YOU MAY HAVE HEARD that Robert Glenn "Junior" Johnson Jr. died recently. I hadn't seen Junior since 2005, but I saw him pretty often from 1990 through about 2001.
Junior was one of my favorite car owners. He'd won six Winston Cup championships, three each with Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip, and he'd had winning teams with Bill Elliott and others. Junior's 11 team was one of the most important in NASCAR's top series.
Before that, he'd been one of the best drivers ever, winning 50 Cup races. He was one of the main reasons that Winston hooked up with NASCAR from 1971 until 2003; he'd introduced the two parties.
He's a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and other halls of fame.
But, to me, his teams and wins were not as important as his relationship with the media. While Elliott was tough to talk to by beat reporters (he was great with TV guys), Junior was always available to us and open with us.
When Darlington Raceway wanted me to do a program story on Elliott, I talked to Elliott, but I also talked to Junior. And I got more out of Junior.
I remember one phone interview that ended with Junior inviting me to visit his farm in Ronda, N.C. I never had the chance to do that, and I've always wished I had.
The last time I saw Junior was 2005, when the Winston Cup Museum opened in Winston-Salem, N.C. Sadly, we didn't talk. I had too many other people to deal with.
Among all the people I met on the NASCAR tour, Junior was one of the good guys.
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