NASCAR's Benny Parsons battling lung cancer

[TruckDriver]

I did a cut and paste on this. I always liked Benny.

Benny Parsons battling lung cancer

By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer

July 26, 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Former NASCAR champion Benny Parsons has been diagnosed with lung cancer and began chemotherapy treatments Wednesday.

Parsons, the 1973 Cup champion and currently a NASCAR commentator on NBC and TNT, was diagnosed two weeks ago after he had trouble breathing.

``Needless to say this was a huge shock,'' Parsons said. ``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.''

The 65-year-old Parsons will undergo chemotherapy three days a week for three weeks, and also will receive radiation five days a week. He's seeing Dr. Steven Limenpani, who treated NASCAR car owner Rick Hendrick during his battle with leukemia in the late 1990s.

``I'm determined to pull through this and I appreciate everyone's concerns and prayers during this time,'' Parsons said. ``Everyone I work with has been gracious and accommodating. I plan to keep on talking about racing for as long as I can.''

Parsons, who lives in Concord, plans to remain in the booth during his treatments.

``One of Benny's greatest qualities is how unconditionally supportive he is to the racing community,'' said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Sports. ``Now it's our turn to provide that support to him. I ask all of his friends and fans to put him in their prayers tonight.''

Parsons, chosen as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers in 1998, made 526 starts from 1964 until his 1988 retirement. He won 21 races, including the 1975 Daytona 500, and 20 poles.

He also had 283 top 10 finishes, led at least one lap in 192 races and finished no lower than fifth in the points from 1972 to 1980 while earning more than $4 million. He also won back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69 when he lived in Detroit before getting his shot at NASCAR, if you have room.

Parsons was born at his parents' rural home in Wilkes County and eventually moved to Detroit, where he worked at a gas station and a cab company owned by his father. After winning back-to-back ARCA titles in 1968-69, he returned to North Carolina in Ellerbe to become a full-time racer, often listing ``taxicab driver'' as his occupation on entry forms.

He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994, and the National Motorsports Press Association's Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame in 1995.

Parsons began his broadcasting career in the 1980s as a pit reporter for ESPN and TBS, when he was still racing a partial schedule. He moved into the booth for good in 1989 for ESPN and won a Cable ACE Award for best sports analyst.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=ap-nascar-parsons-cancer&prov=ap&type=lgns

[General_01]

dodge freak, I rarely say things to people, but you are getting to be a real stick in the mud. Just post "Good luck to Benny" and leave it at that. Very simple, uplifting, and polite.

Now onto the topic at hand. I wish Benny the best. I like listening to Benny. Him and Ned Jarret were always my favs.

[dodge freak]

"Good Luck Berry" 

[Todd Wilson]

Best of luck to him. Cancer is a bad thing to fight and lung cancer is a really bad one to have a battle with. He is in for a rough road doing the Chemo and Rad.


I wonder how the statistics of lung cancer are figured on this one.   Did his smoking 28 years ago cause this or was he just the unlucky winner of getting it.   Also if he had smoked all this time would they still say it was the smoking that caused it.



Todd

[Brock Samson]

wait i thought it was Benny,..  Who's Barry?... 

good luck to us all...

[dodge freak]

Guess its pass my bed time -Lets try that one more time "Good Luck Benny"

[dodge freak]

Todd Wilson--The problem is how do we know if he always smoked and never stop that he would even be still alive today ? I do see what you are saying , look at George Burns, he lived to what a hundred years I think. He slipped in a bath tub and then his health turn bad, perhaps he would even still be alive today if it wasn't for that.

[Shakey]

Good luck to Benny

[TruckDriver]

I saw this touching story about Benny tonight and read it.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jb-bennyparsons072706&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[andy74]

benny is a awesome comentator and has a way of putting the normal guy in the seat when something acts up-sorry to hear it