2013 Hall of Fame
John Parlett
John Parlett’s
contributions to
Maryland International
Raceway have been
massive and are largely
hiding in plain sight.
Many remember John for
the Parlett Brothers
Frantic Four dragster.
And of course, many know
him for his highly
successful racing
electronics company,
Computech Systems. But
John’s most significant
contributions to MIR are
nothing less than the
entirety of the “New
MIR” we are enjoying
today.
John’s impact on the
creation of the
redesigned Maryland
International Raceway
cannot be overstated. He
cleared the way in the
county for licenses,
modified legislation,
and advised on zoning
changes. He collaborated
with Royce on the design
and then implemented the
site plan for the new
track, including the
storm water management,
the new tower, and the
concession stands and
restrooms. The amazing
facility you see around
you began as Royce
Miller’s dream but was
made a reality by the
hard work, expertise,
and connections of John
Parlett.
John began to help MIR
way back when Tod Mack
and Larry Clayton owned
the property. As one of
the leading commercial
real estate developers
and construction
managers in the county,
John was able to help
with thorny zoning
issues encountered by
facilities of this size.
John deals with things
on a daily basis that
other business owners
only need to encounter
once in a lifetime. So
having John in MIR’s
corner has been
invaluable. John Parlett
knows the right people
in the county and knows
how to get things done.
He was influential in
creating an entirely new
class of zoning
requirements for
Recreational Motorsports
Facilities. These zoning
changes ensure that MIR
and other facilities in
the county will be able
to keep running for
years to come without
having to continually
reapply for approval.
The list of John’s
contributions to MIR
boggles the mind. While
earlier awardee Bob
Maxey is credited with
the amazing starting
line concrete mix that
provides MIR’s legendary
bite, John and his team
actually cut out and
poured the starting line
according to Bob’s
specifications. John did
almost all the layout
design for the new MIR,
and then brought in a
civil engineer to record
the designs for county
review. He and Royce
designed the master plan
for the track, which
includes many trick
innovations not seen
elsewhere.
These
include
amazing
features
like:
-
Staging
lanes
built on
a grade
to
ensure
the race
cars are
easy to
push
-
A pea
gravel
sand
trap
that
will not
solidify
and lose
its
stopping
ability
-
A
reengineered
top end
safety
net
cabled
to
Jersey
barriers
to allow
better
speed
reduction
-
The
amazing
new
concrete
enclosed
starting
line
-
Special
argon
gas
between
the
tower
window
panes to
make the
tower
quieter
-
False
walls in
the
tower to
hide all
the
wires
but to
provide
ready
access
when
needed
-
An
incredible
concession
stand
and…
-
The
finest
restrooms
in all
of
motorsports
Speaking of
creature
comforts,
MIR’s
ability to
sell beer
concessions
is a direct
result of
John’s
influence
and
expertise.
Formerly,
state law
specified
that you
could not
sell beer in
an
establishment
if customers
reasonably
could bring
their own
beer into
the
facility.
With the
number of
motor homes
and coolers
that enter
MIR each
weekend,
this would
be
impossible
to verify.
John was
instrumental
in changing
the state
law for
motorsports
facilities
to allow
on-premises
sales.
Perhaps the
most amazing
aspect of
John’s
contributions
to MIR is
that he
planned all
of the
upgrades in
phases to
allow
continuous
operation of
the race
track during
the
reconstruction!
If you
recall the
temporary
trailer in
front of the
starting
line, that
was all a
part of it.
Now that the
dream is a
reality,
John often
brings
county
officials to
the track to
witness the
economic
impact of
MIR on the
local
economy.
Not many
people can
claim that
they have
made
contributions
to Maryland
International
Raceway in
the past, in
the present,
AND into the
future, but
John Parlett
can claim
all that and
more. His
invaluable
contributions
and goodwill
in the
county
ensure that
MIR and
other
motorsports
facilities
will
continue to
be able to
provide
family
entertainment
for years to
come. John
Parlett is
truly a
Legend of
Budds Creek.
Racing
History
John began
racing in
the
mid-1970s
with his
brothers in
a 55 Chevy.
The car ran
in the
12-second
zone and
qualified
for the
Bracket
Finals in
York,
Pennsylvania.
John and
brother
Bobby then
moved on to
a 150-inch
Clevie Dixon
built front
engine
dragster
with a small
block Chevy.
Their next
car was an
S&W built
dragster
purchased
from Rick
Auxier in
1981. That
car also had
a small
block Chevy
and ran
Super Comp
for the
first year
of that
class in
1982. In
fact, the
Parlett
Brothers
finished
number two
in the
Division 1
Super Comp
points
battle. They
also
participated
in some IHRA
racing,
traveling as
far as
Bristol,
Tennessee,
and Blaney,
South
Carolina. In
the late
1980s, John
sold the car
to Jerry
Pritchett,
who raced it
successfully
at MIR for
years.
John and his
brother
Bobby sold
parts at
Maryland
International
Raceway
before
selling that
business.
The brothers
then came
back with a
trick S&W
dragster
that
featured
Circus Paint
from a Greg
Ozubko
design. John
and Bobby
raced the
car with
normal
aspiration
for a few
years, but
then mounted
a 6-71
Mooneyham
blower on
top! They
ran Super
Eliminator
and Top
Dragster
with that
car. The
team then
got serious
and built a
250-inch
wheelbase
dragster
purpose
built for
the blown
motor. The
supercharged
Chevy was
consistently
one of the
quickest
cars on the
circuit,
eventually
hitting best
times of
6.50 seconds
at 204 mph.
The Parlett
Brothers won
the
inaugural
Frantic Four
points
championship
at MIR,
going
undefeated
for the
entire
season! They
continued to
run the high
tech
dragster
through
2000,
racking up
many more
wins and a
Best
Engineered
award at the
1998 IHRA
Presidents
Cup.
The Next
Generation/Computech
Systems
John left
racing when
he was voted
onto the
local school
board, one
of many
boards and
committees
that benefit
from John’s
expertise.
He then
continued to
concentrate
on building
his
business,
putting his
children
through
college, and
teaching his
sons the ins
and outs of
high
performance
auto prep.
Beginning
with a 1980
Camaro in
the
mid-2000s,
John taught
his two
younger sons
how to build
cars
correctly
with a high
level of
attention to
detail. The
work paid
off because
today, two
of John's
sons now run
Computech
Systems
themselves.
The business
is right
next door to
John’s CMI
Affiliated
Companies,
so he can
check in on
occasion.
Like his
race cars
and his real
estate/construction
companies,
Computech
Systems is
run with a
high level
of
precision.
The company
controls all
designs and
drawings for
every aspect
of the
devices,
including
the machined
cases that
house the
high tech
racing
electronics.
The facility
contains
everything
needed for
design,
construction,
testing, and
shipping of
their
products.
The amazing
Computech
enterprise
warrants a
separate
story all
its own! As
for the next
generation,
John's son
Kevin races
an Infinity
G 35 in road
racing
events that
recently has
been
featured in
magazines.
The car is
super trick
(thanks in
part to a
visit to dad
over several
months) and
looks to
carry on the
tradition of
excellence
for Parlett
Racing.
Hot Rodding
One day in
recent
years, John
saw a 1962
Ford
Fairlane on
the side of
the road.
For some
reason, that
car spoke to
him and
while he was
not able to
get it from
the seller,
John soon
tracked down
another Ford
for
reconstruction.
After being
a Chevy guy
for all
these years,
the old
Fords
intrigued
him. John
now has four
amazing
Fords that
all are
built or
being built
to the same
exacting
standards he
established
for his drag
racing cars,
Computech
Systems, and
his real
estate/construction
work.
Charity and
Fun Cruises
John attends
a lot of car
cruises
these days
and that has
offered the
opportunity
for some
great
community
outreach. He
and Wade
Mahaffey set
up a
100-mile
cruise for
the
Charlotte
Hall
Veterans
Home that
has raised
$13,000 over
two years
and that
provides a
lot of fun
for local
hot rodders.
One new and
fun event
John has
been
involved
with is the
Cars and
Coffee
cruises at
Bert's Diner
in
Mechanicsville,
Maryland.
The events
are on the
first
Saturday and
the third
Sunday of
each month
and are open
to all.
And if the
Hot Rod
sitting on
the roof of
Bert’s Diner
looks
familiar to
you, it’s
because John
designed
Bert’s to
accommodate
the car on
the roof
just like he
designed
MIR’s
Concession
stand to
accommodate
Bunny
Burkett’s
Funny Car!
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