In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a nascar racing team owner. Junior johnson, a racing icon who ran moonshine before nascar. Junior johnson, nc moonshine runner who went on to a nascar. Others, like the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time, are more clear. Johnson entered his first nascarsanctioned race in 1953. The team is based in mooresville, north carolina, coowned by former monster energy nascar cup series driver dale earnhardt jr.
Nascar community reacts to race postponements due to covid. Threetime nascar champion tony stewart struck and killed a fellow sprintcar racer, 20yearold kevin ward, who was confronting stewart on. Journal photo by david rolfe 071712 nascar legend junior johnson, seen at his workshop, talks about selling his hamptonville, n. He won 50 races in nascars top division the most of any driver. In this may 4, 1978, file photo, driver cale yarborough, left, and his team owner, former driver junior johnson, watch competitors in qualifying for the nascar winston 500 auto race at alabama.
Nascar hall of famer junior johnson dead at 88 nbc sports. Driver terry labonte 1987 nascar winston cup results racing. Jr motorsports is the management company of dale earnhardt jr. Johnson was a pioneer of the sport, winning 50 races as a driver and six championships as. Junior johnson, byname of robert glenn johnson, jr. Darrell waltrip was a handful as a driver, and junior. Dec 21, 2019 driver bill elliott, left, and his car owner, junior johnson, stand on the front straight of north wilkesboro speedway with the famed budweiser clydesdales before a nascar cup race. As a driver, he also drove for several owners in cars sporting. Dec 21, 2019 junior johnsons mark on american motorsports went far beyond just stats and numbers and honors.
Junior johnson, nascar halloffame driver, team owner. Junior johnson, american stockcar driver who ranks among the most influential figures in nascar history. Nascar legend robert glenn junior johnson has died at the age of 88. The road to his success in nascar started in the xfinity series when he drove for chance 2 motorsports, a team owned by dale earnhardt jr. He became known as a driver who would come home with. Driver bill elliott, left, and his car owner, junior johnson, stand on the front straight of north wilkesboro speedway with the famed budweiser clydesdales before a. May 25, 2018 a 1965 article in esquire magazine, by the late journalist tom wolfe and about former driver junior johnson, gave nascar national exposure.
Junior johnson truly was the last american hero, nascar chairman and ceo jim france said in a statement. Nascar driver page with latest stats, race results, videos. It was a milestone for the sport, which at the time was. One of nascars most colorful characters, johnson was a direct link back to the sports early connection to liquor bootlegging. Driver terry labonte 1987 nascar winston cup results. This evening, we remember the moonshiner turned legendary racer and owner, junior johnson. Sundays cup series finale the ford ecoboost 400 was the final race for earnhardt, who is retiring from fulltime racing after two decades in nascar. Growing up in the hills of western north carolina, johnson was a. Nascar race results, schedule, standings, news, drivers. Robert glenn junior johnson, one of nascars earliest star drivers and a legendary figure in the auto racing garage, has died at age 88, according to a tweet from nascar. Junior johnson, last american hero who won 50 nascar. Junior also had such personal endorsement sponsors as nationwide, chevrolet, axalta, goodys, taxslayer, and wrangler. Johnson won 50 races at nascars top level between 1953 and 1966, and his drivers won 2 races and six championships in his race cars. Junior johnson biography son of a moonshiner, professional.
The nascar great retired from the sport but in the past three years has come back behind the wheel for one race. The excitement and danger of nascar are the reasons drivers love to race and why fans show up. Nascar driver page with latest stats, race results, videos, news, photo galleries, team information, bio and more. Earnhardt whos now an analyst for nbc sports, which broadcasts the second half of the nascar cup series season will drive the no. Nascars junior johnson, whose rich history as a driver, mechanic and team owner began as a moonshiner outrunning the law in the nc. Apr 17, 2020 driver junior johnson 27 battles for position in the rainabbreviated nashville 500 nascar late model race won by jim paschal at the fairgrounds speedway aug. His first official nascar start was in the 1953 southern 500. Nascar is scheduled to have the cup series race may 17 and may 20 at darlington raceway.
Nascar cup series drivers, nascar drivers, auto racing. You gotta have an insane skill set developed over years of turning laps, great equipment that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and obviously lady. Nascar racing schedule, news, results, and drivers. Nascar driver kyle larson fired from ganassi racing after. Dec 20, 2019 robert glenn junior johnson, one of nascar s earliest star drivers and a legendary figure in the auto racing garage, has died at age 88, according to a tweet from nascar. Nascar announced the death of johnson, the winner of 50 races as a. Junior johnson, nascars original good ol boy forbes. Click on the number of races to see individual races for that year. Mar, 2020 the cause of his anger was that junior johnson, a native of north carolina, had been declared the winner of the 500lap race on the halfmile track. Legendary nascar driver junior johnson passes away at 88. Aug 16, 2019 retired nascar driver dale earnhardt jr.
Nascar driver tony stewart kills kevin ward in sprintcar. The 30 best quotes in nascar history bleacher report. Junior johnson truly was the last american hero, said nascar chairman and ceo jim france. Dec 20, 2019 junior johnson, a stockcar racing giant whose career spanned the sports history from its moonshining roots to its modern era as a fierce, hardnosed driver and an innovative mechanic and team. Impressive enough to put him in the nascar hall of fame on the. The cup series is scheduled to race may 24 and may 27 at charlotte motor speedway. One of nascars most colourful characters, johnson was a direct link back to the. His inaugural win in the nascar series was in hickory, nc in 1955, a year in which he won five races. Petty, earnhardt, gordon, johnson nascar has a host of legendary drivers from.
He won 50 nascar races in his career before retiring in 1966. Evoluant en nascar depuis 1996, il est actuellement considere comme le. Jr motorsports is an american professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the nascar xfinity series. Click on the year to see the standings for that year. Dec 20, 2019 nascar icon junior johnson, whose rich history as a driver, mechanic and team owner began as a moonshiner outrunning the law in the nc mountains, has died, nascar said friday. In his first full season, he won five races and finished sixth in. Driver junior johnson 27 battles for position in the rainabbreviated nashville 500 nascar late model race won by jim paschal at the fairgrounds speedway aug. Junior johnson was among the pioneers of organized stock car racing and one its most successful practitioners as a driver, mechanic. Junior johnson was a nascar legend who won 50 races during his hall of fame career including the 1960 daytona 500. A look at various iracing sim rigs nascar drivers are. Dec 26, 2019 junior entered his 1939 ford and the rest was history. You can drive a nascar race car at the nations premier speedways. Nascar executive vp unveils plans for may 17 race at darlington.
The team was run by former driver junior johnson and was best known for. June 28, 1931 december 20, 2019, better known as junior johnson, was a nascar driver of the 1950s and 1960s. He would go on to win 50 nascar races, the most wins accumulated by any nascar driver without winning a championship. Johnson also won the daytona 500 as both a driver 1960 and twice as a team owner 69, 77. Dec 20, 2019 robert glenn junior johnson, who won 50 nascar cup series races as a driver and 2 as an owner and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame in 2010, has died at 88. Nov 19, 2017 sundays cup series finale the ford ecoboost 400 was the final race for earnhardt, who is retiring from fulltime racing after two decades in nascar. Drive a race car by yourself or take a nascar ride along as a passenger. Junior johnson leaves a lasting legacy in nascars h. Click on the race name to see the results of that race. Dec 20, 2019 johnson also won the daytona 500 as both a driver 1960 and twice as a team owner 69, 77. Get the latest race results, news, videos, pictures, win record and more for ricky stenhouse jr. The news of johnsons death was announced via a tweet from nascar.
Junior johnson made his nascar debut at darlington. Junior johnson, seen here in was a popular nascar driver from the who began as a. Junior johnsons mark on american motorsports went far beyond just stats and numbers and honors. Junior johnson, like many nascar pioneers, cut his driving teeth while running moonshine in the american south. Jan 01, 2018 the road to his success in nascar started in the xfinity series when he drove for chance 2 motorsports, a team owned by dale earnhardt jr. Glenn junior johnson, a moonshine runner turned nascar driver. Nascar official home race results, schedule, standings. Earnhardt competes parttime in the nascar xfinity series, driving the no. Racers under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardians consent to race. Junior entered his 1939 ford and the rest was history. Dec 20, 2019 reuters junior johnson, the former moonshiner turned hardcharging race car driver who won 50 nascar races in the 1950s and 60s before becoming a team owner, has died at the age of 88, nascar. The cause of his anger was that junior johnson, a native of north carolina, had been declared the winner of the 500lap race on the halfmile track.
Dec 20, 2019 nascar legend robert glenn junior johnson has died at the age of 88. Nascar live race coverage, latest news, race results, standings, schedules, and driver stats for cup, xfinity, gander outdoors. A 1965 article in esquire magazine, by the late journalist tom wolfe and about former driver junior johnson, gave nascar national exposure. Johnson was a pioneer of the sport, winning 50 races as a driver and six championships as an owner across his hall of fame career. Apr 14, 2020 driver junior johnson 27 battles for position in the rainabbreviated nashville 500 nascar late model race won by jim paschal at the fairgrounds speedway aug. Aug 11, 2014 threetime nascar champion tony stewart struck and killed a fellow sprintcar racer, 20yearold kevin ward, who was confronting stewart on the dirt track of the empire super sprints in. Junior johnson, a stockcar racing giant whose career spanned the sports history as a fierce driver and an innovative mechanic and team.
Top 10 nascar drivers who never won a cup race youtube. Nascar racing experience is the best gift ever and is as real as it gets. Nascar legend junior johnson passes away, aged 88 news. See more ideas about nascar, nascar racing and race cars. In this may 4, 1978, file photo, driver cale yarborough, left, and his team owner, former driver junior johnson, watch competitors in qualifying for. The twotime cart champion and winner of 36 indy car races, including two indy 500s, unser jr. Click on the site to see terry labontes career results at that track.
Robert glenn junior johnson, who won 50 nascar cup series races as a driver and 2 as an owner and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame in 2010, has died at 88. In 1955, johnson began his career as a nascar driver. Tom wolfe article on junior johnson boosted nascar in 1960s. Nascar executive vice president steve odonnell says the may 17 race scheduled for. Click on the site to see terry labontes career results at that track glossary. Nascar icon junior johnson, whose rich history as a driver, mechanic and team owner began as a moonshiner outrunning the law in the nc mountains, has died, nascar said friday. Tom wolfe article on junior johnson boosted nascar in. Junior johnson, a stockcar racing giant whose career spanned the sports history from its moonshining roots to its modern era as a fierce, hardnosed driver and an innovative mechanic and team. Junior johnson, a stockcar racing giant whose career spanned the. He is a team owner, author, and an analyst for nascar on nbc.
He was an inaugural nascar hall of famer, a nod to an extraordinary career as both a driver and team owner. Nascar community reacts to race postponements due to covid19. Junior johnson, last american hero who won 50 nascar races. Stockcar racing giant junior johnson was both a hardnosed driver and an innovative mechanic and team owner. Ranking the 20 greatest nascar drivers of all time fox. Nascar legend junior johnson, the last american hero. Raphael lessard and grant enfinger make contact leading to a wreck and the end of each. One junior race for racers ages 10 to 15 years old headsock included every junior racer must be a minimum of 10 years of age and must be at least 55 inches, 4 feet 7 inches, 140cm tall.
Nascar racing experience offers timed racing sessions with no lead car to follow and no instructor riding with you. Reuters junior johnson, the former moonshiner turned hardcharging race car driver who won 50 nascar races in the 1950s and 60s before becoming a team owner, has died at the age of 88, nascar. Nascar legend junior johnson reminisces about racing at the north wilkesboro speedway as he relaxes in his shop near his home near north wilkesboro, n. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit.