Johnson after retiring from NASCAR became one of stock-car racing's leading team ownersGETTY IMAGES
NASCAR HOFer JUNIOR JOHNSON died Friday at an assisted living facility in Charlotte at the age of 88, according to Richard Goldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. Johnson, a "teenage moonshiner" and stock-car racing driver, was "among the fastest and most daring" of the Southern drivers who sparked the sport's birth. By the time he retired in '66, he had "won 50 races on what became the NASCAR circuit." Johnson was an "innovator" as well, "pioneering the technique of 'drafting.'" After competing in NASCAR for 12 seasons, Johnson then "became one of stock-car racing's leading team owners, with 132 victories and six points champions." He was an inaugural inductee of the NASCAR HOF in '10 (N.Y. TIMES, 12/21). The AP's Jenna Fryer noted Johnson also is "credited with bringing the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company to NASCAR, which then led to Winston sponsoring its premier series" from '71-03. He was "described as 'The Last American Hero' by author Tom Wolfe in a '65 article for Esquire (AP, 12/21). In Charlotte, Marusak & Fowler wrote "most comfortable wearing overalls," Johnson's "country-boy persona couldn't hide one of the smartest minds in racing" history (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/21).
