Today’s NASCAR Cup Series may look sleek and professional, but its history dates directly back to the Prohibition era, when the craving for alcohol persisted despite bans on production and distribution. Drivers modified their cars to outrun the police, then began taking those cars onto the track for a more legitimate form of competition. Now, as the iconic North Wilkesboro Speedway prepares to host the NASCAR circus again for the annual All-Star Race, it’s returning to the old days of stock car racing with a trophy designed to look like moonlight. .
According to Speedway, the copper and wood trophy was designed by Call Family Distillers in partnership with Checkered Past Speakeasy, and it will be awarded, along with a big cash prize, to the winner of this month’s non-championship All-Star race. . Event logos and the phrase “born to shine” will be branded on a trophy so large that NWS says it will take two people to lift.
“NASCAR and moonshining were arm’s length during the sport’s early days and many of the top drivers began smuggling in fast cars through the back roads of Wilkes County,” said Executive Director Jessica Fickenscher. of the NASCAR All-Star Race at North. Wilkesboro Motor Speedway. “We are delighted to have Call Family Distillers supplying these unique pot still trophies. They will pay a great homage to the early days of NASCAR with a throwback feel that this week’s winners of the NASCAR All-Star Race will cherish.
It’s a fun and cheeky way to welcome NASCAR to North Wilkesboro Speedway, a track that has fallen into disrepair after being closed and reopened multiple times. It once again rose to prominence in the popular imagination thanks to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who led a campaign to encourage iRacing, a racing sim platform, to scan the track. The renewed interest created momentum, leading to the renovation of the track and its facilities. Now it’s the home of non-championship All-Star racing, where NASCAR winners and champions are invited to compete for a big cash prize – and easily the coolest trophy in motorsport history.
