From the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Parnelli Jones will celebrate the 50th anniversary of breaking the 150-mph barrier in qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 by driving the No. 98 Agajanian Willard Battery Watson-Offy roadster on Pole Day, Saturday, May 19 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
1963 Indianapolis 500 winner Jones is scheduled to turn laps in the famous car, nicknamed “Calhoun,” at approximately 4 p.m. Jones won the pole for the 1962 Indianapolis 500 in the car with a four-lap average speed of 150.370 mph. The IMS Hall of Fame Museum now owns the car.
It’s the second consecutive year Jones will drive a historical car at IMS. Last May he drove the Marmon “Wasp,” which Ray Harroun guided to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
“Last May it was an honor to drive the Marmon ‘Wasp’ around Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of the Centennial Celebration – not for just one lap but for three laps,” Jones said. “This year to drive in ‘Calhoun,’ the car that was such an important part of my Indianapolis career, it will be like getting together with an old pal. We’ve seen lots of good and bad times together.
“It will be fun to drive around the Speedway again. That’s always fun, especially in a car that means so much to me. We’ve been through it all! What if I want to stay out on the track and keep driving? Who’s going to make me pull in?”
General admission on Pole Day is $15, with children 12 and under admitted free.
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