Junior Johnson
American racing driver (1931–2019) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American racing driver (1931–2019) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American professional stock car racing driver, engineer, and team owner as well as an entrepreneur. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a NASCAR racing team owner, winning the NASCAR championship with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip three times each; Johnson was the first owner to win multiple championships with multiple drivers. He is credited as the first to use the drafting technique in stock car racing. He was nicknamed "The Last American Hero," and his autobiography and movie based on his upbringing is of the same name. In May 2007, Johnson teamed with Piedmont Distillers of Madison, North Carolina, to introduce the company's second moonshine product, called "Midnight Moon Moonshine", a nod to the days of his early youth in the 1940s when he made a living as a moonshiner/moonrunner and bootlegger.
Junior Johnson | |||||||
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![]() Johnson in 1985 | |||||||
Born | Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. June 28, 1931 Ronda, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
Died | December 20, 2019 88) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. | (aged||||||
Achievements | 1960 Daytona 500 winner 6× Winston Cup Series Owner's Champion with Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978) and Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985) | ||||||
Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1990) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1991) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2010 - Inaugural Class) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) | ||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
313 races run over 14 years | |||||||
Best finish | 6th (1955, 1961) | ||||||
First race | 1953 Southern 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
Last race | 1966 American 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
First win | 1955 Hickory Motor Speedway | ||||||
Last win | 1965 Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
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NASCAR Convertible Division career | |||||||
2 races run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 64th (1959) | ||||||
First race | 1959 Catawba 250 (Hickory) | ||||||
Last race | 1959 Old Dominion 500 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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Johnson was born in Ronda, North Carolina, the fourth of seven children of Lora Belle (Money) and Robert Glenn Johnson, Sr.[1][2] His family is of Ulster Scots descent, and settled in the foothills of North Carolina in the eighteenth century. The Johnson family was involved in the whiskey business before he was born. His maternal great-grandfather served as the second-highest-ranking Confederate general in North Carolina.
His father, a lifelong bootlegger, spent nearly twenty of his sixty-three years in prison, as their house was frequently raided by revenue agents. Junior was arrested and spent one year in prison in Ohio in 1956-57 for having an illegal still, although he was never caught in his many years of transporting bootleg liquor at high speed.[3]
In 1955, Johnson began his career as a NASCAR driver. In his first full season, he won five races and finished sixth in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National points standings.
In 1958, Johnson won six races.
In 1959, Johnson won five more NASCAR Grand National races (including a win from the pole position at the 1959 Hickory 250); by this time he was regarded as one of the best short-track racers in the sport.
His first win at a "superspeedway" came at the Daytona 500 in 1960. Johnson and his crew chief, Ray Fox, were practicing for the race, trying to figure out how to increase their speed, which was 22 miles per hour (35 km/h) slower than that of the top cars in the race. During a test run, a faster car passed Johnson. He noticed that, when he moved behind that car, his own car's speed increased because of the faster car's slipstream. Johnson was then able to stay close behind the other car until the final lap of the test run, when he used the "slipstream" effect to slingshot past it. By using this technique, Johnson went on to win the 1960 Daytona 500, despite that his car was slower than others in the field. Johnson's technique was quickly adopted by other drivers, and his practice of "drafting" has become a common tactic in NASCAR races.[4][5]
In 1963, Johnson had a two-lap lead in the World 600 at Charlotte before a spectator threw a bottle onto the track and caused a crash; Johnson suffered only minor injuries. Johnson also tried but failed to qualify for the 1963 Indianapolis 500.[6]
Johnson retired as a driver in 1966. In his career, Johnson claimed 50 victories, 11 at major speedway races. He retired as the winningest driver never to have a championship.[citation needed]
Johnson was a master of dirt track racing. "The two best drivers I've ever competed against on dirt are Junior Johnson and Dick Hutcherson," said two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett.
As a team owner, he worked with many NASCAR drivers, including Darel Dieringer, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Geoffrey Bodine, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer and Bill Elliott. In all, his drivers won 132 races, which is fifth to Petty Enterprises, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing on the all-time list. His drivers won six Winston Cup Championships — three with Yarborough (1976–1978) and Waltrip (1981–82, 1985).
In 2011, Johnson announced that he would restart a race team with son Robert as the driver. Junior Johnson Racing will be located in Hamptonville, North Carolina. Robert, the 2010 UARA Rookie of the Year, planned to run a 28–30 race schedule in 2011, which includes the entire K&N East Series schedule and some races in the UARA and Whelen All-American Series.[7]
Johnson was briefly married in 1949 to Mary Gray.[11][12] His marriage to childhood sweetheart Flossie Clark (1929–2020) ended in divorce in 1992; they were legally married in 1975,[13] although they had been together since the early 1950s. (Racing Legends have them as married in 1958).[14] His marriage to Lisa Day (b.1965)[15] in 1992 resulted in two children: daughter Meredith Suzanne (b.1995) and son Robert Glenn Johnson III (b.1993), both of whom attended Duke University.[10][16] Johnson built a new home for his family in 1997, ultimately selling in 2012 because of poor health.[17] He resided in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the time of his death in 2019. Until Flossie's death on April 9, 2020, she still resided in the family home, built by Junior in 1964 (next to Johnson's old Ingle Hollow race shop), which she kept as part of the divorce settlement.
On December 26, 1986, President Ronald Reagan granted Johnson a presidential pardon for his 1956 moonshining conviction. In response to the pardon, which restored his right to vote, Johnson said, "I could not have imagined anything better."[18]
In the mid-1960s, writer Tom Wolfe researched and wrote an article about Johnson, published in March 1965 in Esquire, and reprinted in Wolfe's The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby. This was eventually reprinted in The Best American Sports Writing of the Century, ed. David Halberstam (1999). The article, originally entitled "Great Balls of Fire", turned Johnson into a national celebrity and led to fame beyond the circle of NASCAR fans. In turn, the article was made into a 1973 movie based on Johnson's career as a driver and moonshiner, The Last American Hero (a.k.a. Hard Driver).[19] Jeff Bridges starred as a fictionalized Johnson, and Johnson himself served as technical advisor for the film. The movie was critically acclaimed and featured the Jim Croce hit song "I Got A Name".
Follow Your Dreams Productions' President and CEO, Fred Griffith, has signed a rights deal for a true-life story movie about Junior Johnson (Sports Illustrated Vault, 2006).[citation needed] Griffith, an American actor and producer from South Carolina, is currently adapting a screenplay based largely on the book, Junior Johnson, Brave In Life, written by Tom Higgins and Steve Waid (Big West Racing, 2006).[citation needed] Veteran actor and producer Chris Mulkey is a writing producer for the film. According to Griffith, this film—unlike The Last American Hero, which was about a fictionalized version of Johnson named Junior "Jackson"—will remain true to the real life of Junior Johnson.(Morris 2006, p. C-1)[citation needed] Johnson had a voice role in the animated film Cars 3, as Junior "Midnight" Moon, a reference to his Moonshine Company.
In May 2007, Johnson teamed with Piedmont Distillers to introduce the company's second moonshine product, called Midnight Moon. Johnson became part-owner of Piedmont Distillers, the only legal distiller in North Carolina at the time. Piedmont Distillers is located in Madison, N.C., in the town’s former train station built in 1915.[20] The moonshine is made in small batches in a copper still, authentic to the Johnson family tradition of making moonshine.[21]
Johnson died at a hospice care facility in Charlotte on December 20, 2019, at age 88. He had Alzheimer's disease at the time.[2]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
NASCAR Grand National Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | NGNC | Pts |
1953 | Junior Johnson & Associates | 75 | Olds | PBS | DAB | HAR | NWS | CLT | RCH | CCS | LAN | CLB | HCY | MAR | PMS | RSP | LOU | FFS | LAN | TCS | WIL | MCF | PIF | MOR | ATL | RVS | LCF | DAV | HBO | AWS | PAS | HCY | DAR 38 |
CCS | LAN | BLF | WIL | NWS | MAR | ATL | NA | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1954 | George Miller | 23 | Hudson | PBS | DAB | JSP | ATL | OSP | OAK | NWS | HBO | CCS | LAN | WIL | MAR | SHA | RSP | CLT | GAR | CLB | LND | HCY 5 |
MCF | WGS | PIF | AWS | SFS | GRS | MOR | OAK | CLT | SAN | COR | DAR | CCS | CLT | 55th | 465 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Paul Whiteman | 7 | Cadillac | LAN 15 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | MAS 51 |
MAR 33 |
NWS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1955 | 7 | TCS 17 |
6th | 4810 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
B & L Motors | 55 | Olds | PBS 14 |
JSP 5 |
DAB 35 |
OSP 14 |
CLB 7 |
HBO 12 |
NWS 18 |
MGY | LAN 3 |
CLT 20 |
HCY 1* |
ASF | TUS | MAR 3* |
RCH 5 |
NCF 1* |
FOR 22 |
LIN 1* |
MCF 12 |
FON 1* |
AIR | CLT 5 |
PIF 19 |
CLB 14 |
AWS 15 |
MOR 4 |
ALS 1* |
CLT 8 |
FOR 19 |
MAS 7 |
RSP 7 |
DAR 36 |
MGY 10 |
LAN 26 |
RSP 25 |
CLB 7 |
MAR | LVP | NWS 26 |
HBO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Henry Ford | 303 | Chrysler | NYF 18 |
SAN | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Petty Enterprises | 44 | Chevy | GPS 2 |
MAS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1956 | A. L. Bumgarner | 55 | Pontiac | HCY | CLT | WSS | PBS | ASF | DAB 40 |
PBS | WIL 24 |
NWS 28 |
LAN 24 |
RCH | CLB 25 |
CON | GPS | HCY 24 |
HBO | MAR | LIN | CLT 14 |
MCF | POR | AWS 20 |
RSP | PIF | CSF | CHI | CCF | MGY | OKL | 37th | 1372 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jim Stephens | 286 | Pontiac | ATL 17 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carl Kiekhaefer | 502 | Dodge | CLT 2 |
POR | EUR | NYF | MER | MAS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DePaolo Engineering | 296 | Ford | ROA 26 |
OBS | SAN | NOR | PIF | MYB | POR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Smokey Yunick | 32 | Chevy | DAR 15 |
CSH | CLT | LAN | POR | CLB | HBO | NWP | CLT | CCF | MAR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DePaolo Engineering | 2 | Ford | HCY 15 |
WIL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1957 | A. L. Bumgarner | 55 | Pontiac | WSS | CON | TIC | DAB | CON | WIL | HBO | AWS | NWS | LAN | CLT | PIF | GBF | POR | CCF | RCH | MAR | POR | EUR | LIN | LCS | ASP | NWP | CLB | CPS | PIF | JAC | RSP | CLT | MAS | POR | HCY | NOR | LCS | GLN | KPC | LIN | OBS | MYB | DAR | NYF | AWS | CSF | SCF | LAN | CLB | CCF | CLT | MAR | NBR | CON | NWS 20 |
GBF | 154th | - | |||||||||
1958 | Paul Spaulding | 11 | Ford | FAY | DAB | CON | FAY | WIL | HBO | FAY | CLB 30 |
PIF 3 |
ATL 20 |
CLT | MAR 30 |
ODS 8 |
OBS 7 |
GPS 3 |
GBF 3 |
STR | NWS 1* |
BGS | TRN 2 |
RSD | CLB 1 |
NBS 1 |
REF 1* |
LIN 31 |
HCY 2 |
AWS 12 |
RSP 54 |
BRR 4 |
CLB | NSV | AWS | BGS | MBS 7 |
DAR 11 |
CLT 19 |
BIR | CSF | GAF | RCH 14 |
HBO 15* |
SAS | MAR 36 |
NWS 1 |
ATL 1 |
8th | 6380 | |||||||||||||||||
Dick Beaty | 34 | Ford | MCC 6 |
SLS | TOR | BUF | MCF | BEL | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1959 | Paul Spaulding | 11 | Ford | FAY 5 |
DAY 17 |
DAY 14 |
HBO 19 |
CON 4 |
ATL | WIL 1 |
BGS | CLB | NWS 22 |
REF 1 |
HCY 1 |
MAR 3 |
TRN 11 |
CLT 18 |
NSV 2 |
ASP | PIF 3 |
GPS 1 |
ATL 21 |
CLB 16 |
WIL 1 |
RCH 20 |
BGS 4 |
AWS 3 |
DAY | HEI | CLT 35 |
MBS | HBO 22 |
MAR | AWS 9 |
NWS 5 |
CON 17 |
11th | 4864 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Ford | CLT 25 |
NSV | AWS | BGS | GPS | CLB | DAR | HCY 4 |
RCH | CSF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1960 | Paul Spaulding | 11 | Dodge | CLT 28 |
CLB 19 |
7th | 9932 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Masoni | 27 | Chevy | DAY 5 |
DAY | DAY 1* |
NWS 5* |
PHO | CLB 8 |
MAR 8 |
HCY 23 |
WIL 10 |
DAR 24 |
PIF | HBO 9 |
RCH 14 |
HMS | CLT 59 |
BGS | DAY 15 |
HEI | MAB | MBS 4 |
ATL 43 |
BIR | NSV | AWS 30 |
PIF 3 |
CLB 24 |
SBO 1* |
BGS 3 |
DAR 47 |
HCY 1 |
CSF | GSP 3 |
HBO 13 |
MAR 3 |
NWS 2 |
RCH 2 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Ford | CLT 4 |
AWS 15 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bob Welborn | 14 | Chevy | BGS 15 |
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W. T. Coppedge | 50 | Chevy | GPS 12 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Masoni | 27 | Pontiac | CLT 5 |
ATL 24 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1961 | Rex Lovette | CLT 18 |
JSP 22 |
DAY 10 |
DAY | DAY 47 |
PIF 10* |
AWS 11 |
HMS | ATL 27 |
GPS 16 |
HBO 4* |
BGS 8 |
MAR 6 |
NWS 22 |
CLB | HCY 1* |
RCH | MAR 1* |
DAR | CLT | CLT 9 |
PIF 19 |
BIR | GPS 25 |
BGS 3 |
NOR | HAS 5 |
STR 1 |
DAY 17 |
ATL 31 |
CLB 4 |
MBS 22 |
BRI 22* |
NSV 19 |
BGS 19 |
AWS 1* |
RCH 1* |
SBO 1* |
DAR 14 |
HCY 20 |
RCH 2 |
CSF | ATL 2 |
MAR 3* |
NWS 4* |
CLT 9 |
BRI 24* |
GPS 1 |
HBO 12 |
6th | 17178 | |||||||||||||||
John Masoni | 3 | CLT 2 |
RSD | ASP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1962 | Rex Lovette | 27 | CON 24 |
AWS 26 |
DAY 5 |
DAY | DAY 34 |
CON | RCH 3 |
CLB | NWS 3 |
GPS | MBS | MAR 22 |
BGS 15 |
BRI 30 |
RCH | HCY 14 |
CON | NWS 4 |
20th | 11140 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Buck Baker Racing | 86 | Chrysler | AWS 21 |
SVH | HBO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nichels Engineering | 39 | Pontiac | DAR 31 |
PIF | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Owens Racing | 6 | Pontiac | CLT 38 |
ATL 9 |
BGS | AUG | RCH | SBO | DAY 2 |
CLB | ASH | GPS | AUG | SVH | MBS | BRI 29* |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fox Racing | 3 | Pontiac | CHT 17 |
NSV | HUN | AWS | STR | BGS | PIF | VAL | DAR 2 |
HCY 21 |
RCH | DTS | AUG | MAR 17 |
CLT 1* |
ATL 36 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1963 | Chevy | BIR | GGS | THS | RSD | DAY 1 |
DAY | DAY 42 |
PIF 17 |
AWS 3 |
HBO 1* |
ATL 42 |
HCY 1* |
BRI 3 |
AUG | RCH 5* |
GPS | SBO | BGS | MAR 33 |
NWS 27 |
CLB | THS | DAR 25 |
ODS | RCH | CLT 2* |
BIR 2 |
ATL 1* |
DAY 17* |
MBS | SVH | DTS 10 |
BGS 17* |
ASH 15 |
OBS | BRR | BRI 22 |
GPS | NSV | CLB 17 |
AWS 15 |
PIF | BGS 1* |
ONA 20 |
DAR 20 |
HCY 1* |
RCH 25 |
MAR 21 |
DTS | NWS 28 |
THS | CLT 1* |
SBO 15* |
HBO 13 |
12th | 17720 | ||||||||||
Bill Stroppe | 26 | Mercury | RSD 5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1964 | Fox Racing | 3 | Chevy | CON 19 |
AUG 21 |
JSP | SVH | RSD | 14th | 17066 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dodge | DAY 1 |
DAY | DAY 9 |
RCH 4 |
BRI 15 |
GPS | BGS 13 |
ATL 4 |
AWS 2 |
HBO 9 |
PIF | CLB | NWS 4 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Matthews Racing | 00 | Ford | MAR 3 |
SVH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | DAR 3 |
LGY | CLT 34 |
GPS | ASH | ATL 27 |
CON | NSV | CHT | BIR | VAL | PIF | DAY 24 |
ODS | OBS | BRR | ISP | GLN | LIN | BRI 18 |
NSV | MBS | AWS 3* |
DTS | ONA 2 |
CLB 14* |
BGS 1* |
STR 1* |
DAR 23 |
HCY 22 |
RCH 8* |
ODS | HBO | MAR 3 |
SVH | NWS 13* |
CLT 34 |
HAR | AUG | JAC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holman-Moody | 28 | Ford | HCY 17 |
SBO | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1965 | Junior Johnson & Associates | 27 | Ford | RSD 2 |
DAY | DAY 1* |
12th | 18486 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | DAY 28 |
PIF 11 |
ASW 12 |
RCH 1* |
HBO 2* |
ATL 27 |
GPS | NWS 1 |
MAR 22 |
CLB | BRI 1* |
DAR 1* |
LGY 16 |
BGS 1* |
HCY 1 |
CLT 24 |
CCF | ASH 1* |
HAR | NSV | BIR | ATL 4* |
GPS | MBS | VAL | DAY 26 |
ODS 1* |
OBS 1 |
ISP 14 |
GLN 15 |
BRI 23 |
NSV 8 |
CCF | AWS 18 |
SMR | PIF | AUG | CLB 17 |
DTS | BLV | BGS 1* |
DAR 44 |
HCY 4* |
LIN | ODS | RCH 3 |
MAR 1* |
NWS 1* |
CLT 32 |
HBO 15 |
CAR 32 |
DTS | |||||||||||||||
1966 | AUG | RSD | DAY | DAY | DAY | CAR | BRI | ATL | HCY | CLB | GPS | BGS | NWS | MAR | DAR | LGY | MGR | MON | RCH | CLT | DTS | ASH | PIF | SMR | AWS | BLV | GPS | DAY | ODS | BRR | OXF | FON | ISP | BRI | SMR | NSV | ATL | CLB | AWS 19* |
BLV | BGS | DAR | HCY 11 |
RCH 15 |
HBO 20 |
MAR 14 |
NWS 28 |
CLT | 49th | 3750 | |||||||||||||||||
47 | CAR 5 |
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