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Legendary NASCAR Track North Wilkesboro Speedway Unearths Secret Moonshine Cave Below Stands

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If you know anything about NASCAR history, you know the series had a deep-rooted history of illegal moonshine running.

In fact, many of the series’ initial stars rose to fame as drivers, owners and builders of moonshine cars built to outrun the law.

So when legendary North Wilkesboro Speedway revealed that it potentially found a secret moonshine cave hidden below its grandstands, it was as if someone had unearthed a piece of NASCAR ancient history.

North Wilkesboro Speedway sits in the heart of Wilkes County, North Carolina, which was a hotbed for both moonshine running and stock car auto racing before NASCAR was even officially founded.

The speedway opened in May of 1947 and hosted its first NASCAR race in October of 1949. Sadly, it shut down in 1996 as bills began to mount and the track fell into disrepair.

But with aid from the state of North Carolina and help from Dale Earnhardt Jr., the NASCAR Cup Series returned to the track in 2023. It host the series’ All-Star Race in front of a sold-out crowd and is set to do so again in 2024 (even despite some controversy).

Construction Workers Find Apparent Moonshine Cave At Legendary NASCAR Track

Before the series could return, however, North Wilkesboro needed to do some repairs. Though they never could have imagined what would happen next.

“When we began renovating and restoring North Wilkesboro Speedway in 2022, we’d often hear stories of how an old moonshine still was operated here on the property under the grandstands,” Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports said. “Well, we haven’t found a still (yet). But we’ve found a small cave and an interior wall that would have been the perfect location to not only make illegal liquor, but to hide from the law as well. We don’t know how people would have gotten in and out. But as we uncover more, there’s no telling what we might find.”

Yes, you read that right.

One of NASCAR’s most iconic and historic tracks apparently still (no pun intended) has a moonshine cave hidden under its grandstands.

Fans couldn’t contain their excitement.

North Wilkesboro is still a little rough around the edges. It lacks the amenities and modern charm of nicer, newer venues. But it is quintessential NASCAR. And the series needs to do everything it can to preserve and protect the track.