Slick Johnson

---

title: "Slick Johnson" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1948-births", "1990-deaths", "sportspeople-from-florence,-south-carolina", "racing-drivers-from-south-carolina", "nascar-drivers", "arca-menards-series-drivers", "racing-drivers-who-died-while-racing", "sports-deaths-in-florida", "filmed-deaths-in-motorsport", "daytona-500-drivers", "coca-cola-600-drivers", "20th-century-american-people", "southern-500-drivers"] description: "American stock car racing driver" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slick_Johnson" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American stock car racing driver ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox NASCAR driver"]

Field	Value
name	Slick Johnson
birth_name	Julius David Johnson III
birth_date
birth_place	Florence, South Carolina, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
death_cause	Basilar skull fracture and crushed chest caused by racing accident
Total_Cup_Races	68
Years_In_Cup	8
Best_Cup_Pos	23rd (1980)
First_Cup_Race	1979 Carolina 500 (Rockingham)
Last_Cup_Race	1987 Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Cup_Wins	0
Cup_Top_Tens	7
Cup_Poles	0
Total_Busch_Races	1
Years_In_Busch	1
Best_Busch_Pos	138th (1983)
First_Busch_Race	1983 Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte)
Busch_Wins	0
Busch_Top_Tens	0
Busch_Poles	0
::

| name = Slick Johnson | image = | caption = | birth_name = Julius David Johnson III | birth_date = | birth_place = Florence, South Carolina, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | death_cause = Basilar skull fracture and crushed chest caused by racing accident | achievements = | awards = | Total_Cup_Races = 68 | Years_In_Cup = 8 | Best_Cup_Pos = 23rd (1980) | First_Cup_Race = 1979 Carolina 500 (Rockingham) | Last_Cup_Race = 1987 Holly Farms 400 (North Wilkesboro) | Cup_Wins = 0 | Cup_Top_Tens = 7 | Cup_Poles = 0 | Total_Busch_Races = 1 | Years_In_Busch = 1 | Best_Busch_Pos = 138th (1983) | First_Busch_Race = 1983 Mello Yello 300 (Charlotte) | Last_Busch_Race = | Busch_Wins = 0 | Busch_Top_Tens = 0 | Busch_Poles = 0 Julius David "Slick" Johnson III (February 23, 1948 – February 14, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. A veteran of short track competition in the Carolinas, he competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series during the 1980s; his best finish in the series, second, came in a non-points consolation race at Daytona International Speedway. He was killed in a racing accident in an ARCA race at Daytona in 1990.

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/SlickJohnsonNASCARCar1983.jpg" caption="Johnson's 1983 Cup car"] ::

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

Moving up from local competition during the 1970s, Johnson made his first start in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition in 1979 at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, finishing 27th in his first race in the series. 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. Johnson also finished second, to Tim Richmond, in a non-points consolation race for Daytona 500 non-qualifiers at Daytona International Speedway in 1982.

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

Death

In 1988 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Johnson was injured in a severe crash during a practice session. Following his recovery, Johnson returned to racing in the ARCA Permatex Super Car Series season-opening 200-mile race at Daytona International Speedway in 1990. Starting last in the forty-car field, Johnson was involved in a crash on the race's 76th lap that left him with a basal skull fracture and crushed chest; Johnson had been hit by three other cars during the course of the accident. 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.

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.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

::data[format=table]

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results	Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	NWCC	Pts	Ref	1979	Satterfield Racing	87	Chevy	42nd	431	Johnson Racing	51	Chevy	1980	53	23rd	1851	1981	65th	216	Ulrich Racing	40	Buick	1982	Hylton Motorsports	48	Buick	29th	1261	Pontiac	Ulrich Racing	40	Buick	1983	Billy Matthews Racing	42	Buick	38th	705	Satterfield Racing	18	Buick	Cronkrite Racing	96	Chevy	1984	Jimmy Means Racing	52	Pontiac	NA	0	Satterfield Racing	18	Chevy	1985	Gray Racing	31	Chevy	48th	343	Spohn Racing	05	Ford	51	Blue Max Racing	27	Pontiac	1986	Gray Racing	54	Chevy	NA	-	1987	Hamby Motorsports	12	Olds	47th	444	Chevy	Fillip Racing	81	Ford	1988	Sadler Brothers Racing	95	Chevy	NA	-
RSD	DAY	CAR
27	RCH	ATL	NWS
24	BRI	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	TWS	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT	NWS
	CAR
10	ATL
13	ONT
RSD	DAY
14	RCH	CAR
30	ATL
10	BRI
26	DAR
25	NWS
9	MAR
9	TAL	NSV
25	DOV	CLT
32	TWS
30	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV
13	POC
31	TAL
19	MCH	BRI	DAR
15	RCH	DOV	NWS
8	MAR
24	CLT
40	CAR
8	ATL	ONT
RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR
25	ATL
34	BRI	NWS	DAR
32	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	TWS	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI
	DAR
35	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD
DAY
DNQ		CAR
18	DAR
26		TAL
12
	RCH
17	BRI
21	ATL		NWS
30	MAR
10
	NSV
25	DOV
16	CLT
18	POC
29	RSD	MCH
30	DAY
34	NSV
28	POC	TAL
32	MCH	BRI	DAR
32	RCH	DOV	NWS	CLT
DNQ	MAR	CAR
19	ATL	RSD
DAY
DNQ
	RCH
27	CAR
23	ATL
34	DAR
29	NWS
25	MAR
28	TAL	NSV	DOV	BRI	CLT
24	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC
37	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR
27	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT
	CAR
20	ATL	RSD
DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH
DNQ	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI
	DAR
36	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT	NWS	CAR	ATL	RSD
DAY
20	RCH
	CAR
15	ATL
21	BRI	DAR
36	NWS	MAR	TAL
DNQ	DOV	CLT
17	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI
	DAR
29	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR
	ATL
QL†	RSD
DAY
QL‡	RCH	CAR	ATL
QL‡	BRI	DAR	NWS	MAR	TAL	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	RSD
DAY	CAR	RCH
19	ATL		NWS
19		MAR
30		MAR
25
	DAR
12		BRI
14		TAL
15	CLT	DOV	POC	RSD	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL	GLN	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV
	NWS
32	CLT	CAR	RSD	ATL
DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	DAR	BRI	NWS	MAR	TAL	CLT	DOV	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	POC	TAL
DNQ	GLN	MCH
DNQ	BRI	DAR
DNQ	RCH	DOV	MAR	CLT
DNQ	NWS	CAR	PHO	ATL
† - Qualified but replaced by Tim Richmond · ‡ - Qualified but replaced by Eddie Bierschwale
::

Daytona 500

::data[format=table]

Year	Team	Manufacturer	Start	Finish
1980	Johnson Racing	Chevrolet	39	14
1982	Hylton Motorsports	Buick	DNQ
1983	Billy Matthews Racing	Buick	DNQ
1985	Gray Racing	Chevrolet	40	20
1986	QL†
† - Qualified but replaced by Eddie Bierschwale
::

Late Model Sportsman Series

::data[format=table]

NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series results	Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NLMSC	Pts	Ref	1983	46	Buick	138th	79
DAY	RCH	CAR	HCY	MAR	NWS	SBO	GPS	LGY	DOV	BRI	CLT
28	SBO	HCY	ROU	SBO	ROU	CRW	ROU	SBO	HCY	LGY	IRP	GPS	BRI	HCY	DAR	RCH	NWS	SBO	MAR	ROU	CLT	HCY	MAR
::

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) ::data[format=table]

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series results	Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	APSC	Pts	Ref	1983	Satterfield Racing	81	Buick	NA	0	1989	Sadler Brothers Racing	95	Chevy	108th	-	1990	Pontiac	102nd	-
DAY	NSV	TAL	LPR	LPR	ISF	IRP	SSP	FRS	BFS	WIN	LPR	POC	TAL
8	MCS	FRS	MIL	DSF	ZAN	SND
DAY	ATL	KIL	TAL	FRS	POC	KIL	HAG	POC	TAL	DEL	FRS	ISF	TOL	DSF	SLM	ATL
10
DAY
17	ATL	KIL	TAL	FRS	POC	KIL	TOL	HAG	POC	TAL	MCH	ISF	TOL	DSF	WIN	DEL	ATL
::

References

References

1. Siano, Joseph. (February 18, 1990). "Experience Is Lacking". [[The New York Times]].
2. (June 27, 1968). "Cooper River Welcomes Back Slick Johnson". [[The News and Courier]].
3. Watts, Dargan. (June 30, 1969). "Johnson Tops Sumter Field". [[The Sumter Daily Item]].
4. "Slick Johnson – NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". USA Today Sports Media Group.
5. Hinshaw, Lydia. (February 13, 1982). "Richmond Slips By Slick For Win". [[The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
6. "Slick Johnson – NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". USA Today Sports Media Group.
7. Glick, Shav. (February 13, 1990). "Driver Still Critical, but Course Worker Improves at Daytona". [[Los Angeles Times]].
8. (February 15, 1990). "Driver Dies of Injuries Suffered in Daytona Crash". Los Angeles Times.
9. (November 13, 1990). "Candy stars in 'Uncle Buck' tonight at 9 on CBS". [[The Item]].
10. "Slick Johnson – 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
11. "Slick Johnson – 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
12. "Slick Johnson – 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
13. "Slick Johnson – 1982 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
14. "Slick Johnson – 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
15. "Slick Johnson – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
16. "Slick Johnson – 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
17. "Slick Johnson – 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
18. "Slick Johnson – 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
19. "Slick Johnson – 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference.
20. "Slick Johnson – 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference.
21. "Slick Johnson – 1983 Season Results ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series". TheThirdTurn.
22. "Slick Johnson – 1989 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.
23. "Slick Johnson – 1990 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference.

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