In his career, Parnelli Jones won races in many types of vehicles: sports cars, IndyCars, sprint cars, midget cars, off-road vehicles, and stock cars. He is associated with the famous Boss 302 Mustang with his wins using the engine in the 1970s.

In 1960 Parnelli was brought to the attention of J. C. Agajanian after clinching the Midwest region Sprint car title. Agajanian became Parnelli’s sponsor and in 1961 he began racing at Indianapolis, where he was named Rookie of the Year. In 1962, he was the first driver to qualify over 150 mph, winning the pole position.

1963 saw Parnelli take the checkered flag at the Brickyard, winning the Indy 500. Also in that year, he won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as well as breaking the stock car speed record. In 1964 he won seven races on his way to winning the USAC Stock Car Championship.

Ever the versatile race driver, in 1964 Parnelli moved into road racing winning the 1964 Times Grand Prix at Riverside in the Team Shelby King Cobra. In 1966 he won five of the nine midget car events that he entered, including the Turkey Night Grand Prix. He finished fourteenth in the final points despite competing in only nine of the 65 events.

In 1967 he won again at Riverside, this time at the Motor Trend 500. Later that year, he drove in the Indianapolis 500 for team owner Andy Granatelli in the revolutionary Pratt & Whitney Turbinecar. Jones dominated the race but dropped out with three laps to go when a small, inexpensive transmission bearing broke. Jones also raced SCCA Trans Am sedans owned by Bud Moore, a Mercury Cougar (1967) and Ford Mustangs (1969--1971). Parnelli’s dominance of the extremely competitive 1970 season brought Ford the manufacturer's championship with wins at Laguna Seca, Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio, Kent and Riverside.

Parnelli entered the 1968 Mexican 1000 leading the event until the 150 mile marker. Unsatisfied with the vehicle’s structural integrity needed for flat out off-road racing, he set out to build “Big Ole”, fabricated to look like a Bronco, but built with racing parts that could withstand rigors of all-out of off-road racing. Jones used Big Ole to lead the Mexican 1000 from start to finish, setting a new record time of 14 hours and 59 minutes.

Parnelli retired with six IndyCar wins and twelve pole positions, four wins in 34 NASCAR starts, 25 midget car feature wins in occasional races between 1960 and 1967, and 25 career sprint car wins. His fifteen wins is eighth on the all-time in NASCAR Pacific Coast Late Model history.

Jones started Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing, which won the Indianapolis 500 again as an owner in 1970 and 1971 with driver Al Unser driving the Johnny Lightning special. The team also won the 1971, 1972, and 1973 USAC National Championships. He owned the Parnelli Formula One race team from late 1974 to early 1976.

Parnelli returned to off-road racing as owner of Walker Evans' 1976 SCORE truck, and Evans won the championship. They teamed up for the 1977 CORE Class 2 championship. Parnelli owned vehicles that took class wins at the Baja 500 and Baja 1000. His USAC Dirt Car won two championships and the Triple Crown three times.

Parnelli Jones is inducted in over 20 Halls of Fame including:

Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame (1976)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990)
National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame (1990)
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame (1991)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1992)
West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2002)