Brawner-Hawk machine that Andretti drove in the 1969 Indianapolis 500. It will carry the distinctive ‘hunting red’ scheme and gold wheels that are symbolic of Andretti’s car. Schatz will look to give the STP brand its first Knoxville Nationals modern-day victory and honor Andretti’s Indianapolis 500 triumph in the 2009 Knoxville Nationals. If Schatz were to win the event, it would be his fourth career and consecutive Knoxville Nationals title and make him the second driver in the event’s history to win four consecutive titles.

DANICA PATRICK

Birthday: March 25, 1982 Hometown: Roscoe, Ill Residence: Phoenix Though she began racing because younger sister Brooke wanted to race, Danica Patrick won numerous karting titles. At 16, she left home for England, where raced in some of the most difficult junior series in the world. The highlight was a runner-up finish in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, the highest finish by an American in the event’s history. That result drew the attention of Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal, who signed her to a contract and began shepherding Patrick up the racing ladder. The 2005 IndyCar Series season was a banner year for Patrick as she started fourth and finished fourth at the 89th Indianapolis 500 and earned JP Morgan Chase Rookie of the Year honors. It was the highest starting and finishing position for a woman driver in the event’s history. The rookie led 19 laps during the race to become the first woman to lead at Indianapolis. She capped the IndyCar Series season by winning the Bombardier Rookie of the Year award after finishing 12th in the standings for Rahal Letterman Racing. In 2008, she became the first female to win a major closed-course auto race. Patrick has become one of the most recognizable female athletes in the United States, gracing the covers of publications such as Sports Illustrated, TV Guide and ESPN: The Magazine. Starts 12 Wins 0 Top 5 5 Top 10 9 Poles 0 Laps Led 26 Running at Finish 11 Earnings $ 788,305

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER

German ace Michael Schumacher is widely recognised as being the world’s best ever racing driver.  In 1995 Michael became the (at that time) youngest double Formula 1 World Champion (1994 and 1995 seasons) ever. He is also the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 World Champion. This phenomenal record speaks for itself. His sixth title in 2003 beat Juan Manuel Fangio’s long standing record of five championships from the 1950s! Schuey has now retired from F1 as a driver, since the end of the 2006 season. Michael was then retained in a consultancy role by Ferrari.

Michael’s last championship title in 2004 was secured before the season end, taking his total number of titles to 7. Memorably, he did this by finishing 2nd at Spa in Belgium, in Ferrari’s 700th race, to accumulate enough points to seal the deal.

Michael also holds the F1 records for: most career wins (91), most wins in a season, most career pole positions, most points during a season (148 in 2004), most consecutive world championships (5), most consecutive race wins (2004), most podium finsihes (154), most laps leading, most fastest laps (76), plus several others!

Michael was at one point the highest paid racing driver in the world and second highest earning sportsman in the world, earning a reported $80 million US in 2004 ($40m of which was his salary from Ferrari).