NASCAR lost another legend and iconic figure of it's early years today as NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson died today at the age of 88, Junior was a well known driver, and owner who got his start in the early days of the sport as a moonshiner hauling the illegal alcoholic beverage though the south. Then he started racing in NASCAR and went on to win 50 races in his career in the sport, then after his retirement as a driver, he went on to win 6 championships as a owner and car builder giving some legendary drivers their championships. His legendary career in NASCAR was documented in a essay written by the late Tom Wolfe in which he was dubbed "The Last American Hero", and Junior was portrayed by Jeff Bridges in the 1973 film "The Last American Hero" based on Wolfe's essay.
On the Day after Christmas, 1986, then President Ronald Reagan gave Johnson a belated Christmas gift in the form of a presidential pardon as he was pardoned for his 1956 conviction for having a moonshine still in his North Carolina home and was sentenced to 1 year prison in Ohio. during his Moonshining days, he never got caught hauling Moonshine, just only got arrested for having a Still.
Today is truly a sad day in the sport of NASCAR.
The story from NASCAR's website:
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2019/12/20/junior-johnson-moonshiner-nascar-legend-dies-88/?linkId=100000009720487
On the Day after Christmas, 1986, then President Ronald Reagan gave Johnson a belated Christmas gift in the form of a presidential pardon as he was pardoned for his 1956 conviction for having a moonshine still in his North Carolina home and was sentenced to 1 year prison in Ohio. during his Moonshining days, he never got caught hauling Moonshine, just only got arrested for having a Still.
Today is truly a sad day in the sport of NASCAR.
The story from NASCAR's website:
https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2019/12/20/junior-johnson-moonshiner-nascar-legend-dies-88/?linkId=100000009720487