Junior the race car driver -- aka Junior the moonshiner, aka Bob the engine builder, aka Bobby Glenn the country ham and pork skins producer -- endorsed Barack Obama.

That's right, Junior Johnson -- the NASCAR legend who Tom Wolfe famously dubbed "The Last American Hero" and Ronald Reagan officially pardoned -- is voting for the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

His letter of endorsement was published in several North Carolina newspapers this week.

"Our country is in a rough spot, and we're going to need some serious change," wrote the man who outran the field in 50 NASCAR races and countless more revenuers on the back roads of North Carolina's Wilkes County. "There's only one candidate ready to deliver it -- and that's Barack Obama."

That NASCAR dad demographic must have blown a gasket when it heard that. The crowds that treated potential First Lady Cindy McCain like royalty at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, N.C., two weeks ago will have a hard time swallowing that one down with their barbecue.

Which is what makes Johnson's endorsement all the more intriguing. There is nothing so refreshing as the athlete who goes against stereotype.

In the modern era of wealthy superstars and marketing portfolios, political correctness makes most athletes too afraid to take a side -- any side -- on something more significant than heads or tails.

Too many figures in positions of influence subscribe to the Michael Jordan doctrine of keeping their mouths shut. "Republicans buy sneakers too," Jordan once said.

Take Tiger Woods. The most famous and richest athlete in the world is the grand master of saying little of social significance. Wouldn't you love to know what he thinks about the election? Is he voting in the swing state of Florida for the candidate of similarly mixed ethnicity and transcendent appeal who many have compared to himself? Or is he following the more conservative platform of most PGA Tour golfers and voting with his pocket book?

Woods won't tell you (although it has been reported that he contributed money to Obama's campaign).

When someone from the international press prodded him on the subject in Dubai last winter during the primary season, Woods was typically evasive in this exchange.

Q: "Could I ask you a Barack Obama question?"

Woods: "Oh, God, here we go."

Q. "Just your thoughts on the way he has inspired a generation of Americans who clearly weren't interested in politics before."

Woods: "Well, I've seen him speak. He's extremely articulate, very thoughtful. I'm just impressed at how well, basically all politicians really do, how well they think on their feet. Especially those debates, it's pretty phenomenal to see them get their point across. But I just think that he's really inspired a bunch of people in our country, and you know, we'll see what happens down the road."

Not every athlete can be like Charles Barkley. The retired NBA star might have claimed that he's not a role model, but when it comes to expressing his opinions, Barkley relishes that role.

He's even thinking of running for governor eventually in his home state of Alabama.

Athletes simply don't act like other sectors of the well-compensated entertainment universe -- movie, television and music stars. Despite their fat wallets, celebrities are often vocally political and tend to be predominantly liberal.

The only sport where politics gets much mention (aside from your soccer and hockey moms) is golf.

There may be no greater Republican voting block than the PGA Tour (Billy Andrade and David Duval, excepted). They mostly fall well above the $250,000 threshold for Obama's proposed tax cuts, and money is their primary voting impulse. Why do you think so many of them live in Florida where there's no state income tax?

The most fascinating departure from that paradigm, however, is commissioner Tim Finchem. There may be nobody in sports who acts, sounds and exudes corporate-capitalist ideals more than the Commish, and he's helped make a lot of players a lot of money.

Yet Finchem is as blue-state as they come. He was spell-bound by John F. Kennedy in the Democratic convention of 1960. He worked for the administration of Jimmy Carter and served as a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

How that background took him to the highest rank of the country-club set is incredible.

But I digress. Athletes rarely get that involved in the political scene -- other than a few who retire and use the name recognition to seek office.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Lebron James generally keeps quiet, but he reportedly donated $20,000 to Obama's campaign. Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn publicly endorsed McCain at a recent rally. No wonder Ohio is such a battleground state.

One athlete not afraid to say whatever he thinks is former World Series MVP pitcher Curt Schilling. On his blog the Anchorage native who campaigned for George W. Bush in 2004 passionately endorses McCain in 2008.

"I can't imagine a finer person now in position to become our next president," Schilling wrote recently. "I know Senator McCain, well. I am voting for him, and for Governor Palin (a fellow Alaskan I might add!). I'm doing so because he possesses the qualities we must have if we are going to get back on track as the greatest nation on the planet."

Whether you agree with Curt the pitcher or Junior the racer, consider this.

"At the end of the day if things don't go their way I will support whomever we elect as our next President as my Commander in Chief," Schilling wrote. "This country deserves that from each and every one of us."

Amen to that. Please vote.