Find or Sell any Parts for Your Vehicle in USA

Ed Justice Jr.'s perfect car-guy childhood led him here

Thu, 03 Apr 2014

Ed Justice Jr. had a famous dad named Ed Sr. and two famous uncles, Zeke and Gus: the siblings who made up the Justice Brothers lubricant company. It seemed to then-young Ed Jr., who now runs said company, that his dad and uncles knew and sponsored everyone in racing.

He wasn't too far off.

Justice Brothers was a business that had its products, sponsorship and “JB” stickers prominently featured in almost every facet of motorsports. And, indeed, they just about were everywhere—Justice Brothers sponsored Johnnie Parsons when he won the Indy 500, as well as the Granatelli brothers at Indy; they gave “Big Daddy” Don Garlits his first full-season sponsorship, a whopping $1,000 for the year. The list and the sticker placements go on and on, with the company's influence enduring to this day.

“Frank Kurtis used to come by our office all the time,” Justice said of the famed race-car designer. “[Two-time Indy 500 champ] Rodger Ward worked for us for a while. Johnnie Parsons worked for us—all these people from all forms of racing.”

It was into this business that Ed Justice, Jr. was born. Right away, he was drawn to it. Most weekends growing up, Ed Jr. was at a racetrack with his dad.

“You don't realize it as a kid. Then you get to a certain age and you realize, 'Hey, that was cool!' “

Justice spent so much time at racetracks, he started a lifetime passion for motorsports photography, first just to have something to do at the tracks, then to make money. He has had work published in almost every U.S. racing magazine. When he was in high school, he had a racing column—not in the school newspaper, but in National Dragster.

“Ascot, Lions [drag strip], Pomona, Ontario, Riverside—I shot it all,” said Justice, who has published three books, too. But it hasn't been all play. Not too long after adulthood hit, Justice began running the family business. When he took the helm, Justice expanded a catalog of 13 Justice Brothers products to more than 100. The business now has about

100 employees, and “thousands” of reps sell JB lubricants around the world.

At company headquarters in Duarte, Calif., is a sprawling museum packed with race cars of all description, though the Kurtis Kraft midgets Uncle Zeke built seem to be favorites. The place represents two generations of family motorsports—so far. Justice's dad and uncles passed away several years ago.

The museum serves as a perfectly fitting memorial to their life's work.

“Now that they're gone, it's a tribute to them,” said Ed.

The museum is open to the public for free, sort of a way to thank the motorsports fans and the racers for all they've meant to the family.

“I've been very, very blessed to be born into this family,” said Justice. “I really, really do love this.”




By Mark Vaughn