The five-time Australian Touring Car Championship winner and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner was celebrated at Ford’s annual season launch.
Johnson, 79, was in attendance for the banquet where he received the Spirit of Ford award.
He joins an illustrious list of winners, which includes the likes of Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Sir Jackie Stewart, Jim Clark, Stirling Moss, Dan Gurney, and Carroll Shelby to name a few.
Read the full tribute from Edsel Ford below.
From Rock Bottom to Racing Royalty: Dick Johnson’s Unbelievable Journey, by Edsel Ford
As someone who has been around the Ford racing program for almost 60 years, I have always said that it’s the people that make this sport so special.
Dick Johnson is one of those special people, and he is this year’s Spirit of Ford award honoree. It’s the highest honor Ford Motor Company gives to people in racing who have made a significant contribution to the sport, on and off the racetrack.
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Dick Johnson means a great deal to me. When I worked for Ford Australia in 1980, we were in the midst of trying to improve our Australian Touring Car racing program.
In 1980, the same year he started Dick Johnson Racing, Johnson started second in his Falcon at the famous Bathurst 1000. But he was knocked out of the race early by a large, errant rock that had been kicked onto the track by some fans.
Channel 7 in Australia, who was covering the event organized a fundraiser that raised $72,000 for Johnson to get back into the sport.
We at Ford saw an opportunity to help this popular racer and pledged that Ford would match what the fans raised. The $144,000 raised between fans and Ford was enough for Johnson to get a new Falcon for the 1981 season, and the rest, they say, is history.
Today, Dick Johnson is a Supercars and racing legend. He spent 22 seasons driving Ford vehicles, including winning five championships. He even had seven NASCAR Cup starts.
DJR has won 10 championships and 148 race wins, but more importantly, it has become the face of Ford in racing in Australia. This year, Johnson and DJR enter their 45th season with Ford. The rock incident is part of Supercars lore, where some of the most loyal and passionate Ford fans remain.
Dick himself has been a loyal, talented, witty, and intense competitor on the track as a driver, with the media and fans, and now as a team owner. Just as important, he is a treasured friend of mine and all of us at Ford.
Edsel B. Ford II is a former vice president and board member of Ford Motor Company.
Spirit of Ford award winners
Bill Stroppe (1988)
Bob Glidden (1989)
Chris Economaki (1990)
Richard Petty (1992)
Bob Bondurant (1993)
Mario Andretti (1994)
Sir Jackie Stewart (1994)
Bud Moore (1995)
Parnelli Jones (1996)
Jim Clark (1997)
Phil Hill (1998)
Stirling Moss (1998)
France Family – Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. (1998)
Junie Donlavey (1999)
Wood Brothers – Glen and Leonard Wood (1999)
Dan Gurney (1999)
Denise McCluggage (2000)
Bill Elliott (2000)
Carroll Shelby (2001)
Wally Parks (2001)
Ned Jarrett (2003)
Mose Nowland (2005)
Jack Roush (2006)
John Force (2010)
Kevin Kennedy (2011)
A.J. Foyt (2017)
Lyn St. James (2021)
Alan Mann Racing (2024)
Dick Johnson (2025)
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