Bobby was one of the very few race car drivers to continue with Pontiac after the AMA ban in 1963. Here, he poses on pit road with his own '64 Pontiac Catalina during Speedweeks in February 1964. He fell out of the 1964 Daytona 500 after only 15 laps due to engine trouble.
HPP: In 1963, Pontiac pulled the plug on factory-sponsored racing. What happened?
BJ: We had a factory deal direct out of Indiana with Nichels Engineering and our cars were all transported out to Riverside, California, for the opening race, which was before the Daytona 500. In the preliminaries, I laid mine on its side. I didn't hurt it. I just took the door handle off of it-that's how soft a landing it was. I ran Third in that race, which was the first or second time I'd been on a road course. It was a good driving car. Then we brought it back to Miami and maintained it until they pulled the plug right after Daytona. We tried to run the car on our own for most of the year.
HPP: What Pontiac racing year is most special to you?
BJ: I would say 1962 was our highlight, when we ran so well at Bristol. We did well at the other tracks, too, but Bristol was the payoff.
HPP: What other life events became possible because of your involvement in Pontiac racing?
BJ: Meeting John DeLorean and Ed Cole-being able to associate with them back in those days-was an honor and a privilege. When I was in Detroit, Mr. Cole took me to some of the places GM kept cars and where he had some of his toys. It was a mind-opening experience for somebody who was a grease monkey to have the opportunity to meet such noted people and make such great friends. They were truly friends. They put a lot of thought into their product and I thought very highly of Pontiac. It was a way to make a living and it was an obligation to do the best you could do for the people because they depended on you. It surpassed any other group of people I worked with before. It was a great association.
HPP: You were one of the only NASCAR drivers to stay with Pontiac for the years following the AMA ban on factory-sponsored racing. What did you race in 1964?
BJ: I ran a 421-powered '64 Catalina.
HPP: Please tell us about the most unlikely place you installed a 421 Super-Duty.
BJ: In 1963, my dad and I installed a 421 SD in the '57 Chevy that we ran as a Grand National in the early years (1958-1959). We went to Speedweeks at Daytona and sat on the pole for the Daytona 300 (currently called the Busch series) at 164.223 mph. Only Smokey's "Mystery Motor" '63 Chevy 396 was faster, at 165.183 mph.
HPP: What is your favorite Pontiac?
BJ: The '62 Grand Prix, Midnight Blue with black interior-long hood and very, very elegant. I really love that Midnight Blue '62 GP with its 8-lug wheels.
HPP: How can people learn more about your career?
BJ: There's information on my career at www.legendsofnascar.com/Bobby_Johns. Tell your readers they're welcome to go check it out.
Shorty Johns celebrates after a Darlington race with his son, Bobby, and two unnamed females. Bobby credits his dad for getting him started in racing Pontiacs.
The Man behind Bobby Johns-NASCAR race car owner and mechanic Shorty Johns
My dad was really an innovator of things that go in the racing world. He used to grind his own cams and make up gearboxes.
For instance, the hood pins that you see nowadays on all the race cars was my dad's invention, dating back to 1956, in Columbia, South Carolina. We showed up with our Chevrolet with hood pins on the hood, and from that time on, they just took off. Now people everywhere have those hood pins on their race cars, and their street cars too. NASCAR saw them and thought it was a good idea.
My dad had many other innovations such as special oiling equipment that he used to oil an engine up during the pit stop without ever lifting the hood. He would hand me a hose and I would plug it into the dashboard and the tank would register a drop in pressure. Within seconds, I had my engine full without raising the hood. Of course, NASCAR ruled that out at a later time. And then there were the body templates. My dad was the instigator for those in Atlanta in 1966.