Does NASCAR have roots in bootlegging moonshine?
Many future NASCAR drivers cut their teeth bootlegging illegal moonshine in the 1940s, such as NASCAR Hall of Famer Junior Johnson, who won his learner’s permit by running corn mash hooch before his NASCAR debut in 1955.
How was NASCAR born?
On December 14, 1947, France began talks with other influential racers and promoters at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948.
Was moonshine used in cars?
During the Prohibition, moonshine could be as weak as 63 proof and as strong as 190 proof. Alcohol has been used to fuel cars since the dawn of the modern automobile. Henry Ford’s Model T was equipped for running on ethanol as well as gasoline.
How did they transport moonshine?
Moonshiners had to come up with inventive new ways to safely transport their goods without being detected. Some people stored their moonshine into a separate gas tank, while others stored it in water bottles.
Was Junior Johnson a moonshine runner?
Junior knew almost nothing about racing, but he had driven fast cars making moonshine deliveries from the Johnson family’s other “business” along Carolina backroads, so he hesitated only a moment before heading to the track.
How was moonshine transported?
Once the liquor was distilled, drivers called “runners” or “bootleggers” smuggled moonshine and “bootleg” (illegally imported) liquor across the region in cars specially modified for speed and load-carrying capacity.
Can an engine run on pure ethanol?
Pure ethanol – 100% ethanol or E100 – could theoretically be used to power cars, but generally isn’t, for numerous reasons: Ethanol is bad for cold-starting, because it doesn’t burn as quickly as gasoline. (It has a higher octane, if you’re interested.) Pure ethanol would be useless as fuel in the winter months.
Is Everclear ethanol?
The 190-proof variation of Everclear is 92.4% ethanol by weight and is thus produced at approximately the practical limit of distillation purity.
What happens if you put mothballs in your gas tank?
Mothballs (naphthalene) are extremely corrosive to the upper-cylinder area of an automotive engine, the area where combustion — the actual exploding of gasoline — takes place. The best bet to get more octane to your Buick engine is to mix a half tank of regular leaded gasoline with a half tank of premium unleaded.
What is the Moonshine NASCAR races on?
Moonshine was the fuel NASCAR raced on, while pretending it needed only gasoline. That attitude may be changing. In October 2018, NASCAR joined forces with Tennessee’s Sugarlands Shine to sell an official moonshine.
How did the moonshine runners afford the fastest cars?
That is how at least most of them afforded the fastest and therefore most expensive machines–with their moonshine profits. They ran moonshine down the twisty mountain roads to people during Prohibition. The runners would modify their cars in order to create a faster, more maneuverable vehicle to evade the police.
How do you make a moonshine car look better?
They’d remove the rear and passenger seats to make more room for moonshine, add heavy duty suspensions to the rear of the car to handle the extra weight and add a steel plate in front of the radiator. Many of these changes have influenced the design of the modern stock car.
What is North Carolina’s history with moonshine?
In January, Arcadia Publishing released North Carolina Moonshine, a book about the Tar Heel State’s role in firewater history, covering everything from the NASCAR connection to local moonshining celebrities.