RIP Junior Johnson

[Red Badger]

Won ~50 races but never a championship.
Spent time in prison for moon-shining, but never caught running shine (which he did regularly before NASCAR fame).
Pardoned by President Reagan - restoring his civil liberties including voting.
If you like bourbon, try some Midnight Moon from JJ's distillery (small batch made in a copper still)
Went on to be a very successful owner in NASCAR, had a movie about him, an autobiography.
Mentioned in Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch" and his movie (Last American Hero) featured Jim Croce's "I've Got a Name."
Has a nice stretch of NC mountain highway named after him.
A life not always well lived, but lived to its fullest.

R.I.P. Junior - - - from a fan.

 

[aja8888]

He was quite a force in the business. RIP.

 

[Car-Guy]

He ran in NASCAR when they still ran stock cars. Albeit modified but not much different than what you would do in your own garage. These days, there aren't nothing stock about stock cars that run in NASCAR.


RIP JJ

 

[dream-builder]

Another driver has left the race. RIP

 

[Red Badger]

He ran in NASCAR when they still ran stock cars. Albeit modified but not much different than what you would do in your own garage. These days, there aren't nothing stock about stock cars that run in NASCAR.


RIP JJ

Agree. But we also no longer have guys burning to death in front of the grandstands after a wreck. When 20 cars get destroyed at Talledaga in one wreck and everyone walks away, that's great. We need more Talledaga monster tracks!

Full disclosure, I DO miss the Hemi Dodges of years gone by.

 

[Car-Guy]

Agree. But we also no longer have guys burning to death in front of the grandstands after a wreck. When 20 cars get destroyed at Talledaga in one wreck and everyone walks away, that's great. We need more Talledaga monster tracks!

Full disclosure, I DO miss the Hemi Dodges of years gone by.

They could incorporate most of the safety features in use today in NASCAR on real stock/production cars of today. Maybe not all, but most. To me, it's the drive trains, frames and bodies that are what stock cars are all about anyway. Adding safety features like better roll bars/reinforcement tubing, fuel cells, race tires, roof and deck flaps, better safety harnesses, fire suits, lexan windshields, etc don't really change anything with stock drive trains and all of those could be added to real stock cars today.


I miss the days when stock motors (albeit modified ), transmissions, 3rd members, bodies and frames were the rule of the day.

 

[davebarnes]

But, he never learned how to turn right.