An Ellerbe, N.C. native who called Detroit home after driving a taxi for a living during his years living in the city, Parsons won the 1973 Cup Series championship. He won 21 times in 526 career starts but finished among the top 10 283 times -- a 54 percent ratio. One of Parsons' biggest victories came in the 1975 Daytona 500. He also was the first driver to qualify a stock car at more than 200 mph (200.176) in 1982 at Talladega Superspeedway. He was named one of NASCAR's "50 Greatest Drivers" in 1998.