Junior Johnson











































Junior Johnson

JuniorJohnson1985.jpg
Johnson in 1985

Born Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr.
(1931-06-28) June 28, 1931 (age 87)
Wilkesboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements
1960 Daytona 500 winner
6-time Winston Cup Series Owner's Champion with Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978) and Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985)
Awards Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee (1990)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee (1991)
NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee (2010)

Monster Energy 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)











Wins Top tens Poles
50 148 46


Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. (born June 28, 1931), better known as Junior Johnson, is a former NASCAR driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a NASCAR racing team owner; he sponsored such NASCAR champions as Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. He now produces a line of fried pork skins and country ham. He is credited as the first to use the drafting technique in stock car racing. He is nicknamed "The Last American Hero" and his autobiography 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".




Contents






  • 1 Driving days


  • 2 As a NASCAR owner


  • 3 Awards


  • 4 Family


  • 5 Presidential pardon


  • 6 Film


  • 7 Midnight Moon


  • 8 Motorsports career results


    • 8.1 NASCAR


      • 8.1.1 Grand National Series


        • 8.1.1.1 Daytona 500








  • 9 References


  • 10 External links





Driving days


Johnson was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, the fourth of seven children of Lora Belle Money and Robert Glenn Johnson, Sr. His family is of Ulster Scots descent, and settled in the foothills of North Carolina in the early 1600s. 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. His family experienced the largest alcohol raid in United States history, seizing 400 gallons of moonshine from the house.[1] 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.[2]


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 he won six races. At Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Johnson also won the NHRA B/G (B Gas) title, driving a Chevrolet-powered 1941 Studebaker.[3] His winning pass was a 13.13 seconds at 104.04 mph (167.44 km/h).[4]


In 1959, he 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 the top cars in the race. During a test run a faster car passed Johnson. He noticed that when he moved behind the faster car his own speed increased due to the faster car's slipstream. Johnson was then able to stay close behind the faster car until the final lap of the test run, when he used the "slipstream" effect to slingshot past the other car. By using this technique, Johnson went on to win the 1960 Daytona 500, despite the fact 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.[5][6]


In 1963 he 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.


He retired as a driver in 1966. In his career, he 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 NASCAR owner



As a team owner, he worked with some of the legendary drivers in NASCAR history, 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 139 races, which is third to Petty Enterprises and Hendrick Motorsports. His drivers won six Winston Cup Championships—three with Yarborough (1976–1978) and Waltrip (1981–82, 1985).




Junior Johnson, NASCAR OWNER, 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 driver. Junior Johnson Racing will be located in Hamptonville, North Carolina. Robert, the 2010 UARA Rookie of the Year, plans 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]



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.

  • Johnson joined North Carolina greats Michael Jordan, Dale Earnhardt 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 8.5-mile (13.7 km) stretch of U.S. Highway 421 from the Yadkin and Wilkes county line to the Windy Gap exit is named Junior Johnson Highway.[8]

  • He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2010.[9]



Family


His first marriage, which was to the former Flossie Clark, ended in divorce in 1993 after 17 years together and two years of legal wrangling. His marriage to his current wife Lisa, 35 years his junior, in 1993 has resulted in two children, daughter Meredith Suzanne, and son Robert Glenn Johnson III, both whom attended Duke University.[9][10] He resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Johnson is referenced in the Bruce Springsteen song "Cadillac Ranch". "Junior Johnson drivin' thru the woods of Caroline..."



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."[11]



Film


In the mid 1960s writer Tom Wolfe researched and wrote an article about Johnson, published March 1965 in Esquire, and reprinted in Wolfe's The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby (1965) (in turn 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 movie was entitled The Last American Hero (a.k.a. Hard Driver). Jeff Bridges starred as the somewhat fictionalized version of 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] Unlike The Last American Hero which was about a fictionalized character name Junior "Jackson". 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 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.



Midnight Moon


In May 2007, Johnson teamed with Piedmont Distillers of Madison, North Carolina, 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. Midnight Moon follows the Johnson family’s generations-old tradition of making moonshine, and is available in all 50 states. Every batch is born in an authentic, copper still and is handcrafted, in small batches. The 'shine is a legal version of his famous family recipe, and is available in 8 varieties that range from 70–100 proof. Junior describes his moonshine as "Smoother than vodka. Better than whiskey. Best shine ever."[12]



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

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


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



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


References





  1. ^ "Information". johnsoninfo.weebly.com. Retrieved 2016-04-19..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ Menzer, Joe (2001). The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 59. ISBN 9780743205078.


  3. ^ Davis may have confused driver and entrant. Gasser Wars (Cartech, 2003), p.181.


  4. ^ Davis, Larry. Gasser Wars (Cartech, 2003), p.181.


  5. ^ Aumann, Mark (October 2, 2012). "The art of the draft". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012.


  6. ^ "Raymond Lee Fox, Sr". Archived from the original on January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2008-02-25.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link), legendsofnascar.com; Retrieved February 20, 2008


  7. ^ Hall of Famer Johnson launches new racing team


  8. ^ "Racing legend 'owns' the road". The Tribune (Elkin, NC). May 26, 2004.


  9. ^ ab "Junior Johnson's son to postpone racing career while attending Duke University". Archived from the original on 2013-11-02.


  10. ^ "Track no longer home Junior Johnson: Life for 66-year-old auto racing legend now centers on his wife and two young children". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved 2018-11-28.


  11. ^ For Junior, A Presidential Pardon Was A Great Start To The 1986 Season


  12. ^ http://www.juniorsmidnightmoon.com/legacy




External links



  • Official website for Junior Johnson


  • Oral History Interview with Junior Johnson at Oral Histories of the American South


  • Junior Johnson driver statistics at Racing-Reference


  • Junior Johnson owner statistics at Racing-Reference

  • CanadianDriver.com Article on Junior Johnson

  • Junior Johnson Biography









Achievements
Preceded by
Lee Petty

Daytona 500 Winner
1960
Succeeded by
Marvin Panch









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