I just read "Never Look Back", Johnnie Parsons' "as told to" biography. By the end of 1950, Parsons had won the Champ Car title ('49), the 500 ('50') and 7 other Champ Car races. He continued driving for 8 more years. Yet, it appears he never had a steady ride again.

He was always picking up a ride late, or taking over for someone who got hurt, or some such condition. Still, he managed to win 3 more races.

This was the era of independent owners, who hired the drivers. What was the problem that Parsons couldn't get a ride?

I've also always wondered that (Never look back is a good read). After reading Dick Wallens Fabulous Fifties which is very in depth run down for every 50's champ car race. Jonnie was in alot of different equipment, and the book never mentions why?

I think you have to put in in perspective.

Around that time very few full time regular rides existed that ran the entire championship schedule and of those that did, there were even fewer that would have been considered top flight equipment.

Parsons was a rookie in 48 (AT AGE 30!), won a national title in 49 and won the 500 in 1950. St Louisan Ed Walsh, IIRC may have sold the winning car after the 1950 race or chose not to run the entire circuit after that event. Many car owners did the same.

He did hook up again with Walsh and had a pretty steady gig with Sandy Belond in 53, running thru the 54 500 in the Belond. By that time Parsons was one of the 'senior drivers' and may have decided to scale back to just the '500' at some point. During that time frame the chance a racing driver would drive more than 10-12 years was pretty low. Some guys that won the "500" scaled back (Rose), got hurt (Wallard, Ruttman), got suspended (Holland) or died behind the wheel (Vuky).

Parsons was one of the lucky ones, maybe he felt he didn't need the risk anymore.

He gave a great interview to Sid Collins when he retired stating he couldn't get the job done anymore.

B99, According to what he says in the book, he wanted a full-time ride, but couldn't get one. He mentions almost every champ car race during the 50s.

Johnnie and Sam Hanks were semi-regular visitors to Ventura Raceway in the years before their passing; the year that the Pontiac Firebird was the Pace Car at the 500 (I'd have to look up which year that was) Johnnie went out onto the track in one of the Pace Car replicas with his wife in the back seat. Each lap he got going a litlle bit quicker, until he was hanging the tail out in the corners, as smooth as can be, with this serene look on his face (his wife, not nearly as serene, was hanging on to both rear armrests for dear life). After a few laps he stopped on the frontstretch and when Jimmy Naylor stuck a mic in his face he said, "It's been quite a few years since I've gone that fast on a Quarter Mile".
I remember he and Sam both being real gentlemen every time they were at the track; it was kinda like having Royalty at your backyard barbeque.

He drove the 1980 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am pace car at the 1980 Indy 500. He got to keep the car. I saw it listed for sale at auction somewhere in 2012 or 2013.

Thanks for filling in the details; I knew there was a reason he had the car, just couldn't bring it out of the memory bank.