Cup Qualifying Explained

In a perfect world the fastest 43 cars that show up for NASCAR qualifying on any given week would start the race. However in order to reward the teams that show up week in and week out NASCAR has guaranteed starting spots and provisionals available.

The Guaranteed Starters

Starting with the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season NASCAR guaranteed the top 35 teams in car owner points a spot in the starting lineup. This is to encourage teams to run all the races instead of just a few and reward the teams that do show up every week.

This means that teams safely in the top 35 are only qualifying to determine where they will be on the grid and are in no danger of going home without racing. This sometimes allows these teams to spend their practice time working on race setups. This can pay off on race day, but could cause them to start deeper in the field.

Provisionals

After the top 35 in owner points take their guaranteed spot the seven fastest non-guaranteed drivers get into the field based on their qualifying time.
The seven drivers that get in on time will start wherever their times normally would put them in the order. So if a non-guaranteed driver runs quickest in qualifying he still gets to start on the pole ahead of the guaranteed, but slower, drivers.
This leaves one final spot which is known as "The Champions Provisional." This final 43rd starting position is reserved for any former NASCAR Champion that didn't qualify for the race any other way (by points or on time.)

If there is no driver eligible for the Champions Provisional then that spot goes to the eighth fastest driver that is not guaranteed a starting spot based on points.
Some Exceptions To The Rules

The most obvious exception to all of this is the Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 follows its own qualifying process that is unlike any other race on the NASCAR schedule.

Another exception has to do with the all-important car owner points. Through the first five races of the year NASCAR uses the car owner points from the previous season. Beginning with the sixth race of the year NASCAR switches to the current season's car owner points to determine the guaranteed starters.

And finally, what does NASCAR do when it rains or snows or for any other reason qualifying is cancelled? In that case NASCAR lines up the top 42 drivers by car owner points. Then the Champions provisional is still available to a former Champion not in the top 42. If there isn't an unqualified past Champion then the next driver in points gets the last starting spot.

Teamates

From David Poole of That's Racin.com...

HAMPTON, Ga. Every time the issue of teamwork bubbles to the top in this NASCAR kettle of fish, I’m reminded of something Robert Yates once said.
Yates, the longtime owner of Ford teams, was not among the first to embrace the trend toward multicar teams.

The way he had it figured, it was hard to keep two or more teams happy as long as there’s only one parking spot in Victory Lane.

It’s a heck of a point. To succeed in NASCAR’s top series, you have to beat everybody. That includes those who might work for the same boss or even might have their cars built at the same building as yours.

Twenty years ago, what few people there were who could make the multicar concept work did it most often by pitting their teams against one another. Several teams that won championships during the ’80s did that in large part because they worked so hard trying to beat their “teammate” they got good enough to beat everyone else, too.

That model has changed. These days, one-car teams line the road to financial ruin in stock-car racing.

When NASCAR placed a four-team limit on car owners a couple of years ago, Yates also was the first to point out to me that it was establishing four cars as the template for what a successful team needed to work toward becoming.

Expansion might be dictated by economics, but that doesn’t make it easier to overcome the challenges it presents.

Witness last week’s public upheaval within Roush Fenway Racing, spurred by Carl Edwards’ Martinsville, Va., postrace run-in with teammate Matt Kenseth.

Greg Biffle, who will start from the pole in today’s Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, joined fellow Roush driver Jamie McMurray in tossing Edwards under the bus for most of the week. Finally, though, Biffle’s beginning to strike a more conciliatory tone.

“We’ve thrown a lot of stones over the last week,” he said. “But, really, the moral of the story is that Carl was a little bit out of line and I think we all know that and he’s admitted that.

“We just need to mend that relationship between him and Matt, and they need to race each other better on the race track, and that’s what this boils down to.”

The Roush in-fighting is being starkly juxtaposed to the public showing of respect and admiration between Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports teammates who lead the title race.

Lest we forget, however, just a few weeks ago Casey Mears was so upset after being asked to give Kyle Busch a finishing position at Dover, Del., that it led to a series of Hendrick team meetings. Earlier, Busch feared his teammates might exclude him the way Brian Vickers was shunned last year after Vickers announced he’d be moving to another team.

Conflict happens. Racers compete, and by their nature they put their self-interest first. There is room for only one car in Victory Lane, and any driver who’s good enough to even think about winning would, every time, choose gaining 10 spots over making 10 friends on the track.

Without question, Roush Fenway Racing should have had a meeting of its drivers at 8 a.m. Monday and said, “OK, we’re done talking about this. Carl will say he’s sorry for what he did after the race at Martinsville and that’s the end of it, at least for public consumption.” And this whole thing would have blown right over.

Of course, I am glad that’s not what happened. It was a fascinating week at a time of the year when, aside from the Chase, it’s hard to find a lot of new meat to chew on.

We’ll leave it, for now at least, with one last observation.

In the days since his blow-up, some people have publicly questioned how genuine Edwards’ “Mr. Nice Guy” image really was. Apparently, these people have for some time been saying the same things in private.

But it’s Edwards who is two-faced?

That's Racin.com

Explaining the NASCAR TV contract

The agreement is for 8 years, and it started in 2007.
Under the new eight year agreements NASCAR races will be broadcast on a combination of networks that includes FOX, SPEED, Turner's TNT and ABC/ESPN beginning in 2007.

About the agreements:

Beginning in 2007, each NASCAR season will be launched on FOX with the telecast of the Daytona 500. FOX will also carry NASCAR "Speedweeks" events including the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona Pole Qualifying. FOX will also broadcast the 12 Nextel Cup races following the Daytona 500.

TNT will broadcast six consecutive Nextel Cup Series races (races 14 through 19).

The final 17 Nextel Cup Series points races will be broadcast on ABC or ESPN. The final 10 races, the Chase for the Nextel Cup, will be broadcast on ABC. The Busch Series will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2, with no less than four events on ABC.

SPEED will be home to the Craftsman Truck Series with the exception of two events, which will be broadcast by FOX.

Nextel Cup Series qualifying practice and "happy hours" will be broadcast on a combination of SPEED Channel, ESPN and ESPN2.

SPEED will broadcast the Gatorade Duels held each year during "Speedweeks" to determine part of the Daytona 500 starting order.

SPEED will also broadcast the Nextel Cup Series All-Star Challenge and its companion all-star event, the Nextel Cup Series Pit Crew Challenge.

ESPN will launch specially NASCAR-branded news and information programming.

All broadcast partners will have new interactive rights, special "season preview" and "season end review" programming rights and other ancillary content.

NASCAR fans will be able to receive NASCAR coverage from an expanded range of outlets including highlights and live streaming, content from and on each network's Web pages, datacasts and newly-developed multimedia programming.

Nascar History, 1992 Winston Cup

From NASCAR.COM

As many talented drivers had the NASCAR Winston Cup in their reach, the chase for the championship would not be decided in the final race, but in the final lap.


FIVE RACES TO GO:
North Wilkesboro, NC - With five races remaining in the 1992 season, 1988 champion Bill Elliott led budding star Davey Allison by 112 points and underdog Alan Kulwicki by 191. Things would tighten up after a trip to North Wilkesboro Speedway as the caution-free event was won by Geoffrey Bodine. Bodine lapped points leader Elliott eight times under green. Davey Allison finished in 11th while Kulwicki came in 12th. Elliott's points lead was sliced to 67 over Allison and 144 over Kulwicki.

FOUR RACES TO GO:
Charlotte, NC - Mark Martin charged past race dominator Kyle Petty then held off a charging Alan Kulwicki for the race win. Martin's dominating performance vaulted him back into title contention. Points leader Bill Elliott struggled again, this time to a 30th-place finish because of a broken sway bar, allowing several drivers within striking distance of the championship. Elliott now led Davey Allison by only 39 points, Kulwicki by 47, Martin by 91, Harry Gant by 94, and Kyle Petty by 106 points.

THREE RACES TO GO:
Rockingham, NC - In the most dominating performance of the season, Kyle Petty continued his sensational second half of 1992 with a convincing win, leading all but eight of the 492 laps. Bill Elliott fought back to finish fourth, ahead of all other title contenders. Elliott found himself 70 points in front of Davey Allison, 85 ahead of Alan Kulwicki, 94 in front of race winner Petty, and 113 points ahead of Harry Gant. Mark Martin struggled throughout the race and dropped from title contention.

TWO RACES TO GO:
Phoenix, AZ - Smoke billowed from Bill Elliott's Budweiser Ford, signaling an opportunity for the other NASCAR Winston Cup title contenders. Davey Allison and Alan Kulwicki took full advantage. While Elliott finished 31st with a cracked cylinder head and overheating problems, Allison patiently made his way to the front and won his second consecutive Phoenix race. The emotional victory vaulted him back into the points lead for the first time since August. Kulwicki rac a strong fourth and moved past Elliott in the standings, as well. Heading into the season's final event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Allison led Kulwicki by 30 points, Elliott by 40, Harry Gant by 97, Kyle Petty by 98, and Mark Martin by 113.Six drivers were still alive for the title.

FINAL RACE:
Hampton, GA - A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have penned a more exciting season finale. The Richard Petty Fan Appreciation Tour made its final stop while the battle for the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup title raged on. Davey Allison needed to finish sixth or better to clinch the title, while Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki could only run their cars to the limit, hoping it would be enough. On lap 253, Allison's fate would be sealed. Allison was running sixth - good enough to clinch the title - and moving back to the front when disaster struck. Ernie Irvan's Kodak Chevrolet had a tire go down and he lost control directly in front of Rusty Wallace and Allison. Wallace miraculously avoided the spnning Irvan, but Allison was not so lucky. Allison T-boned Irvan, ending his day, leaving Elliott and Kulwicki to battle for the title. Elliott and Kulwicki ran 1-2 the entire second half of the race, swapping the lead on several occasions. It became evident that the driver who led the most laps and received the five extra bonus points would win the championship and $1 million bonus from Winston. It would come down to one lap. On lap 310, Kulwicki pitted while leading, knowing he had clinched the bonus by leading 103 of the event's 328 laps. After the fuel-only pit stops, Elliott gained the lead and drove to his fifth victory of the season. Elliott had led 102 laps. If Elliott had led one lap that Kulwicki did not, then Elliott would have received the five bonus points instead of Kulwicki, which would have left the two in a tie in season's points. In that instance, Elliott would have won the title by virtue of more wins. As it was, Elliott won the Hooters 500, but Kulwicki finished second to win the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup championship by a scant 10 points, the narrowest margin in the sport's history.

Nascar History, The Alabama Gang

The Alabama Gang was the nickname for a group of NASCAR drivers who set up shop and operated out of Hueytown, Alabama, near Birmingham, Alabama.
In the late 1950s, young auto racer Bobby Allison left Miami, Florida, looking for an area that had more opportunities to race. He discovered central Alabama in his travels. The region was dotted with small dirt tracks, and Allison won big his first few times out. He returned to Florida to pick up his brother Donnie Allison, and friend Red Farmer.

The trio set up shop in Hueytown, Alabama, and were dominant throughout the 1960s and early 1970s. In 1973, Jimmy Means joined the gang. Beginning in 1979, their sons and contemporaries began racing, and became known as members of the Alabama Gang themselves. Bobby's son Davey Allison, and fellow Hueytown residents Neil Bonnett, and David Bonnett. Hut Stricklin, who married Donnie's daughter, became the last member of the Alabama Gang.

Other drivers (notably Dale Earnhardt) were great friends with members of this group, and while not Alabama residents, these other drivers became associated with the Alabama Gang.

All of the original members of the Alabama Gang have been inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Davey Allison's little brother, Clifford Allison followed the Alabama Gang tradition, but while practicing for a Busch Series race in Michigan, he spun out in turn 4 and was killed. Davey Allison died in a helicopter crash at Talladega Superspeedway in 1993. Then Neil Bonnett died while practicing for the 1994 Daytona 500. Bobby Allison retired in 1988 after suffering injuries in a race at Pocono Raceway that nearly cost him his life. Farmer, the oldest member of the "Gang," was injured in the helicopter crash that took Davey Allison's life, but recovered and continues to race at short tracks today, well into his 70s.

Hueytown memorialized the racers by renaming its main street Allison-Bonnett Memorial Drive. There are other tributes to the "Gang" around the city. Other streets bear names of the members, including Davey Allison Boulevard, and certain local businesses also have paid tribute to the famous drivers. A Honda automobile dealership located in Hueytown was named Neil Bonnett Honda for many years, but it was renamed Serra Honda in 2006. Additionally, the Seal of the City of Hueytown features two checkered flags, acknowledging the large part racing has played in the city's history.

During the course of his career, Bobby Allison accumulated 84 victories, which ties him for third all-time with Darrell Waltrip, including three victories at the Daytona 500 in 1978, 1982 and 1988, where he finished one-two with his son, Davey Allison. He was also the NASCAR Winston Cup Champion in 1983 driving for DiGard Racing. Additionally, Allison ran in the Indianapolis 500 twice, with a best finish of 25th in 1975.

Officially, according to NASCAR.com, Bobby Allison has won 84 races, placing him in third place on the all-time wins list, tied with Darrell Waltrip. Unofficially, Bobby Allison has won 85 races, and should be possibly be credited with 86 wins. The controversy lies in two races: the 1971 Myers Brothers 250 held at Bowman Gray Stadium (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), and the 1973 National 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. (Charlotte, North Carolina.)


Donnie Allison won ten times in his nascar career which spanned the 1960's, 970's, and early 80's.
Donnie is possibly most remembered for his involvement in a final-lap crash and subsequent fight with Cale Yarborough at the 1979 Daytona 500.
Donnie also competed in the Indianapolis 500 twice, finishing 4th and winning Rookie of the Year in 1970 and finishing 6th in 1971.
In 1970 Donnie entered racing history books by finishing fourth in the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and then won the World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, remarkably in the same weekend. He is noted as the most successful cross-over driver from stock cars to Indy cars in history.
Donnie was also awarded the 1967 Rookie of the Year, the 1970 Indianapolis Rookie of the Year, and the 1970 Sportsman Most Popular Driver honors. To his credit, he has 10 Winston Cup wins in 239 starts, 78 top five finishes, and 115 top ten finishes. Donnie has been crew chief for his son-in-law, Hut Stricklin, and also Joe Nemechek.

Charles "Red" Farmer has won more than 748 races in his long career, which continues today in his 70's.
His first race was at Opa-locka Speedway near Miami, Florida in a 1934 Ford in 1946.
Estimates of Farmer's career victories range from 700 to 900 victories, most occurring in the late 1950s and early 60's. He raced 36 NASCAR races from 1953 to 1975.
He was the NASCAR National Late Model Sportsman champion (later Busch Series) for three consecutive years from 1969 to 1971. Farmer's best finish in NASCAR's top division was a fourth at both the 1972 Talladega 500 , and the 1968 Middle Georgia 500 near Macon, Georgia). He had so few Cup races because he was content to run primarily in the Late Model Sportsman. He was named NASCAR's most popular driver 4 times. Red later raced in the white and gold #97 car. In the mid 60's, however, Red raced a white, gold, and red Ford Fairlane, #F-97.

He was Davey Allison's crew chief in the Busch Series.

Red has retained his skills as a driver in spite of his age. He competed in 2 Busch Grand National races in 1992. On June 2005, Farmer, now over 70, turned heads in winning a heat over current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars, and finished 8th in the feature during the Nextel Prelude to the Dream at Eldora Speedway, owned by Tony Stewart.


Davey Allison was the eldest of four children born to NASCAR driver Bobby Allison and wife Judy.
Davey qualified Hoss Ellington's Chevrolet 22nd and finished 10th in his first Winston Cup start. This impressive showing earned Davey more Winston Cup opportunities in 1986 where he would sub for injured friend and fellow Alabama Gang member Neil Bonnett in Junior Johnson's #12 Budweiser Chevy.
Prior to the 1987 season, car owner Harry Ranier tapped Davey to replace veteran driver Cale Yarborough in the Ranier-Lundy #28 Ford Thunderbird.
On qualifiying day, Davey signalled that he was in Winston Cup to stay when he qualified an unmarked, but Texaco-Havoline painted #28 Thunderbird second for the 1987 Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie ever to start on the front row for NASCAR's most prestigious event.
May 3, 1987, Davey ran the Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. He qualified Third, with Father Bobby in second.
Bobby would wreck out in a horrific crash at over 200 mph. Bobby was fine, but many fans were injured as parts of his car
went flying into the stands, his car ripped down a large section of the retaining fence in front of the grandstands.
After this race, restrictor plates became the norm at the Super-Speedways. After the caution to clean up this wreck,
Davey continued to run up front and when Elliott exited the race with engine failure, Davey's toughest competition was eliminated. With darkness falling on the Talladega Superspeedway during a late caution flag, the decision was made to end the race 10 laps short of its 188 lap distance. Running second on the restart, Davey passed leader Dale Earnhardt on the backstretch and pulled away for his first Winston Cup win. In winning the race, Davey became the first rookie since Ron Bouchard in 1981 to win a Winston Cup event.
Davey would better that feat just 28 days later by winning the Budweiser 500 at Dover International Speedway (then the Dover Downs International Speedway), becoming, at the time, the only rookie to win two Winston Cup events. In all, Davey started 22 of the 29 Winston Cup races in 1987, winning twice, and scoring nine top-five and 10 top-ten finishes. He also won five poles in his rookie season.
Statistically, 1992 was Davey Allison's best season in Winston Cup racing. And yet, it was also a very painful and heartwrenching season. Davey started sixth in the 1992 Daytona 500 but was probably not quite as fast as the Junior Johnson teammates of Bill Elliott and Sterling Marlin.
He would lead 127 laps to join his father as a Daytona 500 winner.
Davey won the pole for Pocono later in the season, and led 115 of the first 149 laps. But a lengthy pit stop during a caution flag sent him to the middle of the pack. On lap 150, Allison was charging back through the pack, followed closely by Darrell Waltrip. The two cars made contact and Davey went sliding into the grass off Pocono's "tunnel turn". The car went airborne and began a series of violent flips before landing on top of an infield guardrail. Miraculously, Davey survived the crash. He was airlifted to the hospital with a severe concussion, along with a broken arm, wrist, and collar bone. His 33rd place finish left him nine points behind Bill Elliott for the series title, but that seemed insignificant at the moment. Especially traumatizing was the fact that Pocono was the site of Davey's father Bobby's career-ending crash a few years earlier.
He started the next weeks race at Talladega, and was relieved by Bobby Hillin Jr.
Once healed, Davey headed to Michigan. Tragedy would strike again. While practicing for the Busch Series race, his little
brother Clifford crashed hard in three and four. He died en-route to the hospital. Heartbroken, Davey drove to a fifth place
finish, and then returned to Hueytown for Cliffords funeral.
Davey had a chance to win the Winston Million as the series headed to Darlington for the Southern 500. Davey led 72 laps of the event and was in contention to win, but soon after the leaders pitted for tires and fuel, rain halted the race with 69 laps left. Darrell Waltrip, gambling that the rains would come, did not pit and was leading the race when it was red flagged. He was declared the winner as darkness fell and the rains continued. Waltrip, who had long feuded with the Allisons, sat next to his car on pit road in lawn chair and held a colorful umbrella, gleefully joking that the rain shower was worth "one million dollars" to him.
Though 1992 had been a heartbreaking year for Davey Allison and the Robert Yates Racing team in more ways than one, they had to be encouraged by their run for the championship. But 1993 opened on a sour note with Allison finishing 28th at Daytona. That finish was followed by a 16th at Rockingham, but Davey rebounded to win at Richmond the following week. No one knew at the time, but it would be Davey Allison's last win.
Monday, July 12, 1993, Davey Allison boarded his newly acquired Hughes 369HS helicopter to fly to Talladega Superspeedway to watch family friends Neil Bonnett and David Bonnett test a car for David's Busch Series debut. He picked up another family friend, legendary racer Red Farmer, en route to the track. Allison was attempting to land the helicopter inside a fenced-in area of the track infield when the craft nosed up suddenly, then crashed.
Neil Bonnett was able to free a semi-conscious Red Farmer from the wreckage, but could not reach Allison. Paramedics arrived and freed Allison, who was alive but had suffered serious head injuries. He died the next morning, July 13, 1993.
In his short NASCAR Winston Cup career, Davey Allison posted 19 wins, 66 top-five and 92 top-ten finishes. He also won 14 poles and earned $6,724,174. He was survived by his wife, Liz, and two children, daughter Krista, and son Robert.

Neil Bonnett began his NASCAR career as a protégé of the great Bobby Allison, working on the team's cars.
He began driving in NASCAR in 1974 and earned his first victory in 1977 at the Capital City 400 in Richmond, Virginia. He later successfully won back-to-back World 600s (NASCAR's longest race, now the Coca-Cola 600) and back-to-back Busch Clash (now Bud Shootout) victories.
In 1984, Bonnett joined the powerful Junior Johnson team, becoming a teammate to Darrell Waltrip. In 1985, Bonnett had one of his best seasons, finishing fourth in the points standings while Waltrip went on to win his third championship.
On April 1, 1990, Neil Bonnett suffered a life-threatening crash during the TranSouth 500 at Darlington, South Carolina. Left with amnesia and dizziness, Bonnett retired from racing and turned to television, becoming a race color commentator for TNN, CBS Sports, and TBS Sports, and hosting the TV show Winners for TNN.
However, Bonnett still desired to continue racing. In 1992, he began testing cars for good friends Dale Earnhardt and car owner Richard Childress. Cleared to race again in 1993 and upon Earnhardt's suggestion, Childress gave Bonnett a ride for the 1993 DieHard 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. But Bonnett's comeback race was marred by a crash in which his car spun, became airborne, and crashed into the specator fence. Bonnett was uninjured and actually called the rest of the race from the CBS broadcast booth. He would also start the final race of the 1993 season in Atlanta, but he dropped out after just three laps. The reason the team gave for removing the car from the race was a blown engine, however Bonnett was teamed with points leader Dale Earnhardt, and the car was retired to assist Earnhardt in winning the season's championship. Earnhardt needed to maximize his finishing position, and by Bonnett quitting the race he was assured of those three championship points.
Despite the setbacks, Bonnett was encouraged because he had secured a ride and sponsorship for at least six races in the 1994 season with car owner James Finch, including the season opening Daytona 500. But on February 11, 1994, during the first practice session for the 1994 Daytona 500, Bonnett's car suffered a right front tire failure in the track's fourth turn. Bonnett's car hit the outside wall nearly head-on. Bonnett was taken to nearby Halifax Medical Center, but he had died on impact. He was survived by his wife, Susan, and their two children, son David Bonnett (had 19 Busch Series starts), and daughter, Kristen. In a tragic twist, Bonnett's close friend Dale Earnhardt would be killed in an almost identical crash in the same location on the same track a little over seven years later.


Was the Alabama gang cursed ? Many say they were. Many say the 28 car was cursed. I don't know. I do know there will never be another
collective group like The Alabama Gang.

Nascar History, Junior Johnson

Junior Johnson was born Robert Glen Johnson Jr. June 28, 1931 in Wilkes County, North Carolina.
He was a legend in the moonshiner rural south and became a Nascar superstar in the 1950's and 60's.
He grew up on a farm and developed his driving skills running moonshine as a young man. It was routine
for Junior to outrun the local police and federal agents, he was never caught while delivering moonshine
to a customer. Junior became a legend in the South. His driving expertise and outlaw image were much
admired.
Johnson is credited with inventing the "bootleg turn", in which a driver escapes a pursuer by sharply
putting his speeding car into a 180-degree turn on the highway, then speeding off in the opposite direction
before his pursuer can turn around.
Johnson was also known to buy and use police lights and sirens to fool policemen who had set up roadblocks
into thinking that he was a fellow policeman; upon hearing his approach the police would quickly remove the
roadblocks, allowing Johnson to escape with his moonshine.
It was 1955 when Junior decided to go legal. He left the moonshine runnin for a career in Nascar.
His shine runnin skills proved useful on the race track. In his first season, he won 5 races and finished sixth
in the Nascar Grand National point standings. There was no rookie of the year back then, but if there was, he
would have won it.
In 1956, federal tax agents found Johnson working at his father's moonshine still in Wilkes County; they
arrested him. Many local residents believed the raid was done in revenge for the agent's inability to catch
Johnson delivering moonshine on local highways. Johnson was convicted of moonshining and was sent to prison
in Chillicothe, Ohio. He served 11 months of a two-year sentence.
He returned to nascar in 1958, and didn't miss a beat. He won six races in 58. In 1959 he won five more.
By now he was regarded as one of the best short track racers in the sport.
His first superspeedway win was at the Daytona 500 in 1960.
While practicing for that race, Junior discovered the concept of "drafting". He found that if you followed the
car in front of you close enough, you could use the slip stream off of it to slingshot past the car coming out of the
turn. Using this technique, he won the race, even though his car was slower than many others in the field.
The practice of drafting is now common in nascar superspeedway racing.
In 1963, he lapped that field at the World 600 at Charlotte, which was not uncommon, but he lapped them twice.
He lost the lead when a spectator threw a bottle on the track which caused Junior to crash.
In 1966 Junior retired with 50 wins. He ranks 8th on the all time win list, and on the all time polls list (47 polls).
As a team owner, Junior employed a virtual who's who of Nascar, including; LeeRoy Yarborough, Cale Yarborough,
Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Geoffrey Bodine, Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, and Bill Elliott.
He won 139 races as an owner, second only to Petty Enterprises. He has six championships as an owner. Three with Cale, and
three with Darrell Waltrip.

Junior was named one of Nascars Fifty Greatest drivers in 1998. Most would put him in the top 5.
In 1991 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
There was a strech of North Carolina highway named after him in 2004. The Junior Johnson Highway streches from
the Yadkin and Wilkes county line to the Windy Gap exit.

Junior says the greatest moment in his life came in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan granted him a Presidential Pardon
for his 1956 moonshining conviction, restoring his right to vote.