Parsons had highs and lows at Talladega track

For Phil Parsons, Talladega and May 1 represent the highs and lows of his driving career. On that date in 1983, he walked away from a wild accident, and five years to the day, he scored his greatest triumph.

The younger brother of 1973 NASCAR champion Benny Parsons, Phil finished fifth in the 1982 Busch Series standings but was a raw Cup rookie when the field took the green for the 1983 Winston 500. He had made his Cup debut earlier in the season-opening Daytona 500, finishing 13th and earning another ride in the No. 66 Pontiac from owner Johnny Hayes at NASCAR's biggest superspeedway.

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And "ride" was the operative word. On Lap 72, Darrell Waltrip and Parsons touched heading into the first turn. Parsons' car did two barrel rolls in the air, slammed into the concrete wall, then landed on Ricky Rudd's rear deck. At least seven other cars were involved, including polesitter Cale Yarborough and A.J. Foyt.

Amazingly, Parsons was able to climb out of the shattered remains of his wrecked racer, which was later put on display at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame on the speedway grounds. He ran three more races that season -- and returned to Talladega in 1984 to lead four laps before settling for seventh.

By 1988, Parsons had made 110 starts but was still looking for his first visit to Victory Lane. He started third in the No. 55 Oldsmobile and ran among the leaders all race. Finally, with 15 laps remaining, Parsons made the winning move, drafting past Geoff Bodine on the backstretch and edging into the lead as the pack roared into Turn 3.

"We were going to wait until the last 10 laps to make our move, but with 15 laps to go, Bodine was trying to break the draft, so I figured that was the time to go," Parsons said.

Parsons then held off repeated challenges from the other contenders, beating Bobby Allison to the line by .21 seconds. Bodine wound up third, followed by Terry Labonte and Ken Schrader.

"I can't explain my feelings," Parsons said. "This is something I've wanted since I was five years old."

Phil Parsons

Foyt ended up in the spotlight that day for his famous temper. He and Alan Kulwicki were involved in a Lap 181 bumping incident under caution, which forced NASCAR officials to black flag both cars and bring them onto the pit road, where they were held for a lap.

Foyt then nearly sideswiped Kulwicki's parked car on his way back to the track, which didn't go unnoticed by NASCAR officials, who demanded that Super Tex return to the pits for more "consultation." He came back in at a high rate of speed, nearly hitting a pair of officials -- and when he was given the black flag for the third time, locked up his brakes and spun at the entrance to the garage area.

That little display of petulance earned Foyt a $5,000 fine and a six-month suspension for "actions detrimental to the sport."

Parsons' win would be the only one of his 202-race Cup career. With 15 top-10 finishes that season, he finished ninth in the standings. He followed that up with finishes of fifth and third at Daytona in 1989, but wound up without a full-time ride for 1990. He would record only three more top-10s in six seasons as a part-time driver, making his final Cup start at Darlington in 1997.

Parsons went on to run several more seasons in the Busch Series before making the transition to the broadcast booth. Like his older brother, Phil Parsons became a television analyst once his racing career was over.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer