"That saved NASCAR": Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s podcast guest recalls how Junior Johnson prevented the sport from doom

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s guest Travis Carter went down memory lane, when NASCAR struggled with sponsorship and Junior Johnson rescued the sport. The former crew chief and team owner expanded how RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and their Winston brand saved NASCAR from being doomed.

Carter worked as a crew chief in NASCAR and owned Travis Carter Motorsports. His resume boasts working for legendary drivers such as Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Bobby Allison, and Darrell Waltrip, to name a few.

During his decades-long career as a crew chief, Carter accomplished several notable triumphs. This included winning the championship with Parsons in 1973 the 1975 Daytona 500, another NASCAR title with Yarborough in 1978, and many more.

He later joined Harry Gant in the Skoal Bandit Cup Series team, sponsored by tobacco magnate, RJ Reynold Tobacco Company. At the time, NASCAR heavily relied on sponsors to fund their daily operations.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. wondered if Junior Johnson helped Travis secure sponsorships and asked (via X).

"You got sponsorship help from Junior? It feels like that he was always sort of at the table. Even though him and NASCAR were at complete odds most of the time, it seemed like he was always behind the scenes, trying to help things keep going in the right direction." (0:27)

Carter replied to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and explained that Jonshon saved NASCAR:

"You probably know it, he's the one that took RJ Reynolds to NASCAR to be the Series sponsor. They went to him talking about sponsoring 4 or 5 cars and they said, 'You need to talk about looking at sponsoring the Series.' Between you and I, and you probably know it, that saved NASCAR."

Carter assumed the ownership role of a Cup series team in 1990 and made 493 starts with ten different drivers through 13 years.

Travis Carter explains Skoal Bandit's Hollywood connection to Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Carter was working with Junior Johnson when Charlotte Motor Speedway's promoter, Humpy Wheeler approached him to work for a new Cup Series team, Skoal Bandit.

Hal Needham and Burt Reynolds founded the Skoal Bandit team. The duo was renowned for their collaborations in films involving cars, namely, Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper, and The Cannonball Run, among others.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. questioned what kind of owner Needham was to which Carter replied and said.

"Terrific. Everybody liked him. His vision, coming from the movie industry, he wanted to do something entertaining. For example, we had at one point, cheerleader girls come dressed up," Carter said via Dirty Mo Media on X.

Carter and Harry Gant worked together in the Skoal Bandit for several years. In 1981, the duo claimed six runner-up spots. Their first triumph came at the Martinsville Speedway in 1982 and they collected nine victories from 1982 to 1988.

Harry Gant drove the Skoal Bandit car to the victory lane four consecutive times in 1991- at Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway, Dover Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway.