Special to Iredell Free News

RALEIGH — Following a triumphant first year, the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail in North Carolina is expanding.

The Moonshine and Motorsports Trail, conceived in the 2021 state budget and launched in 2023 by the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), is adding nine new sites that will highlight the state’s unique, intertwined history of distilling and stock car racing.

“The Moonshine and Motorsports Trail’s goals are to increase economic development across the state, to honor North Carolina’s leadership and innovation in these fields, and to help rural communities thrive,” said DNCR Secretary Reid Wilson. “Locations on the trail span the entire state and include diverse and authentic stories about racing, distilling, prohibition, rural life, agriculture, and recreation.”

The newly added sites enrich the trail’s narrative by delving deeper into the diverse aspects of North Carolina’s moonshine and motorsports legacy.

• Bowman Gray Stadium, Winston-Salem: Built in 1937 as a public works project, this 1/4-mile oval has been referred to as “NASCAR’s Longest-Running Weekly Race Track,” a testament to the sport’s enduring legacy.

• Dale Earnhardt Tribute Plaza, Kannapolis: This plaza in downtown Kannapolis commemorates the NASCAR legend’s life and career with a striking 9-foot, 900-pound bronze statue of Earnhardt, a seven-time NASCAR champion.

• Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mill: Once a sanctuary for moonshiners, the Great Dismal Swamp near Elizabeth City, hid large-scale illicit distilling operations during Prohibition that were nestled in the natural beauty of the region.

• Johnston County Heritage Center and Johnston County Museum, Smithfield: Uncover the saga of Percy Flowers, dubbed the “King of the Moonshiners,” in a 1958 Saturday Evening Post profile and explore his influence in the region, intersecting with the area’s agricultural history.

• Mountain Gateway and Heritage Center, Old Fort: Housing a moonshine still, the museum spotlights Southern Appalachian heritage, culture and the history of western North Carolina.

• Museum of Ashe County History, Jefferson: Featuring the “Moonshine and Music,” exhibit, this museum showcases the fusion of Appalachian music culture with the region’s moonshine history.

• NC Transportation Museum, Spencer: Featuring the “Bumper To Bumper” exhibit, this museum displays vintage and antique cars alongside a Highway Patrol car from 1935 and other automotive treasures.

• North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro: Home to Purgatory Trail at Purgatory Mountain, a well-known hideout for bootleggers in Randolph County and about 20 miles from Level Cross, the base of the Petty Family racing dynasty.

• Orange County Speedway, Rougemont: Known as “the fastest 3/8-mile race track in America,” the high-banked oval has hosted some of the most famous names in stock car racing, including Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and many more.

These additional sites enhance the trail’s offerings and provide visitors with a diverse array of experiences that celebrate North Carolina’s unique history. The Moonshine and Motorsports Trail invites visitors to embark on a journey through time, exploring the stories, traditions, and legacies that have shaped the state’s cultural landscape.

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For more information and updates on the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail, please visit ncmmtrail.com.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

President Joe Biden traveled to Wilmington, North Carolina, on Thursday to tout the administration’s water infrastructure investments in a key swing state as the election season draws nearer.

Biden focused the majority of his remarks on efforts to replace lead water pipes that remain in use around the country despite health concerns associated with lead leaking into drinking water. Funding to address the issue was included in both the bipartisan infrastructure law and the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion stimulus package Democrats approved along party-lines. Both laws were enacted in 2021.

“Today, nine million lead service lines connect water mains to our homes, schools, daycare centers, businesses,” Biden said. “That includes some 300,000 lead service lines in North Carolina alone. The cost to replace them is consequential, but too many families only learn the threat to their children after they get sick.” 

“You know, this is for some time why I’m determined, I’m determined to fix it. We’re finally moving. Until the United States of America, God love us, deals with this – how can we say we’re a leading nation in the world, for God’s sake we’re better than this,” Biden added.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES TO REQUIRE LEAD PIPES TO BE REPLACED WITHIN 10 YEARS

“These lead lines are tough and durable and they don’t rust, but we’ve long since learned they leak poisonous toxins into our water,” the president explained. “The science is clear – lead service lines pose severe health risks, damaging the brain and kidneys. In children especially, they stunt growth, slow learning and cause lasting brain damage.”

“One study shows when you reduce lead exposure for children, their test scores actually improve in school as much as if you were to reduce class size by a third at one-tenth the cost of doing that. It pays off across the board,” he added.

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President Joe Biden delivers remarks on water infrastructure at the Wilmington Convention Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Photographer: Cornell Watson/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Let me say what I’ve said many times before, there’s no – no – safe level of lead exposure, none. The only way forward is to replace every lead service line that connects Americans to clean water. That’s why Kamala and I are making sure this administration is the first ever to set out to do it, and we’re going to get it done,” Biden said.

The White House published a press release Thursday that noted that the administration’s $3 billion in funding to replace toxic lead pipes comes as part of a broader $15 billion in funding for that purpose under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that came from the bipartisan infrastructure law.

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Congress approved billions of dollars in funding for the replacement of lead pipes around the country. (Antonio Pere/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images / Getty Images)

It noted that the bipartisan infrastructure law included over $50 billion in funding for water infrastructure, while the American Rescue Plan provided over $20 billion in water infrastructure for state and local governments slated for use on water infrastructure projects.

Further, the White House said the state of North Carolina has used $150 million from the American Rescue Plan to test for and remove lead hazards in schools and daycare centers around the state.

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The White House said that with today’s announcement of $3 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law being allocated to lead pipe replacement projects, the first such project funded under the law began in the city of Wilmington.