Sinkhole uncovers possible moonshine cave in grandstands at North Wilkesboro Speedway

A historic discovery at the North Wilkesboro Speedway has NASCAR fans abuzz, a little more than a month away from competition at the racetrack there.

The North Wilkesboro Speedway revealed Tuesday that a possible moonshine cave was discovered under the concrete grandstands. It was discovered during a routine inspection last week after staff discovered cracks in the original concrete in Section N.

As crews began removing the seats to inspect the extent of the damage and evaluate the needs for repair, an open area of about 700 square feet was discovered underneath the aging concrete.

For years there have been rumors that the track was the site of an old moonshine operation, and the latest findings might add more fuel to that fire.

“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. 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.”

That certainly adds a layer of intrigue to the repair efforts, to say the least.

The Speedway notes that about 600 seats have been removed from Sections N and O, and staff remains in deliberations about the next steps for foundation repair and concrete replacement.

The track is set to host NASCAR All-Star Race Week from May 14-19. It’s unclear if the current state of affairs will impact the site’s ability to safely seat patrons in the affected areas.

“Now we have a race before the race,” Swift commented. “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.”

Last year, Kyle Larson swept the weekend’s events at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in its return to the NASCAR circuit, winning the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Tyson 250 on Saturday before winning the All-Star Race on Sunday.

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“It was a great night. Great job to Marcus (Smith, Speedway Motorsports’ president and CEO) and his whole team on reviving this place,” Larson said. “I don’t think any of us thought that when Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) was here cleaning up weeds and cleaning it up for iRacing (in December of 2019), that we’d ever be here racing.

“The vibe was great tonight, with all the fans, and it helped that my car was quick.”