I thought it was unbelievable enough when Ralph Stanley actually cut a radio ad for Obama…but now it appears that the latest endorsement is none other than The Last American Hero.
Yes, it looks like Junior Johnson – THE Junior Johnson – has endorsed Barack Obama. For those of you who just think of Darrell Waltrip as the guy that goes “Boogity boogity boogity” and look funny when somebody talks about Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles in the Winston Cup, let me explain. Junior Johnson started life as a bootlegger, driving his daddy’s moonshine down from the holler in North Carolina in the 50s. He was never caught transporting in his entire career, and mostly laid off it once NASCAR’s Grand National series became a more profitable way to spend his time, but got popped helping his dad stack wood for the still and did some time in the Federal poke.
Afterwards, he became the first true superstar of stock car racing. He discovered drifting AND drafting. He beat everything and everyone else on the track, driving hell bent for leather every single week. He ran the entire 1963 season in a Chevy at a time when Chevrolet had pulled out of stock car racing altogether. He once broke an axle on his car, broke the spare axle, got a third axle from a fan who took it off his own car for Junior and broke that one too. And after retiring, his team went on to win six WInston Cups behind Waltrip and Cale Yarborough. He is, by any legitimate measure of Southern manhood, a stupendous badass.
I am incredulous. If this is legit…wow. Just plain f-ing wow.