Junior Johnson

Junior Johnson
Johnson in 1985
BornRobert Glenn Johnson, Jr.
(1931-06-28)June 28, 1931
Wilkesboro, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedDecember 20, 2019(2019-12-20) (aged 88)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements1960 Daytona 500 winner
6-time Winston Cup Series Owner's Champion with Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978) and Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985)
AwardsNamed 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 finish6th - 1955 in NASCAR and 1961 (Grand National)
First race1953 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last race1966 American 500 (Rockingham)
First win1955 Hickory Motor Speedway
Last win1965 Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Wins Top tens Poles
50 148 46

Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019),[1] better known as Junior Johnson, was a 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 was credited as the first to use the drafting technique in stock car racing.

He was nicknamed "The Last American Hero" and his autobiography is of the same name.[2] In May 2007, Johnson teamed with Piedmont Distillers of Madison, North Carolina, to introduce the company's second moonshine product, called "Midnight Moon Moonshine".

Johnson died at a hospice care facility in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 20, 2019, at age 88.[3][1][4] He had Alzheimer's disease at the time of his death.[1]

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Goldstein, Richard (December 20, 2019). "Junior Johnson, Good-Old-Boy Auto Racing Star, Is Dead at 88". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Information". johnsoninfo.weebly.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2016-04-19.
  3. ↑ "Racing star and Wilkes native Junior Johnson dies". Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
  4. ↑ Albert, Zack (December 20, 2019). "Junior Johnson, moonshiner turned NASCAR legend, dies at 88". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.

Other websites

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