Junior Johnson

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.

Early life and race career

Johnson was born in Ronda, North Carolina, the fourth of seven children of Lora Belle (Money) and Robert Glenn Johnson, Sr.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name = NYT>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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 Template:Convert 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 his car being slower than others on the field. Johnson's technique was quickly adopted by other drivers, and his practice of "drafting" has become a common tactic in NASCAR races.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}, legendsofnascar.com; Retrieved February 20, 2008</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.Template: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.

Career as a NASCAR owner

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} 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).

File:Junior Johnson.jpg

Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Car No. 11, Nashville 420, July 16, 1983

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards

• He was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
• He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991.<ref name=MSHoF>Junior Johnson Template:Webarchive at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America</ref>
• Johnson joined Michael Jordan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Richard Petty by having a stretch of highway named in his honor in 2004. His daughter Meredith sang the national anthem at the dedication of the highway. An Template:Convert stretch of U.S. Highway 421 from the Yadkin and Wilkes county line to the Windy Gap exit is named Junior Johnson Highway.<ref>"Racing legend 'owns' the road". The Tribune (Elkin, NC). May 26, 2004.</ref>
• He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.<ref name=Duke>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• He was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)

Family

Johnson was briefly married in 1949 to Mary Gray.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His marriage to childhood sweetheart Flossie Clark (1929–2020) ended in divorce in 1992; they were legally married in 1975,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> although they had been together since the early 1950s. (Racing Legends have them as married in 1958).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His marriage to Lisa Day (b.1965)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name=Duke /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Johnson built a new home for his family in 1997, ultimately selling in 2012 because of poor health.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.

Presidential pardon

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."<ref>For Junior, A Presidential Pardon Was A Great Start To The 1986 Season</ref>

Film

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).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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).Template: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).Template: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)Template:Citation needed Johnson had a voice role in the animated film Cars 3, as Junior "Midnight" Moon, a reference to his Moonshine Company.

Midnight Moon

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The moonshine is made in small batches in a copper still, authentic to the Johnson family tradition of making moonshine.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Death

Johnson died at a hospice care facility in Charlotte on December 20, 2019, at age 88. He had Alzheimer's disease at the time.<ref name = NYT/>

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
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	Template:Tooltip	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 Template:Small	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 Template:Small	MCF	WGS	PIF	AWS	SFS	GRS	MOR	OAK	CLT	SAN	COR	DAR	CCS	CLT																														55th	465
	Paul Whiteman	7	Cadillac																																		LAN Template:Small
		17																																				MAS 51	MAR Template:Small	NWS
1955		7		TCS Template:Small																																																														6th	4810
	B & L Motors	55	Olds		PBS Template:Small	JSP Template:Small	DAB Template:Small	OSP Template:Small	CLB Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	MGY	LAN Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	ASF	TUS	MAR Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	NCF Template:Small	FOR Template:Small	LIN Template:Small	MCF Template:Small	FON Template:Small	AIR	CLT Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	CLB Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	MOR Template:Small	ALS Template:Small			CLT Template:Small	FOR Template:Small	MAS Template:Small	RSP Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	MGY Template:Small	LAN Template:Small	RSP Template:Small			CLB Template:Small	MAR	LVP	NWS Template:Small	HBO
	Henry Ford	303	Chrysler																													NYF Template:Small	SAN
	Petty Enterprises	44	Chevy																																							GPS Template:Small	MAS
1956	A. L. Bumgarner	55	Pontiac	HCY	CLT	WSS	PBS	ASF	DAB Template:Small	PBS	WIL Template:Small		NWS Template:Small	LAN Template:Small	RCH	CLB Template:Small	CON	GPS	HCY Template:Small	HBO	MAR	LIN							CLT Template:Small	MCF	POR	AWS Template:Small	RSP	PIF	CSF	CHI	CCF	MGY	OKL																											37th	1372
	Jim Stephens	286	Pontiac									ATL Template:Small
	Carl Kiekhaefer	502	Dodge																				CLT Template:Small	POR	EUR	NYF	MER	MAS
	DePaolo Engineering	296	Ford																																					ROA Template:Small	OBS	SAN	NOR	PIF	MYB	POR
	Smokey Yunick	32	Chevy																																												DAR Template:Small	CSH	CLT	LAN	POR	CLB	HBO	NWP	CLT	CCF	MAR
	DePaolo Engineering	2	Ford																																																							HCY Template:Small	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 Template:Small	GBF										154th	-
1958	Paul Spaulding	11	Ford	FAY	DAB	CON	FAY	WIL	HBO	FAY	CLB Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	CLT	MAR Template:Small	ODS Template:Small	OBS Template:Small	GPS Template:Small	GBF Template:Small	STR	NWS Template:Small	BGS	TRN Template:Small	RSD	CLB Template:Small	NBS Template:Small	REF Template:Small	LIN Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	RSP 54							BRR Template:Small	CLB	NSV	AWS	BGS	MBS Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	BIR	CSF	GAF	RCH Template:Small	HBO 15*	SAS	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	ATL Template:Small												8th	6380
	Dick Beaty	34	Ford																													MCC Template:Small	SLS	TOR	BUF	MCF	BEL
1959	Paul Spaulding	11	Ford	FAY Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	CON Template:Small	ATL	WIL Template:Small	BGS	CLB	NWS Template:Small	REF Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	TRN Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	NSV Template:Small	ASP	PIF Template:Small	GPS Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	CLB Template:Small	WIL Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	DAY	HEI	CLT Template:Small	MBS											HBO Template:Small	MAR	AWS Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CON Template:Small																			11th	4864
	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Ford																														CLT Template:Small	NSV	AWS	BGS	GPS	CLB	DAR	HCY Template:Small	RCH	CSF
1960	Paul Spaulding	11	Dodge	CLT Template:Small	CLB Template:Small																																																													7th	9932
	John Masoni	27	Chevy			DAY Template:Small	DAY	DAY Template:Small		NWS 5*	PHO	CLB Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	WIL Template:Small				DAR Template:Small	PIF	HBO Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	HMS	CLT 59	BGS	DAY Template:Small	HEI	MAB	MBS Template:Small	ATL 43	BIR	NSV	AWS Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	CLB Template:Small	SBO Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	DAR 47	HCY Template:Small	CSF	GSP Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small		RCH Template:Small
	Wood Brothers Racing	21	Ford						CLT Template:Small									AWS Template:Small
	Bob Welborn	14	Chevy													BGS Template:Small
	W. T. Coppedge	50	Chevy														GPS Template:Small
	John Masoni	27	Pontiac																																										CLT Template:Small		ATL Template:Small
1961	Rex Lovette			CLT Template:Small	JSP Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	DAY	DAY 47	PIF 10*	AWS Template:Small	HMS	ATL Template:Small	GPS Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CLB	HCY Template:Small	RCH	MAR Template:Small	DAR	CLT				CLT Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	BIR	GPS Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	NOR	HAS Template:Small	STR Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	CLB Template:Small	MBS Template:Small	BRI 22*	NSV Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	SBO Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	CSF	ATL Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	BRI 24*	GPS Template:Small	HBO Template:Small											6th	17178
	John Masoni	3																						CLT Template:Small	RSD	ASP
1962	Rex Lovette	27		CON Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	DAY Template:Small	DAY	DAY Template:Small	CON				RCH Template:Small	CLB	NWS Template:Small	GPS	MBS	MAR Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	RCH	HCY Template:Small	CON																															NWS Template:Small												20th	11140
	Buck Baker Racing	86	Chrysler							AWS Template:Small	SVH	HBO
	Nichels Engineering	39	Pontiac																					DAR Template:Small	PIF
	Owens Racing	6	Pontiac																							CLT Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	BGS	AUG	RCH	SBO	DAY Template:Small	CLB	ASH	GPS	AUG	SVH	MBS	BRI 29*
	Fox Racing	3	Pontiac																																					CHT Template:Small	NSV	HUN	AWS	STR	BGS	PIF	VAL	DAR Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	RCH	DTS	AUG	MAR Template:Small		CLT Template:Small	ATL Template:Small
1963			Chevy	BIR	GGS	THS	RSD	DAY Template:Small	DAY	DAY Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	AUG	RCH 5*	GPS	SBO	BGS	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CLB	THS	DAR Template:Small	ODS	RCH	CLT Template:Small	BIR Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	DAY 17*	MBS	SVH	DTS Template:Small	BGS 17*	ASH Template:Small	OBS	BRR	BRI Template:Small	GPS	NSV	CLB Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	PIF	BGS Template:Small	ONA Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	DTS	NWS Template:Small	THS	CLT Template:Small	SBO 15*	HBO Template:Small									12th	17720
	Bill Stroppe	26	Mercury																																																							RSD Template:Small
1964	Fox Racing	3	Chevy	CON Template:Small	AUG Template:Small	JSP	SVH	RSD																																																										14th	17066
			Dodge						DAY Template:Small	DAY	DAY Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	GPS	BGS Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	AWS Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	PIF	CLB	NWS Template:Small
	Matthews Racing	00	Ford																			MAR Template:Small	SVH
		27																						DAR Template:Small	LGY			CLT Template:Small	GPS	ASH	ATL Template:Small	CON	NSV	CHT	BIR	VAL	PIF	DAY Template:Small	ODS	OBS	BRR	ISP	GLN	LIN	BRI Template:Small	NSV	MBS	AWS Template:Small	DTS	ONA Template:Small	CLB 14*	BGS Template:Small	STR Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	RCH 8*	ODS	HBO	MAR Template:Small	SVH	NWS 13*	CLT Template:Small	HAR	AUG	JAC
	Holman-Moody	28	Ford																							HCY Template:Small	SBO
1965	Junior Johnson & Associates	27	Ford	RSD Template:Small	DAY	DAY Template:Small																																																												12th	18486
		26					DAY Template:Small	PIF Template:Small	ASW Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	ATL Template:Small	GPS	NWS Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	CLB	BRI Template:Small	DAR Template:Small	LGY Template:Small	BGS Template:Small	HCY Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	CCF	ASH Template:Small	HAR	NSV	BIR	ATL Template:Small	GPS	MBS	VAL	DAY Template:Small	ODS Template:Small	OBS Template:Small	ISP Template:Small	GLN Template:Small	BRI Template:Small	NSV Template:Small	CCF	AWS Template:Small	SMR	PIF	AUG	CLB Template:Small	DTS	BLV	BGS Template:Small	DAR 44	HCY Template:Small	LIN	ODS	RCH Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CLT Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	CAR Template:Small	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 Template:Small	RCH Template:Small	HBO Template:Small	MAR Template:Small	NWS Template:Small	CLT															49th	3750
		47																																																		CAR Template:Small

Daytona 500

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1959	Paul Spaulding	Ford	33	14
1960	John Masoni	Chevrolet	9	1
1961	Rex Lovette	Pontiac	43	47
1962		Pontiac	9	34
1963	Fox Racing	Chevrolet	3	42
1964		Dodge	3	9
1965	Junior Johnson & Associates	Ford	2	28

See also

• List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States

External links

• Official website for Junior Johnson
• Oral History Interview with Junior Johnson at Oral Histories of the American South
• Template:Racing-Reference driver
• Template:Racing-Reference owner
• CanadianDriver.com Article on Junior Johnson Template:Webarchive
• Junior Johnson Biography