Legendary driver-car owner Junior Johnson is 78, but he's hardly slowing down. He visited the Las Vegas Motor Speedway three weeks ago for the Shelby American 400 to talk about his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in May.
Johnson talked about a variety of issues, including the days when he used to run moonshine throughout the Carolinas to pay for his racing. Here are excerpts of that interview:
Question: What are your feelings about being inducted into the first class for the NASCAR Hall of Fame?
Johnson: It takes a lot to get me emotionally aroused. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't speak; I couldn't say nothing. I didn't cry. It's the most-awesome thing that's ever happened to me in racing and second overall - my kids being born and seeing that go one is the hot spot of my life.
Question: What was it like racing 50 years ago?
Johnson: When we'd race up north, we'd do five going up and six coming back. When I left home I had everything I owned in the car with me. I'd overhaul the motor in many a service station out behind the garage where they were working on cars. If you would ever go on a trip like that, you'd never, ever forget it. I was lucky enough that when I went on those trips, I brought back most of the money.
Question: Talk about the success of our Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon and Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine?
Johnson: We're in 33 states now and it keeps going leaps and bounds. You can't imagine how much whiskey you have to send to California. If you stock that state, it keeps the others behind you. It takes a tremendous amount of whiskey to stock the stores when you go into a state. We're going to be in all states, but it's going to take a few more years.
Question: Now that it's legal, do you sleep better at night selling whiskey?
Johnson: I tell you one thing - you don't want to live the life I've lived when I was hauling whiskey. I've been shot at and done everything else. I went to West Virginia one time with a little liquor and the back glass was shot out of the car and the back window on the passenger side. I never did go back to West Virginia no more, I tell you that.
Question: Who was shooting at you?
Johnson: I didn't stop to see.
Question: Ned Jarrett is an old friend. What's your fondest memory of racing against him?
Johnson: Ned was running a racetrack and he was having trouble selling tickets. So he talked to me about running a match race. We talked and he said we'd pass each other and put on a good show for the fans. We got out there and Ned really raced me hard. He got close to putting me a lap down so I got up on the wheel. When it was over, he came up to me and wanted to know why I raced him so hard. I told him he was about to lap me and I don't like getting lapped, even in a charity match. We sold some tickets and made the Boy Scouts some money, so it turned out all right.
Question: Do you have a fond story of legendary crew chief Jake Elder, who died last month?
Johnson: Jake is what you'd call a self-innovator. He was one of the unbelievable people. He could do stuff, although he had a real low education. You couldn't out-run the rascal because he had more common sense than most people. I put him in front of about 99-percent of the mechanics who've come along since I've been in racing. He was part of Dale Earnhardt's first championship when they were with (Rod) Osterlund and they probably didn't have but five or six people working on the car. He could do it by himself.
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