WILKES COUNTY, N.C. — A crack in the concrete at the North Wilkesboro Speedway may have opened a door to the past. 

What You Need To Know

  •  The Call family distillery has been around in some form for 156 years, according to Brian Call

  •  He is the owner of Call Family Distillers, which sells legal moonshine in Wilkes County

  •  Lawson Curry, a family member, donated the land for the speedway 

  • Workers at the track recently discovered a secret room under the grandstand they suspect was used for making moonshine

Longtime NASCAR fans know moonshine and racing go together. And it all started in Wilkes County.

“This picture here is my grandpa. Back in '51. He evaded law for about four or five years, and he come home for Christmas and the revenuers found out he was at home and they come and arrested him at my grandmother's house,” Brian Call, owner of the Call Family Distillers, said as he explained the mugshot of his grandfather. 

At the distillery, you can find family pictures and shelves filled with moonshine bottles. 

Wilkes County, between Winston-Salem and Boone, was the moonshine capital of the world and Brian Call's family played a significant role.

“In 1947, Lawson Curry donated the land down there where the racetrack is, which is a family member,” Call said. “They built the North Wilkesboro Speedway and had 10,000 people show up for the first race.”

Call can’t help but smile while walking through the distillery. 

“It feels awesome and I’m just trying to keep the heritage alive of my family. It's kind of ironic, We went from a legal distillery back in 1800s to illegal through generations, and here we are today making legal moonshine again or whiskey,” Call said. 

Call said he’s not sure if the cave found underneath the speedway has anything to do with his family.

Officials at North Wilkesboro Speedway are evaluating the next steps for foundation repair and concrete replacement before the upcoming NASCAR All-Star Race in May.