Is the age old story the real account, or is it just an urban legend? It may sound too good to be true, but NASCAR really did get its start with the illegal running of whiskey.
The story goes that during the prohibition era of the 1920′s and early 30′s, NASCAR got its roots. Moonshine brewing was rampant during prohibition, and the transportation of it was a dangerous business. Moonshine runners made a living illegally transporting the outlawed whiskey from the breweries to where it needed to be distributed. The police, obviously, were against this and so pursuits were often the result. Naturally, the runners began to make their cars faster so as to outrun the police. Eventually, bootleggers began to race one another in the cars they used to haul their booze.
In 1938, Bill France organized the first known race in Daytona Beach, Florida. Realizing the popularity the sport could potentially hold, he began to keep statistics, and began to organize the races and sanction them into a sport. World War II put a halt to those plans however, and it wasn’t until 1948 that Bill France officially created NASCAR, the first race of which was the Winston Cup.Take a look here to learn more: You: NASCAR Hall of Fame: Bold Picks for Nomination to Class of 2012