Junior Johnson, photographed in 1985
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr., better known as Junior Johnson (Wilkes County, North Carolina, June 28, 1931), was an American motor racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Cup as a driver and as a team owner. He is recognized as the first to use the trick technique in stock car racing, and he is nicknamed "The Last Great American Hero."
As a driver, he participated in the NASCAR Cup from 1953 to 1966; he achieved 50 victories, standing out one in the 500 miles of Daytona in 1960, 148 top 10, and 46 poles. Having never played a full season in the category, he could not be a champion; has a best result in sixth place in the 1955 championship, and 1961, seventh in 1960, and eighth in 1958.
He also owned the Johnson & amp; Associates, who participated in the Cup in 1953, from 1965 to 1971, and from 1974 to 1995. As a team owner, he has worked with some of NASCAR's legendary drivers including LeeRoy Yarbrough, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine, Sterling Marlin, and Bill Elliott. In total, the team won 132 races, and six NASCAR Cup championships: three with Cale Yarborough (1976-1978) and three with Darrell Waltrip (1981-1982, 1985).
In 1990 he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and in 2010 the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Currently he produces a line of fried greaves and ham.
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