A guy with a souped up car with a 200gallon moonshine tank, driving his coupe at breakneck speeds through the twisty mountain roads to deliver the shine. In the 1970s and 1980s, he became a nascar racing team owner. Wendell oliver scott august 29, 1921 december 23, 1990 was an american stock car racing driver. Just imagine the amount of booze that had to be moved on a daily basis. One of the best on dirt tracks was lumberman curtis turner, a very popular nascar driver who cofounded charlotte motor speedway in 1960. Put the pedal to the metal on this quiz, and well guess your favorite nascar driver.
He was one of the first africanamerican drivers in nascar, and the first africanamerican to win a race in the grand national series, nascar s highest level scott began his racing career in local circuits and attained his nascar license in around 1953, making him the first africanamerican. Turner began running moonshine on dirt roads throughout roanoke county, va. The sum of the driver s finishing positions divided by the number of finishes. Nascar rooted in prohibition bootlegging prohibition. With roots in running moonshine and fastpaced action, nascar auto racing is one of americas favorite sporting events. Out of this meeting, the national association for stock car auto racing nascar was formed. He honed his driving skills running moonshine through the north. Nascars brendan gaughan takes a shine to new business. There were the flock brothers, bob, fonty and tim, whiskey trippers all, before they became nascar pioneers. Nascar has quite a dark history, with the sport rooted in southern american traditions like bootlegging moonshine and illegally running tobacco.
Junior was instantly one of the initial stars of the series, winning 50 nascar races in the 1950s and 1960s, and going on to run his own team with drivers including darel dieringer, leeroy. Mar 20, 2007 before there was nascar national association of stock car auto racing, there were moonrunners. However, it wasnt always an art or a tradition for many, it was a way of life. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit.
In october 2018, nascar joined forces with tennessees sugarlands shine to. Dec 21, 2019 robert glenn junior johnson, the moonshine runner turned nascar driver described as the last american hero by author tom wolfe in a 1965 article for esquire, died friday. Nascar hall of famer and last american hero junior johnson. With driver personalities as colorful as the logoplastered cars, everyone has a favorite wheelman. June 28, 1931 december 20, 2019, better known as junior. Rotgut and firewater are the founding fathers of our nations racing. Dec 20, 2019 nascar icon junior johnson, whose rich history as a driver, mechanic and team owner began as a moonshiner outrunning the law in the nc mountains, has died, nascar said friday. He was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame in 2010. Their cars looked normal from the outside, so as not to attract unwanted attention. The roof of the car was three to five inches closer to the ground than usual, and the windshield was. Robert glenn junior johnson, the moonshine runner turned nascar driver described as the last american hero by author tom wolfe in a 1965 article for esquire, died friday. Before there was nascar national association of stock car auto racing, there were moonrunners.
How a group of daring bootleggers created nascar gastro obscura. He won 50 races in nascars top division the most of any driver. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit, nascar chairman jim france said. Junior johnson, moonshine runner who went on to a nascar hall. Junior johnson, a racing icon who ran moonshine before. Were all aware nascar started as a place for the illegal liquor moonshine runners in the southeast to compete against each other on racetracks instead of windy, dirt mountain roads. Ca may be the birthplace of hot rodding, but there were others building fast cars for reasons besides racing all over the country. After an 11 month incarceration, he returned to racing and running moonshine. Most perhaps all of the drivers were involved in the moonshine trade. June 28, 1931 december 20, 2019, better known as junior johnson, was a nascar driver of the 1950s and 1960s. Dec 20, 2019 from his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit.
Legendary nascar drivers attend this festival to meet fans, and the organizers put together one of the largest collections of authentic moonshine hauling cars in the country. He was an inaugural nascar hall of famer, a nod to an extraordinary career as both a. Dec 20, 2019 robert glenn junior johnson, a moonshine runner turned nascar driver described as the last american hero by author tom wolfe in a 1965 article for esquire, died friday. It was at daytona, that junior is credited with discovering the technique of drafting. Hauling illegal liquor national geographic youtube. He honed his driving skills running moonshine through the north carolina hills, a crime for which he received a federal conviction in 1956 and a. Even though those types of things seem like problems of the past, the show moonshiners illustrates that its still an issue in. They used illegal forms of moonshine distribution to avoid taxes and outright bans of the products.
Johnsons ancestors had been making moonshine since the days of the. Junior johnson, a racing icon who ran moonshine before nascar. Sugarlands distilling company has just become the official moonshine of nascar. Many future nascar drivers cut their teeth bootlegging illegal moonshine in the 1940s, such as nascar hall of famer junior johnson, who won his learners permit by running corn mash hooch before his nascar debut in 1955. Moonshine runners and their role in the history of hot.
He was also a member of the inaugural class of the nascar hall of fame in 2010. How a group of daring bootleggers created nascar gastro. Not a huge surprise since many of the early drivers, mechanics and team owners in nascar were moonshiners. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit, nascar. Junior johnson was part of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame.
In addition, they will be the primary sponsor of the 2019 nascar truck series race at talladega superspeedway. Nascar icon junior johnson, whose rich history as a driver, mechanic and team owner began as a moonshiner outrunning the law in the nc mountains, has died, nascar. Nascars brendan gaughan takes a shine to new business venture nascar driver brendan gaughan of las vegas is now running moonshine legal moonshine out of a local distillery. Moonshine was the fuel nascar raced on, while pretending it needed only gasoline. Legendary nascar driver, subject of the last american. Lightening lloyd seay, was born in georgia on december 14, 1919, just more than a month before prohibition started.
Coronavirus brings distilleries, nascar full circle racing. He went on to win 55 races including events in nascars convertible division. Junior johnson returned to his moonshine roots when he became. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life, junior wholly embodied the nascar spirit, nascar chairman jim france said in a statement. In 1966, even while still a driver, johnson fielded a ford galaxie for driver fred lorenzen. As a driver during parts of the 19531966 seasons, he won 50 cup series races in a career that was interrupted for almost a year while he did prison time for making and running moonshine. Dec 21, 2019 johnson had a storied career in the sport which he won 50 races as a driver and 2 more as an owner. Moonshining was part of my growing up, but it was also part of my. Junior johnson, moonshine runner who went on to a nascar. Nascar announced the death of johnson, the winner of 50 races as a driver and 2 as an owner.
Junior johnson, nascar legend known as the last american. The moonshine drivers found a home racing in nascar. The sum of the laps run in the top 15 divided by total laps completed. Even though those types of things seem like problems of the past, the show moonshiners illustrates that its still an issue in the south even though thats a scripted reality show. Driving with the devil is the story of bootleggers whose empires grew during prohibition and continued to thrive well after repeal, and of drivers who thundered down. A pretty impressive record given the fact that junior johnson in the 1950s was running 4 stills at the same time, where he had 25 people working for him.
Oct, 2018 sugarlands says the history of moonshine and nascar made this partnership the right choice. Over the span of his 14 year nascar career, junior won 50 races, including the second annual daytona 500 in 1960. Johnson won 50 nascar races as a driver and 2 as an owner, and was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame in 2010. In october 2018, nascar joined forces with tennessees sugarlands shine to sell.
Jul 02, 2017 the nascar legend takes great pride in the fact that he never lost a race to officers of the law. In a twist on nascar s roots in running moonshine during prohibition, two virginia distilleries, springfield distillery and bondurant brothers, are partnering with nascar driver colin garrett. Dec 21, 2019 as a driver during parts of the 19531966 seasons, he won 50 cup series races in a career that was interrupted for almost a year while he did prison time for making and running moonshine. The privatelyowned company was founded by bill france sr. Aug 29, 2018 the future nascar hall of famer and team owner first discovered his talent behind the wheel while running moonshine as a teen. I read a story in a magazine a long while back about how running moonshine is how a lot of the early stock car drivers got started. How moonshine bootlegging gave rise to nascar travel. Dec 21, 2019 johnson won 50 nascar races as a driver and 2 as an owner, and was a member of the inaugural class inducted into the nascar hall of fame in 2010. Brendan gaughan to retire after fourrace slate in 2020. The national association for stock car auto racing nascar is an american auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stockcar racing. Moonshine runners and their role in the history of hot rods.
Usually at night, and usually with police or revenuers waiting for him. See more ideas about nascar, nascar racing and race cars. Legendary nascar drivers attend this festival to meet fans, and the organizers put together one of the largest collections of authentic moonshine. I started doing research on nascar, and obviously one of the important questions i wanted to look at was the whole role of moonshine. Moonshine runners, history, and their cars tom wolfe dubbed junior johnson and the north carolina moonshine runnersthe last american heroes and we all know their connection to nascar. Johnson had a storied career in the sport which he won 50 races as a driver and 2 more as an owner. How are prohibition and nascar related to each other. He won 50 nascar races in his career before retiring in 1966.
Nascar announced the death of johnson, the winner of 50 races as a. The future nascar hall of famer and team owner first discovered his talent behind the wheel while running moonshine as a teen. Pierce of the university of north carolina and writer of the book real nascar, said. Coronavirus brings distilleries, nascar full circle. In the early days of nascar, several of the drivers were moonshine runners. Jan 10, 2006 moonshine runners, history, and their cars tom wolfe dubbed junior johnson and the north carolina moonshine runnersthe last american heroes and we all know their connection to nascar. From his early days running moonshine through the end of his life.
Rapid roy hall center, shown at a stock car racing venue at dayton beach. Bootlegging offered speed, adventure, and wads of cashif the drivers survived. Each hidden distillery needed to use runnersdrivers in understated or. Dec 17, 2012 wendell scott, the africanamerican virginia moonshine runner turned nascar driver, once said that in his days in the trade, i heard lee petty had a liquor running car with two transmissions in. Jan 23, 2019 moonshine was the fuel nascar raced on, while pretending it needed only gasoline. Many future nascar drivers cut their teeth bootlegging illegal moonshine in. The 1932 ford model 18 contained a v8 engine with 65 horsepower, an upgrade from the model as fourcylinder, and for those running moonshine a faster way to avoid the authorities. With few options beyond the farm or factory, the best chance of escape was running moonshine. Junior johnson, nc moonshine runner who went on to a nascar. In a twist on nascars roots in running moonshine during prohibition, two virginia distilleries, springfield distillery and bondurant brothers, are partnering with nascar driver colin garrett. Check out the history of making shine and how it lead to the early days of racing and hot rods.