Slick Johnson

A native of Florence, South Carolina,[1] Johnson started his racing career on dirt tracks at age 16; his racing career was interrupted due to his spending time in the military, however he returned to competition in 1968 at Cooper River Speedway;[2] Johnson also competed at other tracks in the Carolinas during the late 1960s and 1970s including Sumter Speedway.

He would go on to compete in a total of 68 Winston Cup Series races between 1979 and 1987, posting a best finish of eighth on two occasions, both in 1980, at North Wilkesboro Speedway and at Rockingham.

[5] Johnson also competed in a single Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series race in his career, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1983; he started 19th and finished 28th in the event.

[7] Transported to Halifax Medical Center in critical condition, Johnson died three days later; he was the 23rd racing-related fatality at Daytona, and the first stock car driver to be killed since Joe Young in 1987.

[8] The accident in which Johnson was involved, in which paramedic Mike Staley was also injured one lap later, was featured in an episode of Rescue 911 that aired on November 13, 1990 on CBS.

Johnson's 1983 Cup car