“When the call came in about the loss of Wally Parks, it saddened my heart. There couldn’t be a greater loss to the sport because this is the man who gave us a dream and a playground. My thoughts and prayers are with the family. I pray that Wally’s legacy continues and that the current commanders and chiefs at NHRA will move forward and take the sport to the level it deserves. NASCAR did it. And if we all work together, we can do it, too. That’s what Wally would have wanted.” — 14-time Funny Car champion John Force

“Given Wally’s age, we knew this day would eventually come, but we certainly didn’t want to see it, and it does not diminish the tremendous loss we have all suffered. Naturally, our thoughts go out to his family at this difficult time. Wally Parks was a true visionary in the world of motorsports, ranking right up there with Bill France, Sr. (founder of NASCAR). Wally took his passion for motorsports and basically founded the industry of drag racing.” —  Six-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Warren Johnson

 “Fifty-six years ago, Wally Parks had a vision of giving kids a safe place to race, getting them off the streets and into organized competition. You have to honor the fact that he took that vision and ran with it, giving birth to the sport of drag racing. Without Wally Parks’ dedication and hard work, there would not have been a National Hot Rod Ass’n as we know it today, and for what he did, I am extremely grateful. It’s a sad day in the world of motorsports, and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.” — Kurt Johnson, 36-time Pro Stock winner

“Wally’s editorials in Hot Rod magazine that I read as a kid started me on a  career in drag racing. He took a renegade activity from the back roads to Wall Street, turning it into the popular motorsports competition it has become. I owe everything I know about this sport to Wally. I worked 12 years for him and consider him to be the patriarch of drag racing. He wasn’t one of the giants of the industry. He was the giant, and I am deeply saddened by this loss that hits me both personally and professionally.” — Rockingham Dragway owner Steve Earwood
“I can’t think of any other individual whose vision has been so much responsible for the success of a sports field. Wally had many admirable personal attributes, but his greatest legacy goes beyond the engineering and athletic feats of NHRA’s 80,000 members. He is responsible for millions of friendships and careers among enthusiasts of the sport he took from the streets of Southern California to modern facilities throughout the world.” — Team owner Don Schumacher
 
“Wally Parks is one of the most innovative, forward-thinking people in the history of motorsports. He had a vision and has dedicated his life toward fulfilling that vision. This is a sad day for everyone in drag racing ... fans, racers and everyone working in this sport. We owe Mr. Parks a lot. He will be greatly missed. I have three heroes in the world. He is one of them.” — IHRA President Aaron Polburn

“When he walked into a room, even the guys I consider legends in the sport would show him true respect. You could see their posture change and it was like their father walking in. He commanded their respect, and it was like everyone instantly changed their behavior. He had charisma.” — Funny Car driver Ron Capps
 
“Wally spent his lifetime doing what he loved. He marked the path and led the way for this incredible industry and the sport of drag racing. Wally was NHRA, and through his dream came a path to follow with lofty goals and ambition. He put the people in place and trusted in them.”
— Dallas Gardner, chairman NHRA board of directors

“Every fan, participant and supporting manufacturer of the sport of drag racing is going to feel the loss of Wally Parks for years to come. Mr. Parks represented everything that was good and decent about our sport. It was his strength of personality that made drag racing a family sport, just as it was his innovative thinking that helped elevate what had been pretty much a localized activity into a nationally and internationally recognized major-league endeavor.” — Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Steve Johnson