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Whiskey Battle

White lightning and NASCAR's roots

THE HISTORY OF stock car racing is intertwined with the history of bootlegging and the men who raced their illegal liquid cargo in souped-up Fords through the back roads of Appalachia. A new book about the distinctly American spirit, Moonshine: A Cultural History of America's Infamous Liquor by Jaime Joyce, celebrates all things 'shine and includes an examination of its role in the rise of racing. Some greats left a legacy on the track as well as on the open road. Drink it in.

[The following text appears within a diagram. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual diagram.]

RACING LEGACY

WHISKEY-TRIPPING STREET CRED

RAYMOND PARKS

In the 1930s he invested his moonshine profits into a career as one of stock car racing's first team owners.

RED VOGT

Mechanic who made his name customizing engines on liquor cars; came up with the name for NASCAR, in 1947.

WENDELL SCOTT

Before becoming the first African-American to win a NASCAR premiere race (1963), he worked as a taxi driver and whiskey tripper.

JUNIOR JOHNSON

Son of a bootlegger, he raced revenuers before winning 50 Cup Series races as a driver and six titles as a team owner.

LLOYD SEAY

Called the "best pure race car driver I ever saw" by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., he was killed by a cousin over a moonshine operation in 1941.

ROY HALL

Arrested 16 times between 1937 and '45, often for running 'shine; he set a speed record at the Daytona Beach Road Course in '40.

THEY SAID IT

"I'd really like to hit one out, so I can just jog."

Brandon Barnes

The Rockies' rightfielder after Saturday's 5--4 road win over the Giants, in which he hit his second homer of the season—both of them inside-the-parkers.

TWELVE PHOTOS

MARTYN GODDARD/CORBIS (CAR)

DIAGRAM

PHOTO

DUSTIN BRADFORD/GETTY IMAGES (BARNES)