Junior Johnson facts for kids

Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
	Johnson in 1985
Born	Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr.; June 28, 1931; Wilkesboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	December 20, 2019 (aged 88); Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Achievements	1960 Daytona 500 winner; 6-time Winston Cup Series Owner's Champion with Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978) and Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985)
Awards	Named 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)
NASCAR Cup Series career
	313 races run over 14 years
Best finish	6th - 1955 in NASCAR and 1961 (Grand National)
First race	1953 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last race	1966 American 500 (Rockingham)
First win	1955 Hickory Motor Speedway
Last win	1965 Wilkes 400 (North Wilkesboro)

Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), 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. 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. He had Alzheimer's disease at the time of his death.

Images for kids

Junior Johnson, Darrell Waltrip, Car No. 11, Nashville 420, July 16, 1983