NASCAR News: Chevrolet Pick-Up Sized Sinkhole Causes Widespread Panic at North Wilkesboro, Possible “Moonshining” Suspected

Last week, while the crew was sprucing up the stands of North Wilkesboro Speedway for the big NASCAR All-Star race, they stumbled upon some gnarly cracks in the old concrete over by Section N, right near Turn 1. And get this: they found a huge hole, like 700 square feet of nothing, right underneath it all. With about 600 seats already yanked from that spot, the Speedway Motorsports gang is now all hands-on deck fixing the foundation and laying down new concrete to get everything shipshape before the NASCAR All-Star Shindig kicks off in May.

Officials noted some of the strange things in the moonlight cave

For ages, there’s been this tall tale floating around about a hidden cave under the speedway where they used to stash moonshine. Everyone thought it was just a story. But now they stumble upon this thing at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Steve Swift, the senior vice president of operations and development at Speedway Motorsports, was in charge of making things run smoothly. “Once our operations guys found the initial hole, we knocked it open to find there was an even bigger hole, approximately 700 square feet, a huge cavity. You could park a Chevrolet pickup truck in the hole, and it was right under the Turn 1 grandstand.”

But, even though Steve was itching to explore and see what’s what, they just didn’t have the time to play Indiana Jones. He’s like, “There’s things under there you would see that makes no sense why they are there. We saw some things that were kind of weird, columns and an interior wall and it made us think of some of the stories we have heard in the past, there could be something to this hole. It’s still plausible, and maybe Myth Busters can come out and investigate it one day.”

North Wilkesboro Speedway kicked off the fun back in ’47 and quickly turned into one of NASCAR’s OG tracks. Even though Prohibition got the boot in ’33, Moonshining didn’t exactly pack up and leave. The folks who killed off moonshine in the ’20s found it tough to go legit. Plus, some places kept booze illegal, and where it was legal, the taxes were through the roof.

The whole racing scene has deep roots in those Prohibition days. Bootleggers got really good at souping up their cars to outrun the cops and became pros at driving like their tails were on fire. It’s this spicy history that makes the Speedway’s story so cool. But it’s not just about uncovering hidden booze caves that’s got everyone buzzing. The upgrades they’ve done to the place are also set to ramp up the excitement level for fans big time.

The repaving of the North Wilkesboro Speedway has completely changed it, drivers claim

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This season, this legendary short track that’s just over half a mile is going to see some serious action with a Truck Series race and the Cup Series’ all-star race lighting up the asphalt. They laid down new pavement last November, and by mid-March, NASCAR hotshots like Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, and William Byron were tearing it up in a tire test for Goodyear.

The words from the drivers were pretty interesting. Well, William Byron thinks the new pavement, plus the fact it’s a short track, is going to mean a whole lot of bumper-to-bumper racing. Joey Logano’s hyped about a big bump in turn 1, and the track’s funky shape keeps things spicy. And Ben Rhodes, the Truck Series driver, is betting on a totally different kind of race this year.

He’s like, “It’s not even the same race track, and really when we started the day, never having a truck or car or anything run on this place to all the rubber we put on it, it’s not the same race track as eight hours ago. It’s changed a lot; I think it’s rubbered in well.”

Read More: Massive Sinkhole Unearths NASCAR’s Moonshine Roots at North Wilkesboro Speedway

The point is, when they did the repave in November, they shaved off a couple of inches from the old surface, fixed up the rough spots, sealed ’em, and then laid down this special asphalt mix that keeps the track’s original vibes, including those 13-degree banked corners. Even before the engines start roaring for the races, the North Wilkesboro track’s already pumping up the excitement levels. Fingers crossed, the races are going to be just as thrilling as the news of moonshine.