Kawartha Speedway's Vic Parsons ... A veteran racer in the truest sense

By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR/Clarke Motorsports PR

With young racers getting the lion’s share of the headlines at so many different tracks, it could be easy for the more experienced runners to find themselves lost in the shuffle. Luckily, the on-track performance by some of the veteran drivers means they’ll still get their time in the spotlight.

One look at his resume will tell you that when it comes to driving stock cars, Vic Parsons has been there and done that. During the 1960’s, he made selected starts at invitational events in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The 69 year-old from Hawkstone, Ontario – who goes by the handle “Quick Vic” – has a background that also includes races in what is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, dating back to the 1972 and 1973 seasons. In that time frame, Parsons participated in 19 NASCAR events, racing against legends like Richard Petty, David Pearson and Bobby Allison and recorded 6 top 10 finishes – including 7th place runs at Bristol Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway. Fans of the popular ‘Back in the Day’ show on SPEED-TV would likely have heard Parsons’ name mentioned in coverage from those tracks, as well as Martinsville.

Vic Parsons currently competes in the headline Late Model division at Kawartha Speedway. While some drivers may find their skills and performance deteriorate as their years advance, Parsons is just the opposite. While running Kawartha’s Limited Late Model division during the 2008 campaign, the driver of the #1 Jackson’s Toyota/JLS Value-Plus Consulting/Ontario Steel Sales/Moore Packaging/South Barrie Collision/Advantage Door Systems Toyota was in the running for the season point’s title until mechanical gremlins sidelined his efforts on the final night of the season.

“It was great to be still in the fight for the championship right up ‘til the end,” said Parsons. “It just goes to show you that anything can happen. We ran neck and neck with Walters (eventual champion Tom Walters) all year long, so we have nothing to be ashamed of. If anything, it was exciting to see a couple of old guys running so well against the kids.”

Although he stepped away from the sport for about 15 years, Parsons has been a fixture at Kawartha Speedway for the last 6 seasons. During the winter, there were rumours making the rounds that he was ready to hang-up his helmet. When asked what brought him back to the track, his answer is simple.

“We didn’t sell the car over the winter, so we had to come back,” said the short-track legend. ‘Of course, we didn’t advertise it for sale anywhere so that could have made a difference. Sometimes I think there are other things I’d like to do during the race season – then we get to the track on the first night of the year and I quickly learn that all I want to do is race.”

2009 is “Quick Vic’s” first season in Kawartha Speedway’s Late Model division and just for fun; the team is considering putting a yellow stripe (used to indicate a ‘rookie’ racer) on the back bumper of his #1 Toyota. You might need to check his identification to find out, but ‘experience’ could very well be Vic Parsons’ middle name. He started driving racecars at the age of 18 – which seems almost ancient by today’s youthful standards – and still enjoys the competition. Ask where he ran his first ever race and a thoughtful look will come over the wily veteran’s face. He’ll rub his chin, roll his eyes around for a few minutes before saying....’I don’t know’.

He may not remember the site of his first race, but its almost a sure bet that Vic Parsons’ next win will come during the 2009 season at Kawartha Speedway.

Photo attachments: (Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications)
#1). Vic Parsons poses with his #1 Kawartha Speedway late model racer.
#2). ‘Quick Vic’ on the backstretch at Kawartha Speedway.

Kawartha Speedway's Larry Jackson - Oh Champion, Where Art Thou

By Jim Clarke, Kawartha Speedway PR/Clarke Motorsports Communications

As his #84 Monte Carlo sat in victory lane on the final night of the 2007 season, Kawartha Speedway late model driver Larry Jackson was on top of the world. He had just clinched the division’s track championship and was waiting for his family to join him in the winner’s circle for the celebration. His 7 wins had the rest of the pack chasing the back bumper of his Gary Jackson Trucking/B & B Decals/Speedy Muffler/Montgomery Marketing/Dana Canada/Wix Filters/Strongarm ride throughout the year. Jackson’s 2008 season had its highlights and a second place finish in points would leave most drivers feeling proud, but the acting fire captain with the City of Mississauga is somewhat of a perfectionist and he admits he was disappointed with his performance.

“We might have set the bar a little too high”, admits the Oakville, Ontario runner. “Back-to-back championships would have been great, but I think our 2007 gave everyone else something to shoot for and I think the competition really stepped-up to the plate. I have to congratulate Dan McHattie on a great season and that Watson kid. What can you say about a 15 year-old who runs as well as he does on a regular basis?”

His pair of 2008 wins included a checkered flag in the first event of the summer series between late model drivers at Kawartha and Capital City Speedways. Heading into the final night of the year, Jackson trailed eventual winner McHattie by a slim 2 points. The pair of veteran drivers staged a thrilling side-by-side battle for the entire 10 lap distance of their qualifying event, with Jackson picking-up the win by a slight margin. With his fist punching the air as he crossed the line, the racer – who’ll celebrate his 34th birthday in May – made the battle for the top spot even closer.

“Even though it was only a heat race, that was the most fun I had in the racecar all season”, Jackson says with a smile. “I just kept looking straight ahead and I’m sure Dan was doing the same thing. I knew he was there and he knew I was there. We were both going for the same thing and with Kawartha paying 10 points for a win; I knew if I finished ahead of the #71, we’d be at least tied or I’d leading the points going into the feature”.

Once the 100 lap feature race took to the track, Larry Jackson was off like a house on fire. His #84 Chevy was on rails and he took command of the show early. It seemed he’d be unstoppable and then the unthinkable happened. The blue Monte Carlo slowed and was pushed into the pits. The ignition coil had failed. Jackson had gone over the car with a fine toothed comb just the night before and says the part looked okay, but it relegated him to a 17th place finish and cost him a second consecutive title. With the 2009 campaign just over 2 months away, Jackson admits he’d like to get back to Kawartha – but isn’t sure of his plans for the upcoming season.

“Our car from 2008 was sold at the end of the season”, he says. “Its not something we’d planned on doing – but sometimes you get an offer you can’t refuse. Kawartha is my favourite track and I’d love to put a program together to run there in ’09. As it stands right now, I just don’t know what we’ll be doing”.

For updates on Larry Jackson’s racing plans, see www.bartonmotorsports.com.

Photo attachments (by Jim Clarke – clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com)

#1). Larry Jackson showed his championship winning form, recording a 6th place finish in the 2007 American-Canadian Tour Summer Sizzler.

#2). 2008 saw Jackson’s #84 Chevrolet Monte Carlo debut a sharp, new blue paint scheme.