Junior Johnson
FILE - NASCAR Cup Series driver Ross Chastain speaks during the NASCAR Championship media day, Nov. 3, 2022, in Phoenix. Chastain, who used a video-game style move now dubbed the “Hail Melon” to snag the final spot in last year’s championship race, earned global recognition in and outside the industry for last October’s wall-riding gamble. The tactic he used of deliberately crashing into the wall for momentum has since been banned by NASCAR. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)
NASCAR Preview: Drivers to watch include Harvick, JJ, Logano

By Jenna Fryer Feb. 13, 2023 03:31 PM EST

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks during a press conference announcing that the NASCAR All-Star Race will be held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May 2023, on the steps of the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. (Ethan Hyman/The News & Observer via AP)
NASCAR returning to North Wilkesboro with '23 All-Star Race

By Gary D. Robertson Sep. 08, 2022 01:52 PM EDT

Empty stands are viewed during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Sunday, June 7, 2020, in Hampton, Ga. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Harvick cherishes Atlanta win, looks to help off the track

By Paul Newberry Jun. 07, 2020 07:43 PM EDT

Checkered flags line a street outside Darlington Raceway Sunday, May 17, 2020, in Darlington, S.C. NASCAR, which has been idle since March 8 because of the coronavirus pandemic, makes its return with the Real Heroes 400 Nascar Cup Series auto race Sunday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Harvick wins at Darlington as NASCAR returns to racing

By Jenna Fryer May. 17, 2020 11:02 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2009, file photo, former NASCAR driver and owner Junior Johnson smiles as he speaks to media about being named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame during a news conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Johnson, who won 50 NASCAR Cup Series races as a driver and 132 as an owner and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010, has died at 88. (AP Photo/Bob Jordan, File)
Junior Johnson, "The Last American Hero," dies at 88

Jenna Fryer Dec. 20, 2019 07:04 PM EST

Junior Johnson, the North Carolina moonshine runner who went on to a NASCAR Hall of Fame racing career, has died at 88

Dec. 20, 2019 06:51 PM EST
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Junior Johnson, the North Carolina moonshine runner who went on to a NASCAR Hall of Fame racing career, has died at 88. ...