University of North Carolina at Asheville
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| Title | Junior Johnson NASCAR Oral History |
| Creator | Interviewer: Daniel Pierce, PhD, History Department Chair UNCA, Associate Professor |
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Subject LCSH: |
Pierce, Dan Robert Glen Johnson, Jr.( Junior Johnson) NASCAR (Association) -- History Stock car racing -- United States -- History Distilling, Illicit -- North Carolina -- History -- Anecdotes |
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Subject Keyword: |
NASCAR racing, moonshine driving, NASCAR racing; NASCAR 50 Greatest Drivers,
1998; Motorsports Hall of Fame, 1991; Daytona 500, 1960 "The Last American Hero"; President Ronald Reagan , December 26, 1986; "Great Balls of Fire"; Tom Wolfe, author; Esquire magazine,1965; "Last American Hero (a.k.a. Hard Driver) movie |
| Description | Junior Johnson recounts life as a moonshine runner in the mountains of North Carolina. He works his driving skills to become a famous NASCAR driver, winning 50 NASCAR races until he retired in 1966. His experiences of running moonshine and becoming a racing superstar are documented in print and in a movie. |
| Publisher | D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC, 28804 |
| Contributor | Daniel Pierce, PhD, History Department Chair UNCA, Associate Professor |
| Date | Electronic Record Issued: 2008--12-19 |
| Type | Sound; Text; TRANSCRIPT |
| Format | Collection is made up of 6 Oral Histories collected by Dr. Piece. |
| Identifier | http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/NASCAR/johnson_junior.html |
| Source | NASCAR Oral History Collection, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville |
| Language | English |
| Relation |
The five additional Oral Histories in this
collection: J. B. Day Ned Jarrett Richard Petty Gordon Pirkle H.A. Wheeler Mountain Words http://heritagewnc.org/WNC_mountain_words/default_mountain_words.htm Hugh Creasman Oral History http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/oralhistory/SHRC/creasman.html |
| Coverage | 1931-2005 |
| Rights | Any display, publication, or public use must credit the D.H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville. Copyright retained by the authors of certain items in the collection, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law. |
| Acquisition | Donor number: 345 ; Date of acquisition: May 2008 |
| Processed By | Special Collections staff |
| Interview Date | October 18, 2005 |
| Interview Location | Unknown |
| Biography | Junior Johnson (Robert Glen Johnson, Jr.) is a well-known NASCAR driver who developed his skills delivering moonshine as a young man. Johnson was born June 28, 1931 in rural North Carolina. He was one of the early stars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1955, he decided to stop delivering moonshine, but was arrested in 1956 while working at his father's still. He served 11 months of a two-year sentence and was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan December 26, 1986. Tom Wolfe researched and wrote an article about Johnson, published in March 1965 in Esquire Magazine. This article was made into a 1973 movie, entitled The Last American Hero (a.k.a. Hard Driver) starring Jeff Bridges. |
| List of Names |
Dan Pierce Richard Petty J. B. Day Gordon Pirkle Junior Johnson H.A. Wheeler |
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