NASCAR: Phil Parsons Named Honorary Starter for the Daytona 500

Photo courtsey: motorsportshalloffame.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Phil Parsons, younger brother of 1975 Daytona 500 champion and 1973 NASCAR champion Benny Parsons, has been named Honorary Starter for the 49th annual Daytona 500 on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

Benny Parsons, who was diagnosed with lung cancer, passed away last month in Charlotte, N.C. after complications from treatment.

"Benny Parsons was a special member of the Daytona International Speedway family and we're honored to have his brother wave the green flag for Sunday's Daytona 500," Daytona International Speedway President Robin Braig said.

Benny Parsons was a member of the NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers and a winner of 21 races and 20 poles.

After retiring from racing in 1988, Parsons excelled at broadcasting and spent the past six years with NBC and TNT.

Phil Parsons was also a NASCAR driver making 202 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series starts and winning a NEXTEL Cup race in 1988 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Parsons, who also won two NASCAR Busch Series races, now serves as an analyst for SPEED Channel's coverage of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

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