Moonshine, Motorsports and More Make North Carolina a Spirited and Exciting Destination
When I told friends I’d just returned from NASCAR events in North Carolina, they all lit up with excitement at the thought of being there. They have good reason for feeling that way. In NC, NASCAR possesses an almost mythic quality in the minds of residents. They talk about it with knowledge and devotion, and recount stories of actually meeting the great drivers in person, the revered heroes that they are. The races resemble pilgrimages complete with solemn prayers, and the origin story of the sport is told over and over with what would be the quiet air of a gospel reading, if it weren’t for the illegal booze at the heart of it.
Sure, The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is headquartered in Daytona Beach. And sure, it was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, who was born in Washington, DC., whose son and current CEO Jim was born in Daytona. But, stock car racing traces its roots to the daredevil drivers who, primarily in Appalachia, ran homemade hooch and had to play cat and mouse with the cops way back when. And all that led to the exciting sport millions of fans know and love today.
Here’s how the story goes. The Appalachians were populated by Scots-Irish immigrants in the 18th century; Presbyterians who had previously relocated to Northern Ireland. The tradition of distilling whiskey was rooted in the culture. A potion locally known then as “Pochen” developed as a cure for what must have been the (very) common cold. Ingredients like corn, apples and peaches were readily available, as was cold mountain water. Pre-Prohibition distillers relied on untaxed ‘moonshine’, discretely conjured up in the wee hours, to support their families. Once Prohibition was declared in the US in the 1920s, the business of moonshine exploded, as did backwoods stills on occasion.
There’s a funny Canadian sidebar to this tale. Prohibition here at home ended shortly after World War I, and was never as severe as the restrictions of the US 18th Amendment. Come the crackdown south of the border, the Canadian rye whisky (note the spelling) industry boomed. Seagrams of Montréal, to name one, flourished. That family company held the title of the world’s largest distillery for decades. Rye flowed south, and booze trains chugged north to Montréal, making it the most openly raucous city on the continent in the 1920s.
Back to North Carolina, where moonshiners began modifying the family automobile in an attempt to outrun law enforcement officers known as “revenuers”. The trick was to up the number of horses under the hood, increase the storage capacity, and keep the thing looking like dad’s car. It wasn’t long before unorganized races satisfied the competitive spirit. NASCAR was first run along the firm, flat beaches of Daytona, but it is in Wilkes County, NC, where the art of moonshining still persists, now as a refined art and commercial enterprise. It’s also where legendary races are run.
Exploring Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is home to the incredible NASCAR Hall of Fame, without question a world-class museum housed in a stunning building designed by the internationally-renowned firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Its Great Hall is wrapped with stainless steel twists and turns that create a technically-accurate simulation of a speedway. A collection of historically-important stock cars appear to vroom along its surface.
The NASCAR Hall of Fame requires a day to explore all of the interactive experiences, films, racing simulators, broadcast booths, and even pit stop stations.
Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest city and an important cultural and economic centre. Its compact, neat core, known as Uptown, invites exploration on foot. There is plenty to see and do. I was lucky enough to stay at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Charlotte Autograph Collection. Modern chic, filled with colourful art, excellent in-house dining, spa, and a rooftop bar and patio that has a soaring view of the gleaming skyline. Suites feature Argentinian-influenced decor and cultural design elements, and luxury amenities.
Our travel gang enjoyed breakfast at Uptown Yolk, a popular brunch venue featuring a menu by four-time James Beard-nominated chef Gregory Collier. I had the Shrimp and Grits with smoked gouda, jerk shrimp, and scallion pesto, and would take two flights back to Charlotte just to have it again. Dinner was at SouthBound, a Baja-inspired, open-air kitchen co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup series champion Jimmie Johnson. Brilliant cocktails, tasty everything, fun atmosphere, and fresh air. Again, two flights, I’d do it.
Now, if you truly want to understand the thrill of NASCAR, you have to get behind the wheel. For the novice, that means go-karts at the Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville. The 0.7-mile (1.1 km), 11-turn kart track is modelled on Italy’s Kartdromo Parma circuit. After a quick training session and head protection, you’re off to the races. And yes, it’s huge fun. We were tame in our first 10-minute go-around, but real go-kart racing involves high speeds, tight turns, collisions, and spinning out just to be first to finish. Dan Breuer, president of Trackhouse, told us that kids as young as four are mastering the course. The morning we were there, a gang of hyped boys was just itching to hit the track. Even NASCAR pros like Jimmy Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. come to Trackhouse to race.
NASCAR and North Carolina music highlights in Cabarrus County
Cabarrus County is a year-round destination for sports, entertainment, and outdoor activities, located just minutes from Uptown Charlotte. It’s also home to some of NASCAR’s most impressive facilities, including the world-famous Charlotte Motor Speedway. The complex features a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts big events like the 600-mile (970 km) Coca-Cola 600 recently held on the US Memorial Day weekend. For NASCAR fans, this place is Xanadu on wheels.
The coolest thing you can do, besides attending a breathtaking, earplugs-recommended race is book a behind-the-scenes tour of the Speedway, The Dirt Track and zMAX Dragway. Our minivan (laugh if you must) took us around the track to experience the 28° pitch. I thought I was going to fall out a left-hand window. Hang on and your guide will whip up the van up to 110 km/hour (highway maximum) and inform you that the pros take those curves at 2.5 times that speed. That’s when you realize the guts it takes to commit to this sport. The zMAX sees speeds that top 500 km/hour, a microburst of power that requires a parachute to come to a stop.
Nearby is the amazing Hendrick Motorsports campus, a facility that highlights state-of-the-art technology, stunning buildings, and a must-see museum, all set among rolling green hills. Anybody interested in studying successful entrepreneurship needs to read the story of Rick Hendrick. It is here where the organization’s four NASCAR Cup Series teams prepare for race day. The museum showcases the history of this 14-time NASCAR Cup Series championship-winning organization. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it.
Also nearby under one roof is the Tour Curb Motorsports Museum and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. Tour Curb is compact, jam-packed with everything from NASCAR history to Indy and modified race cars, to country music star LeeAnn Rimes’ very first car. But, the NC Music Hall of Fame is international in stardom. Would I know any North Carolina musicians, I naively asked myself? Randy Travis, Nina Simone, James Taylor, Roberta Flack, Andy Griffith, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Tori Amos, Ben Folds….to name just a small ensemble. Very, very impressive.
While in Concord, Cabarrus County, we stayed at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa, offering 308 spacious two-room guest suites, the onsite Rocky River Grille restaurant, relaxing Spa Botanica, and the Rocky River Golf Course, ranked among the top 100 courses in North Carolina. I was famished one evening and the dear person at Reception hunted down some snacks for me. That says a lot about how seriously a hotel takes guest services, thank you.
Sampling North Carolina distilleries and wineries
The Great Wagon Road Distillery located in NoDa, the coolest neighbourhood in Charlotte that runs along your route from Uptown to The Great Wagon Road. Founded by Irish native Oliver “Ollie” Mulligan, Great Wagon Road is Charlotte’s oldest distillery and the first to have an in-house speakeasy. The story goes that three generations ago in the midlands of Ireland, Ollie’s grandfather Patrick Quinn began the family tradition of whiskey making. Ollie Mulligan established Great Wagon in 2013. It’s a very relaxed, comfortable venue with lots of character and plenty to taste.
Aways away in Wilkesboro, the Call Family Distillery was built by Brian Call, son of Willie Clay “The Uncatchable” Call, one of the most renowned moonshiners to come out of Wilkes County and labelled as such by Federal ATF agents. The Call Family is synonymous with the North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Located in the heart of North Wilkesboro in the old Key City Furniture Factory, you’ll find the Copper Barrel Distillery. It’s an award-winning operation, “founded on the belief that everyone deserves a taste of genuine American craft spirits.” George and Master Distiller Buck Nance have created a unique flavour that uses a higher-than-normal portion of rye blended with corn and cane sugar that results in an exceptionally smooth spirit. The Copper Barrel is also a great base from which to explore a very charming town and home to the excellent Wilkes Heritage Museum.
Set among North Carolina’s verdant, rolling countryside is a winery of great beauty. Raffaldini Vineyards is situated in the Swan Creek Wine Appellation of the Yadkin Valley. The family-owned vineyard, built around a spectacular Tuscan-style villa, brings a unique charm and real history to North Carolina. Known widely as “Chianti in the Carolinas”, Raffaldini currently produces only classically-dry, Italian-style wines. Reds include Sangiovese Classico, Montepulciano Riserva, Sagrantino and Grande Riserva. Whites are Vermentino and a sparking Prosecco called Auguri. Raffaldini hosts public and private events throughout the year and is the definitive place for lovers of dry wines. The views alone are worth the visit, but do indulge in tastings and a delicious lunch.
The great NASCAR heritage of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
“Drivers, start your engines!!” There you have it. The kick-off to some of the most exciting, hair-raising action you’ll ever see. Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. To the purist, nothing beats North Wilkesboro, and especially the North Wilkesboro Speedway to capture the authenticity and tradition of the sport of stock car racing. The short oval racetrack, measuring 0.625 miles (1 km), features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill front stretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR’s top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races.
This was a really big year for fans. The track is a NASCAR original and operated from year-one, 1949. Sadly, the track closed in 1996 and slowly fell into neglect. It opened again briefly in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races, before closing for what many feared was forever in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing and, following extensive restoration, just hosted the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race before a jubilant crowd.
The whole weekend had the feeling of a festival, complete with a musical stage, vendors, and a reunion called “Moonshiners & Revenuers” where the old guys regaled the audience with stories. The NASCAR Hall of Fame Tire Side Chat hosted legendary drivers like Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip.
To truly appreciate the precision, and the dangers, of NASCAR, a visit to the staging area at the centre of the oval is required. That’s where you find teams prepping for the day using some serious research. Every track is different, so data has to be analyzed and a virtual model developed. Tires have to be tested on machines and on the track. Everything is engineered to prepare for the unknowns that only an experienced driver can anticipate. And to underscore the great risks, a small battalion of first responders is ready to jump into action.
Marcus G. Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, commenting on North Wilkesboro All-Star said that he’d, “never been to a NASCAR week where everybody was in such a good mood, and everything was just going so well.” He was so impressed as to declare that, “I definitely feel there is a place for North Wilkesboro in the NASCAR world.” So stay tuned, race fans, to see what the future holds.
NASCAR originated in economic necessity, resulting in inspired independence, vernacular engineering, and a sheer audacity that drives the spirit of the sport.
You’ll never see anything like it.
For more information, visit https://visitnc.com.
Analise Saavedra