Johnson sparred with fellow inductee France Jr.
Junior Johnson was a moonshiner who outran government tax collectors in souped up cars. He not only is one of the pioneers of NASCAR, he served some time in prison for his bootlegging.
You can imagine Johnson has sometimes had trouble with authority, which elicits some chuckles since Johnson is part of the first Hall of Fame class that includes NASCAR's first two rulers, the late Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr.
Before giving the command for drivers to start their engines for Saturday's All-Star race, Johnson insisted he ``never had a cross word with Bill Sr.'' and praised him for doing ``whatever was best for racing.''
As for France's son, who eventually took over NASCAR, Johnson's view is a bit different.
``His head was as hard as a piece of cement,'' Johnson said. ``I had a lot of big arguments with him over safety stuff. He was a ruler, there's no question about it.''
Johnson, who was pardoned in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan for his moonshine conviction, was honored by driver Ryan Newman with a logo on his car during Saturday's race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The 78-year-old Johnson, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday, won 50 races before becoming an accomplished car owner. He's credited with being the first to use drafting in races and other advances - even if Bill France Jr. often tried to squash his ideas.
``When the argument was over we were friends again,'' Johnson said, smiling. ``But he snuffed out everything I came to him with for racing.''
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VICKERS ANXIETY: Brian Vickers is out for the season because of blood clots, and his fellow drivers are eager to learn what caused them.
Vickers announced on Friday he'll miss at least six months because he's on blood thinners after doctors discovered the clots last week in his lungs and left leg.
``All of us should be (concerned) because if it is something that has to do with traveling and flying and anything that is contributed to the race cars, how are seats are molded, anything like that,'' Jeff Gordon said. ``If it is racing related or lifestyle related, then I want to know about it because I don't want it to happen to me. I'm very interested to find out.''
Gordon was one of many drivers to reach out to the 26-year-old Vickers, who won at California last year and had three top-10s this season. Vickers walked out with replacement driver Casey Mears for driving introductions before Saturday's All-Star race.
``It's pretty scary,'' Kyle Busch said. ``You could be living a normal life and all of a sudden, boom, you feel a pain your chest, you go to the hospital and you've got clots.''
Vickers has vowed to return in 2011.
``I know it's a tough thing he's going through, and I can't imagine getting that news if that was me,'' Gordon said. ``I know how much racing means to him.
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BURNOUT BAD BOY: They changed the rules of the burnout competition before the All-Star race after Kyle Busch was disqualified last year for hitting cones that marked the boundaries.
This time, hitting the cones helped with scoring.
Trouble was, Busch was disqualified again - this time for hitting the wall.
``He never plays by the rules,'' fiancee Samantha Sarcinella said.
Joey Logano was voted the winner by a panel of celebrity judges that included former driver Jimmy Spencer, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti from Creed, pro wrestler Jeff Hardy and Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith.
``I just tried to make more smoke,'' said Logano, who donated the $10,000 first-place prize to the U.S. paralympic sled hockey team, whose captains were in attendance.
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NO STEWART DOUBLE: When Charlotte Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith last week suggested a $20 million bonus to anyone who wins the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, Tony Stewart immediately came to mind.
He has a history driving IndyCars and twice ran both races, including completing all 1,100 miles in 1999. But even if the Indy 500 moved up the race time to make the double possible again, Stewart doesn't see it happening.
``They could keep their money, as far as I'm concerned. It's not about the bonus. The reason I would do it is to win the Indy 500,'' Stewart said. ``That's still my lifelong dream.
``I've been out of IndyCar racing for so long, so many things have changed.''
Stewart said he'd have to be involved with an IndyCar team from the start of the season to make it work, highly unlikely with Stewart now 39 and an owner-driver.
``I'm not going to say it's never going to happen,'' he said, ``but I am 99.9 percent sure you are never going to see me sitting in an IndyCar in competition.''
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LITTLE PRAYER: Wearing his own race suit and a day before a big milestone, 5-year-old Taylor Gibbs, the grandson of team owner Joe Gibbs, gave the pre-race prayer.
The boy's leukemia has been in remission for three years. His family, led by father and Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs, planned a celebration Sunday at the dragstrip next to Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Taylor Gibbs yanked the mike from his grandfather, paused briefly, looked down at his feet, and gave a prayer that included a special shout out to JGR drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano.
``And I pray for all the race car drivers - Kyle, Denny and Joey the most - to win the most and to win a lot. And I pray for the other drivers to win sometimes,'' he said.
``And I pray for the people in the hospital. I don't want them to get sick.''
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LUG NUTS: Toyota announced Fay Knape of Danbury, Texas, beat more than 77,500 submissions to win the ``Sponsafy Your Ride Contest.'' Knape's art honoring her one-year-old grandson, Karson, who suffers from a rare lung disease, will be painted on Michael Waltrip's No. 55 car on June 20 when he attempts to qualify at Infineon Raceway. ... Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan waved the green flag for the All-Star race.
