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I mentioned Junior Johnson in a post last week, because he was here in Oxford as a part of the Southern Foodways conference.  Above is a picture of Junior Johnson and my wife, Joyce Freeland. Below is a picture of him in his heyday.

As NASCAR devotees will know, Johnson was the first big NASCAR star, winning 50 races in his career, including the second Daytona 500 in 1960. He was also famously a moonshine runner and the subject of Tom Wolfe’s 1964 essay in Esquire, “The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson, Yes!” Among other things, he invented the bootleg turn.

He’s endorsed Barack Obama in an endorsement that is being focused in North Carolina in much the same way as the endorsement by bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley was focused on Virginia. I think it should play all across the south. Here’s what Junior Johnson said (source):

My family and I have given this election a lot of thought.

Our country is in a rough spot, and we’re going to need some serious change. There’s only one candidate ready to deliver it — and that’s Barack Obama.

Every day I talk to someone else who’s never voted for a Democrat, but now they’re voting for Barack Obama. They realize that Barack understands what we’re going through here in North Carolina. And they’re ready for change.

So I’ve made up my mind, and I’m ready to get involved. I know that I could never have won a race without my pit crew, and I know Barack can’t win this one without us.

Can you sign up to volunteer this last crucial week?

When I talk to folks about why I support Barack, I just tell it like I see it.

There’s been a lot thrown at him this election, and he’s stayed calm, positive, and focused. I know a little something about how important it is to stay cool under pressure.

And with all the dangers in our world today, that’s the kind of rock-solid leadership our country needs.

These days, I run a small country ham and pork skins business. Barack Obama will fight for a fair economy where small businesses like mine have the freedom to grow, and he’ll defend the Second Amendment to protect the hunter’s way of life.

But the most important reasons I’m speaking out for Barack Obama are named Robert and Meredith, my two children. My wife Lisa and I talked it over, and honestly, we know in our gut that their future is more secure if Barack Obama is president.

At the end of the day, there’s just nothing more important than that.

That’s why I’m going to talk to my neighbors this week, and I’m asking you to do the same. This election in North Carolina is going to be one of the closest ever, and we all need to lend a hand.