Junior Johnson, the son of a North Carolina bootlegger who became one of the first superstars ofNASCARin the 1950s and 1960s, has died. He was 88.
NASCAR announced Johnson's death Friday. No cause was given, but a statement fromthe racing associationsaid Johnson "had been in declining health and entered hospice care earlier this week."
"Junior Johnson truly was the ‘Last American Hero,'" said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France, referencing the title of a 1965 essay about Johnson by author Tom Wolfe. “From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, Junior wholly embodied the NASCAR spirit.
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