A long-rumored moonshine cave under a historic NASCAR track in North Carolina may turn out to be real, after a sinkhole revealed an open area under the grandstands, officials said.
The North Wilkesboro Speedway said in a statement Tuesday that the discovery was made during grandstand cleaning and inspection last week. Staff discovered cracks in the original concrete in section N and began removing seats to evaluate the damage and the necessary repairs. When they did, they discovered an open area under the concrete around 700 square feet in size.
“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,” said Steve Swift, senior vice president of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports.
“Well, we haven’t found find 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," Swift said. "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.”
Some 600 seats have been removed in sections N and O, and Speedway Motorsports staff are planning the next steps for foundation repairs and concrete replacement ahead of NASCAR All-Star Race Week, scheduled for May 14–19.
“Now we have a race before the race,” Swift said. “The area that’s been affected by the sinkhole is a frontstretch grandstand area with some of the best views of the track. We’ll have a lot of work to get done before NASCAR All-Star Race Week.”
The North Wilkesboro Speedway opened in 1947, and in 1949 became one of NASCAR's original tracks when it hosted the finale for the first Strictly Stock (now Cup) Series. The track was closed in 1996, and after an "extensive" restoration, returned to the NASCAR Cup schedule when it hosted the All-Star Race on May 21, 2023.
Story via TMX