Dan Pierce – NASCAR and Moonshine

Partial Transcript: Dan Pierce talks about how he began research into the history of NASCAR after realizing that there had not been academic research into the subject and he thought there were mischaracterizations of its origin and its connection to moonshine, including the Thunder Road story. Some claimed that the connection was not as strong as others thought. There is a still in the NASCAR museum, but the owner of NASCAR Bill France claims that the connection to moonshining is overblown.

Keywords: NASCAR research; moonshining; Dan Pierce

Subjects: NASCAR roots

Partial Transcript: Pierce found many connections between the beginning of NASCAR and the illegal liquor business. He found that the moonshine business was foundational to the creation of NASCAR in its early years and without the illegal liquor business, NASCAR would never have gotten off the ground. Pierce mentions his book, the cover of which depicts the track at the Asheville Weaverville Speedway in 1957, which was one of the top early tracks in NASCAR; North Buncombe High occupies that site now. The track started as a dirt track and was paved a few years later. Don Hunter took that picture and was the dean of NASCAR photography.

Keywords: photographer Don Hunter; NASCAR, Asheville Weaverville Speedway

Subjects: NASCAR origins.

Partial Transcript: Many of the drivers driving for NASCAR got their first high-speed driving experience in a car loaded with liquor, particularly the best drivers. Jack Smith, Buck Baker, and Lee Petty, (Richard Petty’s father), all hauled liquor at one time or another; the car owners and mechanics who worked on these cars were involved in the illegal liquor business as well as the promoters. Everyone involved in NASCAR was involved in moving the illegal liquor.

Keywords: Buck Baker; Lee Petty; Jack Smith

Subjects: the NASCAR organization

Partial Transcript: In the early days of NASCAR, the five top tracks in North Carolina and Virginia were the North Wilkesboro Speedway, the Hickory Speedway, the Martinsville Speedway, the Hickory Speedway, the Hillsborough Speedway, and the Asheville Weaverville Speedway; all of those speedways were built and financed with the proceeds from illegal liquor. It was the same with the old Charlotte Speedway, which was taken out when Interstate 85 was built.
That track was where the very first NASCAR race was held in 1949, and it was built by a couple of bootleggers.

Keywords: bootlegging; first race; Speedways

Subjects: Early NASCAR

Partial Transcript: In the 1930’s the moonshine business began to change in the South. Originally, whiskey-making was essential to many of the white settlers who came to this region of the country. Some brought their stills with them when they crossed the ocean and came to the area. Liquor was a major cash crop for many of them and had a very dependable price. Since travel was not easy, it was much easier to transport to market than any other thing that they produced pretty much.

Keywords: 1930; cash crop; moonshine; stills; settlers

Subjects: why moonshining became a big business

Partial Transcript: A lot of people had a 30 or 40-gallon still. Many people drank homebrewed liquor in the 19th century, even preachers. It was an important part of the culture. The federal government tried to put some controls on it by imposing taxes, but many parts of the country ignored that tax and enforcement was weak. Around the beginning of the formation of our country, the excise tax became an issue and led to the creation of the Democratic-Republican Party, the precursors of the Democratic Party. The taxes became an election issue.

Keywords: election issue; taxes; cultural acceptability

Subjects: homebrewed liquor

Partial Transcript: During the Civil War, Congress passed a revenue bill to fund the war, including an excise tax on whiskey which is still in effect. During the Civil War, they couldn't enforce it in the South. After the war, it took into the 1870s before the federal government began seriously enforcing that, but that excise tax is what made Moonshine what it was in the United States. Moonshine was non-tax-paid whiskey.

Keywords: enforcement; taxes; Civil War

Subjects: taxes on liquor

Partial Transcript: In the very late 1890s, there was the rise of the prohibition movement. In 1909 North Carolina became one of the first states to have statewide prohibition, 11 years before national prohibition. Pierce tells the story of growing up in the Baptist Church with a church Covenant which included a pledge to abstain from the sale or use of intoxicating drinks as a beverage. Many people were silent at that time. Prohibition became very ingrained particularly among Baptists and Methodists, while Episcopalians were looser, and the Presbyterians varied. Prohibition increased the market for bootlegged liquor, increasing the price, but also increasing pressure on law enforcement. It changed the liquor business in the region.

Keywords: North Carolina; churches; prohibition

Subjects: The Prohibition movement

Partial Transcript: In the 1920’s a Wilkes Still was pioneered in Wilkes County, North Carolina, gradually taking the place of the 50 – 60-gallon copper pots previously used. These new steels had a 1,000-gallon capacity; the recipe also changed, with sugar being distilled in place of corn. The new product has a higher proof which customers liked. The process became more industrial rather than the craft used previously, the liquor became stronger, and the value increased.

Keywords: copper still; higher proof; recipe; Wilkes still

Subjects: New large capacity still

Partial Transcript: In 1933, the repeal of Prohibition occurred but in North Carolina, most of the state remained dry, into the 50s, sixties, and even longer, even into present times. One favorite vehicle used was Henry Ford's last great invention, the Flathead Ford V8. in the 1930s, particularly after the hard tops came in in the later 1930s. They became very adept at modifying these Fords. Some companies, such as the Edelbrock Company, became very wealthy selling performance parts that modified the Fords.

Keywords: Chevy; Edelbrock; Ford V8; Model T; dry counties; Prohibition

Subjects: Prohibition in North Carolina.

Partial Transcript: When Dan Pierce grew up there was a big cruising culture in Asheville; this culture goes back to the moonshine culture in which drivers would put heavy-duty suspensions in cars so that when loaded up with liquor, the cars would ride level and the attention of the law enforcement was less likely.

One mechanic said he worked on moonshiner’s cars and law enforcement cars, but the moonshiners got the better engines because they had the money and paid cash. There was an age division; the older guy knew the recipe and had the moonshine expertise, while the younger guys who hadn't been arrested before could do the heavy lifting and hauling; they also were hyper-competitive individuals, and they started bragging about faster cars and they started racing one another.

Keywords: car suspension; competitive; faster cars; cruising culture

Subjects: The suspension system in cars

Partial Transcript: Practically every history of early NASCAR includes the myth that races started when there were a bunch of these bootleggers arguing about whose cars were faster and they would race in cow fields; the myth was that people saw the dust from these tracks started showing up to watch so the drivers started charging admission. However, this story is a myth. When the drivers started racing one another, they went to the highways late at night to race. There's no evidence whatsoever of these cow pasture races, with all kinds of evidence of bootleggers going out on the highway and racing.

Keywords: cow pasture race; highways; myth

Subjects: rumors

Partial Transcript: The NASCAR type of racing began at Daytona Beach in the 1930s with the wide beaches and relatively flat areas; the drivers’ main aim was to set speed records, rather than race head-to-head. May automakers and drivers wanted to set speed records; there were 2 big stars of the era. Sir Malcolm Campbell and Ralph Seagraves. In 1935 Campbell set the record reaching over 300 miles an hour. It was decided they needed smoother surfaces on which to race so they went to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where races occur to present times.

Keywords: Bonneville Salt Flats; Campbell; Seagraves; speed records; Daytona Beach

Subjects: NASCAR races

Partial Transcript: Daytona wanted to continue the races as they attracted many tourists, so they brought in stock car racing along a 4.5-mile course in the sand; at first, it was a disaster with cars stuck in the sand or flipped over. Soon, Bill France who was a mechanic had recently moved to Daytona Beach and loved racing, partnered with businesspeople, adapted the course, and kept races going along the beach until 1958 when France built the 2 1/2-mile Daytona Speedway, and the first regular stock car races began. An early winner of these races was a man Smokey Purse who imported a lot of liquor from Cuba and other places. He won the race but was disqualified as he disappeared for an hour after the race and was suspected of changing out his illegally modified engine.

Keywords: Bill France; Cuba; Daytona Speedway; Smokey Purse; stock car racing; tourist; Daytona

Subjects: Bill France

Partial Transcript: Stock car racing increased in popularity and regular races began on Labor Day in 1938 at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta. Among the first winners was an unknown 18-year-old from Dawson County, Georgia by the name of Lloyd Seay. The Atlanta police came forward to say he was a well-known liquor driver, as were almost all the drivers there. Many drivers continued hauling liquor as it was more lucrative than racing. The early stars were 3 brothers known as the Mad Flock.

Keywords: Atlanta; Mad Flock brothers; Seay; Lakewood Speedway

Subjects: Lakewood Speedway

Partial Transcript: Pierce talks about Raymond Parks who was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame this past spring. He served time in the Atlanta Penitentiary early in his career; he became an incredibly influential figure in the early days of racing; his cars won the first two NASCAR championships. Car racing became very popular, despite a few glitches along the way. One happened when Lloyd Seay won a big race and the National Championship on Labor Day at Lakewood Speedway. The next day they got into a dispute with his cousin about payment for sugar used for bootlegging; the cousin shot and killed Lloyd. World War II shut down racing. In the Atlanta area, the bootleggers could no longer race, and most were disqualified from the draft due to felony convictions. Bootlegging sales soared during that time with worry about the war and stress. Since the racetracks were closed the drivers raced around the highways in Atlanta, creating a series of races called Bootlegger Sweepstakes. Problems arose when The Atlanta Constitution brought up issues surrounding the source of the tires and gas for these cars when major rationing was in place. In addition, innocent bystanders were being killed in the road races. A major campaign against these bootleggers began.

Keywords: Bootlegger Sweepstakes; Seay; World War II; anti-bootlegging campaign; glitches; Raymond Parks

Subjects: scandals; World War II

Partial Transcript: When the war ended, Lakewood Speedway announced a big stock car race right after VJ Day on Labor Day 1945. A crowd of over 20,000 was expected. They announced the names of all the top drivers who were all convicted felons, for their liquor activity and most of whom had not served in the military during the war. The Atlanta Constitution and the Baptist and Methodist Ministerial Alliance began a campaign. The racing board wanted to call off the race, but the crowd came and due to fear of a riot, they let the race go on. Roy Hall, one of the biggest bootleggers with a bad reputation for racing on the streets during the war won the race. The outcry caused a banning of the drivers with felony convictions from racing at Lakewood Speedway

Keywords: Lakewood Speedway; Roy Hall; banning of felons; VJ day

Subjects: the banning of drivers

Partial Transcript: The banning of these drivers allowed Bill France to expand from Daytona and successfully move into North and South Carolina to promote races using these drivers banned in Atlanta. He works with others such as Charlie Combs and Enoch Staley, “businessmen” from Wilkes County, North Carolina. Both wanted to build a Speedway in Wilkes County, one reason being to invest the money they had made running liquor since they could not explain to banks where so much cash came from. Raymond Parks died 3 -4 years ago and was one of the richest men in Atlanta; he had moved his money from illegal businesses to legal ones in the city.

Keywords: Charlie Combs; Enoch Staley; North and South Carolina; Wilkes County; Bill France

Subjects: the profits of moonshining

Partial Transcript: Bill France who seems to have made money through legitimate means, partnered with men involved in bootlegging in Asheville to create NASCAR. The bootleggers had the money. Bill France had the trust and the expertise to promote racing so NASCAR grew. They brought together the drivers who had the skill to entertain the crowds and the mechanics who could design fast cars. Bill France created NASCAR out of this eclectic group of people: bootleggers, businessmen, and drivers. Modern-day NASCAR has tried to diminish or cut those ties. In sites like the Bristol Speedway with 160,000 seats; people come long distances to watch these races. The evolution of the sport from poor people making a life for themselves to the creation of NASCAR is impressive.

Keywords: Asheville; Bristol Speedway; bootleggers; eclectic group; money; Bill France

Subjects: creation of NASCAR

Partial Transcript: During national prohibition, they were hauling it and even flying it out of this section of the country, to Chicago, Detroit, and New York. I don't think I've seen any evidence of going to the West Coast. When prohibition ends, the demand in that part of the country eases up. Most of the traffic and delivery are fairly local.

Keywords: national prohibition

Subjects: Illegal liquor

Partial Transcript: Local syndicates seemed to run the moonshine business. Local syndicates were in the Catawba, Hickory, and Taylorsville areas. 2 Burgess brothers in Catawba were busted in the early 50’s after hauling liquor in tractor-trailers. Wilkes County was famous for its liquor being known as, the Kingdom of Wilkes in the late 19th century. A famous moonshiner was Percy Flowers, who was indicted many times but always got off with a hung jury before eventually being caught up in a big conspiracy case with 30 or 40 people; he owned farms where people were making liquor. Despite the nostalgic feeling around someone like Percy, he had a history of violence. Percy Flowers would have been the closest thing to kind of a godfather, even if many had a positive view of him.

Keywords: Burgess brothers; Kingdom of Wilkes; Percy Flowers; Wilkes County; Local syndicates

Subjects: organized crime

Partial Transcript: There was a huge criminal conspiracy in there that was headed up by the States Attorney, the highest-ranking official involved with over 100 people indicted in the 1920s. There was a huge protection racket that the bootleggers were paying into. Many officials across the county were involved. The Attorney General was not convicted; he was a great-nephew of Robert E Lee, and his lawyer went on the stand and got him off on the defense that a descendant of Robert E Lee could never have done something like that.

Joseph Dabney, author of a book Mountain Spirits writes there are 5 moonshine capitals of the world : Dawson County, Georgia, Cooke County, Tennessee, Franklin County, Virginia, and Wilkes County, North Carolina. These are the so-called Moonshine Capital of the world. All those areas have many racing connections.

Keywords: Attorney General; Robert E Lee; States Attorney,; criminal conspiracy; protection racket; Bondurant family

Subjects: huge criminal conspiracy

Partial Transcript: Moonshiners are notoriously bad record keepers intentionally. I don't think you had the scale that you had because the demand is not huge. He gives an example of a stock car driver, related to Charlie Combs who did get busted for making a stainless steel still and producing moonshine to primarily give, thinking of it as part of his heritage. He mentions Popcorn Sutton who made large amounts of moonshine in Tennessee. There is still a market for it. Recipes and equipment are available online.

Keywords: Charlie Combs; Popcorn Sutton; Moonshiners

Subjects: how much of this is still going on?

Partial Transcript: Not really; the main story is that people made or hauled liquor, they were good at driving and outrunning law enforcement, and then they moved to racing. Also, some very good racers then were recruited as moonshine runners as they could make more money in that job.

Some of the early stars of NASCAR who were bootleg drivers were Curtis Turner, Buck Baker, and Jack Smith. Junior Johnson was one of the last of those drivers. One person Richard Childress, pretty prominent in NASCAR, hauled liquor during the day. But Richard Childress, who was the car owner for Dale Earnhardt's car and still a car owner in NASCAR ran liquor in his teens, in the Winston-Salem area. Pierce says he hears that the NASCAR car garage is the one place where you can pretty dependably find illegal moonshine.

Keywords: Buck Baker; Curtis Turner; Dale Earnhardt's car; Jack Smith; Junior Johnson; Richard Childress; local racing

Subjects: local racing history tied to bootlegging