Whiskey Battle
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)