Topics Related to Moonshine and Motorsports

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In a momentous celebration of NASCAR's 75th anniversary season, the highly anticipated 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race is set to make a glorious comeback to the hallowed grounds of North Wilkesboro Speedway. From May 19 to 21, racing enthusiasts will witness a thrilling event that pays homage to the sport's roots and showcases the historic significance of this iconic track.

Stock car racing is an important part of North Carolina's cultural heritage, and the state has produced some of the most successful and iconic drivers in the sport's history. 

Sanctioned stock car racing took off with the first race on February 15, 1948, in Daytona Beach. Some say it was born in North Carolina as enterprising mountaineers tried to outrun revenuers (government agents) seeking taxes owed for trading in spirituous drinks, otherwise known as moonshine. There’s a belief that racing has been on a fast track ever since. North Carolina certainly has produced some iconic drivers, Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt among them. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is in Charlotte, and NASCAR’S longest race, the Coca Cola 600, will be May 26 in Charlotte.

On December 26, 1985, Robert Glen “Junior” Johnson received a  full and unconditional pardon from President Ronald Reagan for his 1956 conviction in federal court for moonshining.  Junior was caught firing up his father’s still and he became entangled in a barbed wire fence while trying to escape.  The conviction put Junior on a forced eleven-month, three-day hiatus in a federal penitentiary from his other career as a rising NASCAR star.

On October 5, 1946, Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, notorious moonshiner and cultural icon, was born in Maggie Valley.Sutton, a gritty, spirited fellow, first learned how to concoct illegal alcohol from his father, whose Scots-Irish ancestors had been avid distillers in keeping with their cultural tradition. Sutton carried on the family legacy in Cocke County, Tenn., where he became famous not only for his liquor, but for his role in the manifestation of the moonshine culture.

On September 18, 1947, Bill France Sr. and four other racing entrepreneurs incorporated the Hillsboro Speedway in Orange County with the aim of bringing auto racing to central North Carolina.Racing, however, long had been a pastime in the area. The land on which the speedway was built was located on property previously owned by tobacco magnate Julian Shakespeare Carr, who constructed a horse racing track. The site of the track later became the site of the Occoneechee Speedway.

On September 18, 1906, Amos Owens, a notorious moonshiner from Rutherford County, died.Known as the “Cherry Bounce King,” Owens was renowned for the delightful mixture of whiskey, honey and cherries that he made at his “castle” on Cherry Mountain.Described as a fearless yet energetic Irishman, Owens achieved success quickly. People from all over the South visited him to taste his celebrated beverage.

On August 2, 1958, the Saturday Evening Post profiled Percy Flowers of Johnston County, labeling him the “King of the Moonshiners.” Throughout his career, Flowers managed to stay just out of reach of the law and developed a reputation as a local Robin Hood.Born in 1903, Flowers grew corn and tobacco on his nearly 5,000 acres, like many others in region did. Unlike most others, he began to use some of his corn for making illegal liquor, concealing the stills and spirits in his tobacco barns.

On June 19, 1949, NASCAR held the first race in its top division at a ¾-mile dirt track at the Charlotte Speedway.