Appalachian History

When Louise Smith (1916-2006) started racing cars, most girls weren’t even allowed to drive. From her first wild adventure behind the wheel of her daddy’s Ford to the dangers and thrills of stock-car tracks across the country, Louise fearlessly paved the way for women in racing and became a NASCAR legend.  It takes a lot [...]

During the July 27, 1941 race at the Daytona Beach-Road Course he suffered a crushed chest, broken pelvis, head and back injuries, and severe shock. He raced his two brothers and his sister in the July 10, 1949 race at the same course, the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. And years later, after [...]

This review by Alan Bailey originally ran on ThePitPass. How did NASCAR evolve from moonshine running and dirt tracks to a billion dollar industry and the biggest spectator sport in the United States? A new book by Daniel S. Pierce, University of North Carolina at Asheville associate professor of history, takes an unprecedented look into [...]

Neal Thompson, author of Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR, read at the 2008 Carolina Literary Festival over in Burnsville, NC this past weekend. We caught up with Neal to get a quick overview of the wild world of early moonshiners and stock car drivers. Appalachian History: Could [...]