Russell 'Slick' Johnson made 125 Winston Cup starts as an independent driver from North Carolina, a journeyman who raced hard against better-funded teams through the late 1970s and 1980s.
During practice for the 1990 Daytona 500, Johnson crashed and suffered a basilar skull fracture – the same injury that would later kill Dale Earnhardt. He died at 41, one of several deaths that slowly pushed NASCAR toward serious safety reform.
At a Glance
- Born: February 23, 1948, Candler, North Carolina
- Died: February 14, 1990, Daytona Beach, Florida
- Age: 41
- Cause of death: Injuries from a crash in Daytona 500 practice
From the Book
This profile is adapted from Legends at Rest: NASCAR Legends by Howard Wear.