Fantasy NASCAR Racing

After the end of the Second World War Benny moved to Detroit, Michigan with his family where his father operated a gas station and a taxicab business.  Before becoming a race car driver, he worked for his father, driving taxis or working in the service station.  Parsons had a successful NASCAR career, even earning the 1973 CUP Championship.  He is also responsible for convincing Harry Melling to give a young kid from Dawsonville GA (Bill Elliott) a chance to drive one of Melling's quality rides.  Parsons began announcing as a pit reporter in the 1980s on ESPN and TBS while he was still racing part-time.  After permanently retiring from racing in 1988, Parsons became a broadcaster – first on ESPN, and then with NBC and TNT in 2001.  He received an ESPN Emmy in 1996, and the ACE Award in 1989.  Parsons co-hosted coverage of Winston Cup Qualifying on North Carolina radio station WFMX with Mark Garrow in the early '90s.  He continued to co-host a radio program called "Fast Talk" on Performance Racing Network (PRN) with Doug Rice until his death.  Parsons began having trouble breathing in the summer of 2006.  He was diagnosed with lung cancer.  He announced later that the treatment had been successful, and that he had a clean bill of health.  Parsons had stopped smoking in 1978.  His health prevented him from attending a ceremony in November 2006 where he was to be presented with the Myers Brothers Award, honoring his contributions to racing.  On December 26, 2006, Parsons was readmitted to the hospital and placed in intensive care because of complications relating to lung cancer.  On January 16, 2007, Parsons died of