INDIANAPOLIS – When the legendary 1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones showed up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last Thursday, team owner Chip Ganassi was proud to post a photo of himself with Jones on his Twitter account.
Jones has always been a hero to Ganassi, from the days when he was 5 years old to later in life when Ganassi had become one of the most successful IndyCar team owners in history.
“When I was five years old, my father came to an equipment auction, a heavy equipment auction, in Indianapolis,” Ganassi recalled of his late father, Floyd. “He took a tour of the track, rode the bus around, went to the museum. He brought home an 8mm film of the 1963 Indy 500, which was the most recent at that time. Parnelli won.
“We had these little Bell & Howell cameras. I used to blast it against the living room wall. I must have seen that 8mm film a thousand times. I could tell you anything you want to know about 1963.”
The seeds to become a racing driver, which later led to Ganassi becoming a championship winning and Indianapolis 500 winning team owner, were planted by that 8mm film of the 1963 Indianapolis 500 featuring Jones as the winning driver.
“You’re five years old. You grow up, you like racing, you get into it,” Ganassi continued. “Somehow you make it to the Indianapolis 500.
“When I came here during my rookie orientation, Parnelli was here. I just thought, ‘Jesus Christ, I met Parnelli Jones.’ If he only knew when I was five years old, I watched his film. I think he might have signed off on my rookie orientation.
“He was just one of those guys that hung around, was happy to help you as a new guy coming along.”
For anyone who ever met Jones and was involved in racing, he was always one of the most pleasant individuals in Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Parnelli and I got to be friends with him over the years,” Ganassi said. “He and my father were friends. I obviously knew him and his sones P.J. and Page. Just became friends with him over the years.
“I remember on my 55th birthday, I had my Thanksgiving dinner with him. I told him this story, just how interesting something is. Something you do when you’re five years old can maintain through when you’re 55. It becomes your career.
“What’s the chance of that? What’s the chance of watching that film when you’re five years old, even making it to Indianapolis, let alone becoming friends with Parnelli, having my Thanksgiving dinner we and his family?
“I always see them when they’re around. I try to get to California. I developed a nice relationship. He knows all about racing, believe me. He’s as sharp as a tack. It’s great to spend time with him.
“He’s my pal.”