The history of auto stock car racing in the United States began with the laws of prohibition regarding the making and selling of liquor. Many backwoods distilleries had business all over major areas of the United States but most were among the country and rural areas where it was less possible to find the stills let alone catch the drivers between the years of 1919 and 1933. Bootleggers, as the men and women who made runs for the men running the stills would add horse-power to engines, lighten the frames, and add and switch various weight within the car in addition to adding as much power as possible into the gas tank. These modified cars could outrun most local law enforcement agencies even with a full carload of the illegal liquor. Nothing could keep up with the bootleg drivers and their modified cars. It was not until the end of the prohibition era did these drivers find there was nothing left and no reason to continue modifying and tweaking these special cars until the inception of National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, known as NASCAR, which incorporated in 1943. With a venue to showcase the speed and skill used previously to race through the back-roads of the south and mountainous areas surrounding the Blue Ridge and Appalachia areas, these men had somewhere to go and a new sideline to make extra money. They had Nascar; the country had Nascar. Today, the business of racing in Nascar is big business and not simply a sideline job. Sponsors for all types of companies donate a portion of money to keep the cars running and allowing the teams to find and train the best drivers in the country. Some of the late great drivers and ones that the country will remember for generations to come will be Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt. Great racers of today and the past keep the dream and ideals of racing spirit high. Nascar comes from a history of drivers than handled cruel curves, steep inclines, wide open pastures, and some of the most dangerous terrain to cover in a vehicle. The drivers were not the only ones to go down in the history books and with Nascar. The cars did as well. Many cars become the subject of legends and myths with names like Black Ghost, Grey Ghost, and the infamous Midnight Traveler. The drivers of these cars did have tremendous skill but the cars had to withstand the pressure and rigors of life in the illegal whiskey trade. The first actual car race following the end of prohibition took place in Stockbridge, Georgia in 1937. Soon, the sport would draw thousands of fans from all over the area. Races were on dirt tracks, which officially were horse racing oval tracks. The biggest change from bootleg running and racing was that the racing could occur in the daytime out in the light where whiskey runs always ran at night. The famous racers of the 1930s were all bootleg whiskey drivers including Fonty Flock, Buddy Shuman, and Junior Johnson; all were legendary names with their claim to fame coming in the form of having the fastest cars and the best record of outrunning the law during prohibition days. Racing was a rigorous sport, dirty, and exhilarating yet unorganized until Big Bill France came onto the racing scene to intervene and make racing a legitimate sport. He was the son of a banker from Washington, D.C. and a high school dropout. His reason for leaving school was to build and race cars in Maryland. In addition to being a great driver, he had skills as a mechanic. Bill France moved his family to Florida in the Daytona Beach area where the Daytona Speedway sits today. Daytona was a haven for racers who were used to hard-packed beach as their speedway. It would not be long before the speedway became one of the most well known raceways like Charlotte Speedway, Dover, Rockingham , and many others in the country with a history born from the same circumstances as the other raceways on the circuit the illegal transportation of bootleg whiskey. Many old-timer bootleg runners are still around in the southern states It is interesting to sit with them and listen to tales of their glory days burning up the roads to get their load to its destination. You will find these men and women in small rural towns sitting on porches, gathered at local community centers, and even in the Veterans’ Hospitals. When hearing of the days so long ago, the gleam of light and youth returns into their eyes. The old person sitting before you instantly transforms into the bold, brassy, spit and vinegar racer of the past. It is a moving and intimate moment to witness the changes in these people. The storytellers replaced the hard-core drivers but it does not take away from the beauty of the time or the beauty of the sport that has its roots in such a wild time in our history. Category:Home › Home › Sports and Recreation • Was Kobe Bryants rant against low talent surrounding him on his LA Lakers NBA team justified or not? — part 2 • Terrell Owens third strike: Should he be out of the NFL? • Should University of Michigan fire Rich Rodriguez? • Should doe hunting be legal? • Is the baseball season too long? • Is Peyton Manning the best quarterback ever? • Is college football overrated? • Can a lure be legitimately called bait?
