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Herman Austin Johnson (March 4, 1953 – December 10, 2016), was a driver in theCARTIndy Car series, born inEau Claire, Wisconsin. He raced in seven seasons (1979–1985), with 35^[1] career starts. He drove in theIndianapolis 500 in1982 and1984. He finished in the top ten eight times, with his best finish in 6th position in1982 atAtlanta.

In 1976, Johnson won theSCCANational Championship atRoad Atlanta and was the 1977USACMini-Indy Champion. Johnson had two serious pit fires in 1981 roughly a month apart from each other. Johnson's father suffered a fatal heart attack, just days before the1982 Indianapolis 500.^[2] Also during this race,Rick Mears bumped into the back of his car on a lap 183 pit stop. For his next race Johnson, who ran a business painting helmets, trimmed the back edge of his rear wing with the message "Rick...if you can read this, you're too close."

Johnson suffered a serious crash in practice for the1986 Indianapolis 500. Johnson suffered injuries to his back and neck, and the crash effectively ended his Indy car driving career. After his recovery, Herm was known to occasionally compete in sports car and ice racing events.

Johnson resided in Eau Claire, running a custom painting business, 'Just Herm Designs'. The shop has done work for several Indy 500 winners, IndyCar, and NHRA Champions, as well as amateur racers. The shop specializes in custom paint jobs for helmets, race cars, and motorcycles. Johnson also served as a performance driving instructor^[3] atBrainerd International Raceway inBrainerd, Minnesota.

On December 10, 2016, Johnson died from liver and renal failure.^[4]

• 1953 births
• 2016 deaths
• Champ Car drivers
• Indianapolis 500 drivers
• Sportspeople from Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• Racing drivers from Wisconsin
• SCCA Formula Super Vee drivers
• Formula Super Vee Champions
• SCCA National Championship Runoffs winners
• Deaths from kidney failure

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