In drag-racing circles, Hank Johnson was known as “Gentleman Hank.”
The Snohomish County native and lifelong Snohomish County resident may have made his name through his ability to reach extreme speeds in a car, but he was equally well known for his friendly disposition.
The affable dragster driver, who won the Top Fuel division at the National Hot Rod Association Super Nationals in 1971, passed away April 8 following a four-year battle with carcenoid cancer. He was 74.
“He was very kind, a friend to all,” Johnson’s wife of 43 years, Betty, said. “If he made a commitment to someone, he didn’t back out of it. He was an all-around great guy.”
Johnson, who was originally from Marysville but lived the past 31 years in Monroe, spent a lifetime racing dragsters, including 15 years from 1971-86 as part of the NHRA national circuit. His accomplishments, in addition to his victory at Super Nationals in 1971, included a victory at the 1984 Winter Nationals in the Alcohol Funny Car division, two top-10 finishes in the point standings in Top Fuel, and two Northwest Regional titles in Top Fuel.
“I would say it was his passion,” Johnson’s longtime friend and racing associate Bucky Austin said. “Everyone has a passion or a drug of choice, and racing was his drug of choice. He loved it, he absolutely loved it.”
Johnson began racing dragsters in the early 1950s, his first car being a 1939 Chevrolet with a GMC six-cylinder engine.
After progressing through Willys and Slingshot dragsters in the 1960s, Johnson began competing in the national NHRA Top Fuel division in 1971. He made an immediate splash at the national level, as his victory in the Super Nationals at the Ontario Motor Speedway was his first time racing at a national event. The victory also played a part in Johnson’s marriage, as it was during the celebrations of the victory that Johnson asked Betty out for the first time.
It was around this time that Johnson also was given the nickname “Gentleman Hank.” John Jelvick, who then worked for Al’s Auto Supply, was attending a race in Seattle seeking a car to sponsor. After a friendly meeting with Johnson, Jelvick bestowed the nickname on Johnson, and it stuck. Jelvick eventually opened his own business and sponsored Johnson as Mr. Auto Supply.
“He was the type of guy who, even if he didn’t know you or was busy, if you had a question he’d stop what he was doing and try and answer it,” Austin said in explaining Johnson’s nickname. “He always took the time to talk to fans or people interested in racing, and he’d help other racers, too. If someone had a problem, Hank would stop what he was doing and try to help. He’s the type of person you’d want your son or daughter to grow up like.
“I never met a person who didn’t like Hank.”
In 1977, Johnson switched from racing Top Fuel to racing an Alcohol Funny Car, with the highlight of his Alcohol Funny Car years being his Winter Nationals victory in Pomona, California, in 1984.
Johnson retired from drag racing in 1986.
“He was a racer who did everything himself,” Austin said. “We call these kinds of guys ‘old school.’ He virtually built the car, he crew chiefed the car and he drove the car. That’s the way it was when drag racing started.
“Out of his equipment he made more horsepower spending less money than anybody,” Austin added. “When he quit in 1986 that was part of the determination. It got to be so expensive because you had to hire a driver and a crew chief and specialists for this and that. He decided to put his money and effort back into his business instead.”
But Johnson’s time being involved in racing wasn’t over yet. In 2009, he returned to the sport, joining Austin’s crew that races a Nostalgia Funny Car. Though Johnson was no longer driving, he assisted the team as it won the NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series Funny Car points championship in 2016.
And as always, Johnson did it as a gentleman.
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