RIP Junior Johnson

[Regan MacNeil]

 

[garrow]

RIP to the Last American Hero.

 

[Starman]

James Dean in a Mercury '49
Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline
Even Burt Reynolds in his black Trans Am
All gonna meet down at the Cadillac Ranch

 

[maumann]

Won the 1960 Daytona 500 when leader Bobby Johns spun out after his rear window blew out with nine laps remaining.

 

[Driftwood]

RIP to a true legend.
He was true NASCAR before it was corrupted.
He has some dang good pork rinds, too.
I just raised my beer.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Way back when the National was a thing, Charlie Pierce did a story on NASCAR. All I remember is Johnson's quote, "they're all a bunch of golfers now."

 

[wicked]

NASCAR has fallen hard, but the reason it was anywhere near as high as it was was because of guys like Junior, Bud Moore and the Woods.

P.S. **** Brian France for destroying it.

 

[HanSenSE]

Won the 1960 Daytona 500 when leader Bobby Johns spun out after his rear window blew out with nine laps remaining.

Trying to imagine that happening and failing. Massively.

 

[Huggy]

James Dean in a Mercury '49
Junior Johnson runnin' through the woods of Caroline
Even Burt Reynolds in his black Trans Am
All gonna meet down at the Cadillac Ranch

I was there that night

 

[maumann]

Trying to imagine that happening and failing. Massively.

Talked to Bobby Johns 50 years after that race and he still remembered the feeling: "I was just cruising, counting the laps down and suddenly I'm going backwards at 160 mph and wondering what the hell happened?"

 

[Moderator1]

Good dude. In my limited experience, always easy to deal with and honest.

Those of us on the first Charlotte Motor Speedway media tour, many years ago, will remember the stop at Junior's place. His dog had just had a litter and seeing this giant in the field (and not a small man) being tender and loving with a bunch of puppies was a joy.

Ran into him years later, when he was retired and on his second wife, and I almost didn't recognize him. He'd lost some weight, looked 30 years younger.

 

[Neutral Corner]

That ol' boy was the real deal. Damn few like him in the NASCAR business anymore, and it's their loss.