American Hero , Junior Johnson has passed. Junior was one of the earliest and best race drivers and a moonshine legend. He was one of my heroes. He was also a friend to my Grand Daughter (though she never met him). She is four years old now and burst into crocodile tears and cried with a broken heart today when her mother told us Junior had died. Sarah first met Junior when I started taking her out to my garage when she was roughly seven months old. I have a standup poster of Junior and Bill Elliot on the wall behind my 57. We would go out and spend time every day when it was warm enough and we would look at the poster and talk about Junior and Bill. She was just starting to try and say a word now and then and Junior was not the first word she said but was near the first, Each day when I carried her to the garage , when the door was open she would say JUNIOR! Junior will be missed buy this home ,Rest in Peace.
Sad news, RIP Junior. We are losing many of the legends of Nascar the last few years.
Junior Johnson was a legend He certainly will be missed. That's very sad news.
https://classic.esquire.com/article/1965/3/1/junior-Johnson GREAT ARTICLE !!
I think it is easy to say that were there no Junior Johnson...there would have most likely been no NASCAR. His sheer force of personality brought life to that racing entity.
"The Last American Hero"
This article from the Associated Press was in our local newspaper yesterday. Not sure everyone could open that paper's link but found the same article in many other locations so some of you have probably seen it in your newspapers. You can read the whole article in one of the 2 links at the bottom of the page.
Junior Johnson was the Real Deal!
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(https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/wfmz.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/0/f7/0f7eb16a-c8b8-5622-b2d1-8308e15d1635/5dfd6454b79d8.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C1360)
"In this June 3, 1964, file photo, Junior Johnson peers from his car after winning the pole position for the Dixie 400 stock car race at Atlanta International Raceway in Atlanta. Johnson, who won 50 NASCAR Cup Series races as a driver and 132 as an owner and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, has died at 88. (AP Photo/File)"
"Robert Glenn "Junior" Johnson, the moonshine runner turned NASCAR driver described as "The Last American Hero" by author Tom Wolfe in a 1965 article for Esquire, died Friday. He was 88."
https://www.wfmz.com/news/ap/junior-johnson-the-last-american-hero-dies-at/article_edd73020-1d81-5f2e-a08d-006bf56b1f66.html
https://www.adn.com/sports/national-sports/2019/12/21/junior-johnson-the-last-american-hero-dies-at-88/#5379
1956
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1965 .... See pic two of two.
https://www.journalpatriot.com/news/racing-star-and-wilkes-native-junior-johnson-dies/article_c24aecee-2411-11ea-92f7-e7690b80c358.html