Hard to believe a sport with over 75 million fans had a rough start, but NASCAR’s beginnings weren’t always smooth driving, so to speak. Like everything, NASCAR had to start somewhere and the Southern United States was this sport’s birthplace.
Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in “bootlegging” during the 1920’s and early 30’s Prohibition era, when drivers ran whiskey or “moonshine” from hidden stills to hundreds of markets across the Southern United States. Many of the drivers would modify their cars to improve handling and speed in an attempt to outrun the police. As bootlegging grew, the drivers began to race among themselves on Sunday afternoons to see who had the fastest cars. Inevitably people came out to watch the races, and racing moonshine cars on Sunday afternoons became extremely popular – NASCAR history had begun.
By Ryan - Posted on March 9, 2010
