Benny Parsons is all about winning. He’s the 1973 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series champion; a Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 winner; and, in recent years, has emerged as one of NASCAR’s leading television and radio commentators. Now, Parsons is calling upon that winning attitude as he battles lung cancer.
Parsons, 65, had experienced difficulty breathing and, after consulting with physicians, was informed by his family doctor, Dr. Scott Moss of Charlotte, that he has the disease. His treatment regimen starts immediately.
“Needless to say this was a huge shock,” said Parsons. “I’ve got a great deal of faith in all of my physicians, including Dr. Steven Limenpani, who treated NASCAR car owner Rick Hendrick during his battle with leukemia. I’m determined to pull through this and I appreciate everyone’s concerns and prayers during this time.
“The first thing everyone asks me is, ‘are you a smoker?’ The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978 and since then I’ve hated being around smoking. I don’t even allow anyone in my foursome to smoke on the golf course.”
Parsons is an analyst on NBC and TNT’s coverage of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing and hosts “Fast Talk with Benny Parsons” on the Performance Racing Network. He plans to continue his duties with NBC/TNT and PRN throughout his treatment. “Everyone I work with has been gracious and accommodating,” said Parsons. “I plan to keep on talking about racing for as long as I can.”
Friends and fans wishing to send words of encouragement to Parsons can do so by e-mailing him at bp@goprn.com or on a special message board at NASCAR.com.
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This sucks for real. He’s a cool guy and has the admiration of not only the old school NASCAR drivers, but the younger generation. I really hope he pulls through. He’s going to continue to be in the booth during his treatment, and that’s balls right there, man. Anyone that continues to work though something really serious like lung cancer during treatment, that should earn anyone’s respect, including mine, which he has.
This goes to show ppl that if you’re thinking about smoking, dont. Even though he hasn’t had one in 20 + years, I’m guessing it’s ONE of the reasons he has it, but that’s for another day.
Let’s just pray for B.P., hmm?
We second the above post. BP, you are in our thoughts and prayers and hope you have healthy and speedy recovery.
AutoRacingSport.com