NASCAR Racer and Hall of Famer Junior Johnson Dead at 88: 'What a Legend'

Legendary racer Junior Johnson has passed away at the age of 88, according to NASCAR.

Jim France, the chairman and CEO of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, confirmed Johnson’s death in a statement on Twitter on Friday.

“Junior Johnson truly was the ‘Last American Hero,'” he said. “From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, Junior wholly embodied the NASCAR spirit.”

“Between his on-track accomplishments and his introduction of Winston to the sport, few have contributed to the success of NASCAR as Junior has,” the statement continued. “The entire NASCAR family is saddened by the loss of a true giant of our sport, and we offer our deepest condolences to Junior’s family and friends during this difficult time.”

Johnson had been in declining health and had entered hospice care prior to his death, according to the racing association.

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Johnson won 50 races — including the 1960 Daytona 500 — as a driver and six championships as a team owner.

He was inducted into International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991.

In 2010, he was one of the first drivers to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Born 1931 as Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. in Wilkes County in North Carolina, the NASCAR legend honed his racing talents in his early years through transporting untaxed whiskey in hopped-up cars. Though he was convicted of moonshining in 1956, Johnson was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan on Dec. 26, 1986.

The racer — known for his hard driving style and pushing his equipment to the limit — was the subject of a 1965 article in Esquire titled “The Last American Hero Is Junior Johnson. Yes!” The piece, written by Tom Wolfe, was later adapted into a 1973 film starring Jeff Bridges.

The NASCAR community has been in mourning since new of Johnson’s passing.

“Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. The Last American Hero. What a Legend. Rest easy Junior,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted.

“Words can not adequately express Junior’s impact on our sport and those of us fortunate enough to have known him, worked with him and called him a friend,” Winston Kelley, the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s executive director, said in a tweet. “Rest In Peace my friend.”