Earl ‘Parnelli’
Jones began his racing career in 1964 - the same year Oxford
Plains Speedway re-opened and introduced full-body Sportsman
cars to Maine racing fans.
A 20-year driving career began when he filled in for Billy
Clark for the 1964 Triple Crown Series - where he finished in
the top 3 in all three races - and ended when he helped NASCAR
star Bill Elliott get around Oxford Plains in 1984.
In between, Earl competed on all of Maine’s race tracks -
Beech Ridge Speedway, Unity Raceway, Wiscasset Speedway and
Speedway 95 in addition to Oxford Plains. His racing wasn’t
limited to his home state as he made several trips to Nova
Scotia where he won a major race in Halifax in 1976.
But, Earl faced his greatest challenge not only as a race
driver but in life took place in 1967 when he lost the sight in
his right eye. He returned to racing the next year with a new
blue and gold Ford and continued his winning ways.
During his career, Earl won over 20 Sportsman races - fifteen
of those at Oxford - and three Figure Eight events, also at his
home track. He was famous for his blue and gold #19 Fords but he
also drove Dodges for Dave Coffin in the early 1980’s
