The ties between NASCAR and North Carolina’s moonshiners of yore are no mystery. Illicit booze runners driving their wares though the backroads and mountain passes helped give rise to the sport.

Workers at the North Wilkesboro Speedway say they may have found evidence of a moonshine operation tucked under the frontstretch grandstands at the historic race track.

What You Need To Know

  •  Workers at the North Wilkesboro Speedway say they found what could be a "moonshiner's cave" under the grandstands

  •  There have been rumors for decades about moonshine being made at the speedway in Wilkes County

  •  The speedway hosted regular races from 1947 until 1996

  • NASCAR brought its All-Star Race back to the track in 2023 after the state used federal money to help renovate the historic site

There had been rumors for decades about a still hidden under the grandstands in Wilkes County, on the main road between Winston-Salem and Boone. The track hosted its first race in 1947 and was a regular feature on the NASCAR circuit for decades. It shut down in 1996.

“When we began renovating and restoring North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2022, we’d often hear stories of how an old moonshine still was operated here on the property under the grandstands,” Steve Swift, with Speedway Motorsports, said in a statement. 

“Well, we haven’t found a still (yet), but we’ve found a small cave and an interior wall that would have been the perfect location to not only make illegal liquor, but to hide from the law as well. We don’t know how people would have gotten in and out, but as we uncover more, there’s no telling what we might find,” he said.

The history of Wilkes County, in northwestern North Carolina, is tied to both moonshine and NASCAR. Many of the family moonshine operations have gone legit in recent years and legal distilleries now dot the county. The local wood bat baseball team even takes its name from Wilkes County's most notorious export: The Moonshiners.

The speedway sat abandoned after the last race there almost 30 years ago. Trees and vines grew up through the grandstands, the track became worn and cracked by the elements. But an effort by local boosters and an infusion of $18 million from the federal American Rescue Act brought the speedway back to life.

Last year, the track was back as host of the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race. Workers at the speedway are busy with more renovations ahead of the next NASCAR All-Star Race Week, set for May 14-19.

That’s when they noticed the cracks in the original concrete grandstand on the frontstretch, according to the speedway. As crews began pulling the seats up from Section N to inspect the damage, they found a hidden chamber beneath the stands. 

There was a 700-square-foot room with an interior wall under the aging concrete, the speedway said. 

Workers at the speedway had to remove about 600 seats, some of the best seats in the house, to try to fix the grandstand before the next big race. 

“Now we have a race before the race,” Swift said. “The area that’s been affected by the sinkhole is a frontstretch grandstand area with some of the best views of the track. We’ll have a lot of work to get done before NASCAR All-Star Race Week.” 

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