Stockcar racing is steeped in the hills of Appalachia. The multi million dollar sport can trace its humble roots to the crooked roads of the backwoods during the era of Prohibition. Looking to skirt sideway glances from Johnny Law, the Mountain Rum Runners ‘souped up’ their Ford sedans to deliver the forbidden fruit mesh hooch to eager distributors throughout the Deep South. Long before the first checker flag dropped on the sandy beaches of Daytona, hardened bootleggers prided themselves with smuggling distilled spirits through the backroads of mountain corridors. They were also the original zip tie technicians, as they pushed their engines well beyond factory specifications with clever ‘mountain ingenuity.’ When they weren’t outrunning federal agents, these illicit transporters were racing each other on dusty farm roads on the weekend. Today, stockcar racing has gone legit. Steel racing garages have replaced dilapidated barns to protect high performance cars.
Bootleggers Ran on High Octane and Mountain Pride
With the not-so-quiet speakeasys fading into oblivion, heavy-footed bootleggers upped the proverbial ante when they brazen midnight runs well into the 1940s. As the end of prohibition lifted federal sanctions on hard liquor faster than the green flag, Blue Ridge Rum Runners found a new foe to elude: federal tax collectors. While distributing moonshine was no longer illegal, selling the illicit spirits without collecting taxes had, once again, caught the ire of the federal government. Needing little cajoling or an excuse to outrun the law, bootleggers continued clandestine runs throughout the foothills. With stockcar racing quickly growing in popularity, many bootleggers decided the time had come to finally give up a life on the lam and instead make a living racing on the countless dirt tracks that had begun to pop-up throughout the south.
Restoring a Legacy
Nestled at the foot of the mountain in a tucked away corner of northwest North Carolina is the highly revered North Wilkesboro Speedway. These hollowed grounds are to NASCAR and stockcar racing what Fenway Stadium is to baseball. For centuries, retired ‘rum runners,’ including speedster Junior Johnson, tested their mettle on this esteemed track. Located in the middle of the ‘Moonshine Capital of America,’ the speedway restored the legitimacy of stockcar racing thanks to the spearheading efforts of these absconding pioneers. Today, the track sits vacant. Unused by NASCAR since 1996, the now derelict track has fallen in disrepair. This could all be changing, however, as additional state funding will hopefully restore the track to its former glory. Like their bootlegging granddaddies before them, modern racers could soon fill the mountain hollars with echoes of zooming engines and faint whispers of a bygone era.
Forging New Paths With Steel Racing Garages
NASCAR has changed drastically since its inception. Performance cars are faster than ever before. Breakthroughs in fuel delivery through advance in valve lift technology has made performance stockcar racing a true spectator sport as millions flock to the grandstands annually to see their favorite drivers test fate. For every circuit driver that achieves sponsorship, there are countless aspiring drivers looking to crack into the highly competitive sport. But you don’t have to achieve professional status to enjoy tuning and driving your prized sports car. Knuckle busting mechanic work has become an endearing American pastime as millions of enthusiasts spend their nights ‘modding’ and testing their tuner cars and rebuilt American classics.
And like any mechanic work, your tools and new projects deserve year around protection. Elephant Structures’ steel racing garages can protect your dreams, as well as your cherished performance vehicles for years to come. Unlike early NASCAR icons, advances in steel technology has afforded many car lovers the benefit of affordable protection that can safeguard your car from high winds, snow, and moisture seepage. Comprised of steel tubular framing, our steel racing garages can stoke your heart’s true desire by offer an customized steel metal garage that meet your exact specifications. Metal partition walls can separate your workspace from tool storage, allowing you to find that exact torque wrench. As is the case with performance racing, we know the margin of error is infinitesimal. Even the slightest of miscalculation can spell disaster out on the track. Our experienced engineers appreciate ‘exact specifications,’ which is why they work so closely with our building advisors to ensure you’re provided with a metal building that meets the building codes unique to your neighborhood or the authority having jurisdiction.
