Parsons Injured in Crash at Indy

Johnny Parsons, a veteran of 11 Indianapolis 500-mile races and the son of a former winner, broke his left heel and right ankle Thursday in a crash during practice for the race May 24.

Parsons, 42, of Brownsburg, Ind., was taken by helicopter to Methodist Hospital, where he was listed in good condition following several hours of surgery.

Parsons lost control driving through the first turn, spun once and skidded 420 feet into the concrete wall with the right front of the car. He went 60 feet along the wall, then slid down the track and into the infield grass.

It was the 18th crash on the 2 1/2-mile oval since practice for the race opened May 2, and the second incident in which Parsons had been involved. He brushed the wall coming out of Turn 2 during practice last Saturday but was not hurt in that incident.

Parsons’ father, the late Johnnie Parsons, won the 1950 Indianapolis 500.