NASCAR's Illegal Moonshine Roots: From Criminals to Champions (Bill Blair Jr's Personal Museum) 

It blows my mind to think this stuff was happening almost 100 years ago now. In my mind the 1920s still registers as 80 something years ago 😵‍💫 Stapletonautoworks.com

Was born and raised in High Point. My grandmother was a Blair. If I remember she was a cousin. My father was raised on Clover Hill Farms dairy across the street from the old High Point speedway down on Johnson street. I met Bill Blair once as a kid at Harb's Garage. They had several old vintage racecars there for a carshow. He knew my dad and they talked for awhile. I was blown away that I was actually related to him. Back then I was a huge Nascar fan.

Every time I watch one of these things, I am amazed at the memory these folks have. Mr Blair is 86 and his mind is still very sharp. Thanks for doing this. It is something that will one day be lost.

My dad gave me a 1946 Ford truck with a flathead and said "If you want to learn to be a mechanic, figure out why this truck has no power." My dad never told me that only 2 cylinders actually had compression. I changed the points, the spark plugs and took the carb all apart. I did this after school. I was only 10 years and I was excited that if I got it to run I would get to drive it. After 1 month of thrashing on this I finally asked for help to which my dad then taught me about why an engine needs compression to make it run. It is pretty rare today to have the art of repair taught that way anymore. Keep this kind of videos coming.

You can tell he really enjoys talking about the history of his dad an moonshine hauling an racing... 👌👌👍👍

Mitchell, you've only scratched the surface of the "OLD" Nascar era beginnings. I can't wait to see what you've uncovered next. The more your channel gets out there, the more I'd like to think the ole timers left will contact you to tell you their stories. Keep at it !!

I knew both methanol and nitro were around back then but i never would have thought they would be running them in a 40's flathead at full noise for hours on end

The flat head / jerrycan dry sump, and oil pre-heat, blew me away. Realizing it ain’t for everyone, seems many of these “visits”, understandably, get edited down. Maybe, “extended” versions, in all your free time,😜, on your second channel, could be a long term goal? All of these episodes seem to have details, of innovations, that flash me back, that I suspect, would be of interest to other’s as well. Great job Mitchell and Logan, preserving this history, not only of the various sports, but, the evolution of technology and innovation.

That old timer knows where everything is and what it does in that shop

I am so thankful that you're preserving the memories of NASCAR's pioneers. That supercharger was wild.

Hey man - I’m writing an additional comment because I’ve been rewatching some videos of yours and thinking about your project here. First, it was so cool to revisit Jimmy Means’ videos and have more click into place, now that I’ve learned even more about him and the “Winston Cup” racing we all love. You two really are creating a body of work of histories and interviews, primary sources, that will serve as a reference for others. It is already doing this, and I’ve said it a lot, but this is super worthwhile. For example, Waddell refuting the rumor about the “show car from a local Hardee’s wins Daytona” is legit important history, without which the “funny story” becomes fact. So yeah, again, thank you. I also wanted to encourage trying to get more interviews like this one, with people who experienced things first-hand but aren’t so famous that they have “set answers” to things after being interviewed so many times. People that come to mind are Robert Gee Jr., Tony Eury Jr., Jimmy Means’ son, the bus and hauler drivers, production assistants at CBS or MRN, less prominent NASCAR officials like flag men or the guys who stood at each pit, etc. I’m sure this has occurred to you guys and you definitely feature folks like the fabricator “Rambo,” but surely someone like Greg Sacks would have a ton of insight on Cup racing, Hendrick, as well as Days of Thunder since he drove as “Cole Trickle.” Anyway, just some ideas!

Bill Blair Jr, wow what a historic life I mean he was around for the forming of what eventually became NASCAR!!! I am like WTF he's 86 years old still going strong telling his stories sharing his wealth of knowledge, bless this man. Mitchell and Logan y'all never cease to amaze me with the content you make, thank you once again for sharing this with all of us, it's a blessing. Thank you !

Also people don’t remember how bad brakes and tires and cars handled back then it’s amazing anybody towing and running hard survived. Pontiac at times over the years have some really special stuff. Yes we watch the videos to the end for sure

Bill Giving a great History lesson,thank you.

Wow, the amount of flammable, volatile substances these old timers were handling in their back yards and shops...just think of it as homemade chemistry labs but used for a very specific purpose of racing! Thanks for Mr. Blair. His collection is really good instruction on how racing was done in the 1940's. He was right in the thick of NASCAR beginnings.

its my buddy!! such a great man and even better friend! hope you got Jack Tant on your list! his wife Sheila is a wonderful pperson as well. you could of made this video 4 days long and you still would of only scratched the surface. he was on my radio show more times than i can count and always fun and always gracious with his time and knowledge .

You two have knocked it out of the park again! Just when I thought you got it all you stepped back further in history and found an absolute gem! Blair is a human time machine. I'm so impressed, thank you for this episode it was truly impressive.

86 year old man, and he still talks about his daddy, that's a true bond of Father and Son.

My grandmas dad was racing these cars. He was a moonshiner in GA. We had a great photo of him and his team with the car at the track in black and white.

Grancor was the brand that the Granatelli brothers had made and sold back in Chicago before the Indy 500 days and Studebaker and the world famous STP era

The pontiac stuff can be a video to itself. I remember Dave Johnson running I think a Jerico 4 speed in the white warrior 63 Tempest nostalgia super stock banging gears at Norwalk raceway park. The early 60s Tempest has very classic lines...love em!

Bill Blair is a good man. Always like talking to him.

Very cool that Bill gave you a really cool tour.

omg the original "hub" dyno! What a find! Great Video Mitchell! Thank You all! I also love him discussing lb/hr needs for type of fuel and timing adjustments...I see sun distributor machine under a cover against the wall! This is pretty high tech stuffs!

Stapleton42 You are the Bomb! One more generation and no one will understand . These are priceless.

Southwest Virginia had one of the first Virginia dirt tracks post WW2. It was called Southwest Virginia Speedway. There is very little literature in existence about it. It was located in Marion Virginia. The location is a hayfield today but can be seen from the road. Bill Blair is noted in one of articles about racing here along with Curtis Turner.

Man I love that you want to preserve this stuff. You said something in one of the race shop videos, that you like to stand where those buildings and just think about who else has stood there. I do the same thing! I’m 39 years old and I feel the generation behind me doesn’t care yet. So it’s awesome you are doing all of this!

Outstanding work! Please air the remaining footage. The amount of knowledge that Mr. Blair has must be preserved for all to see. Keep up the great work!

The gentleman has a lot of history and some good stories and memorabilia .

This. Is. Pure. Gold.

Mr . Blair is a living encyclopedia.

This is the pioneer era, if it weren't for guys like Bill Blair from this era, there would be no NASCAR that we have today. Bill stands on NASCAR's win list with three wins.

Outstanding! The Pontiac history was off the hook.

Mitch, just when I think you can’t possibly beat your last video. You can tell how much this old timer loved and admired his dad. Thanks for sharing bud, what a wealth of knowledge, he reminds me of my grandfather.

How you guys find all these great stories that need to be told is amazing!! Thanks again for keep this piece of history alive! So Cool!

Thank you for showcasing the enginuity behind the founding idea of NASCAR!!!

This is what legends are made from, don’t forget where you come from. I’m from asheboro , few miles from the area , have family in the area now. Everyone that is a gearhead or something like that is interested in the moon- early days of nascar. These people and stories are it .

I knew Jack Choquette who was the '53 or '54 NASCAR National Modified Champion. Was a really cool man. If he told me something about my racecar I did it. Jack is surely missed. GOD BLESS Mr. Choquette.

My hometown of High Point North Carolina was well represented during that era! Very nice video guys! Thank you both.

It must take a lot of searching to find all this old school history Its really cool Thanks to you and Logan for bringing us old guys along Much appreciated

Mr. and Mrs. Stapleton again you have thoroughly impressed with old 75 year old. Uncle Albert and Thomas brother Fayetteville North Carolina is Mr. Blair is the real deal he knows more about the real era of racing 40s 50s and 60s and most people share all those things with me and you to share them with us. Thank you, I got cold chills some of the things that he wrote back real memories for me because I followed my uncles around just like he did his dad. round just like he did his dad. Thank you again very much. Look forward to the next.

Audio sounds great with the guest wearing the microphone. You and Logan are documenting racing history for generations to come. Keep up the awesome work

You are making history , please take good care of all of your film ! Your library is extremely valuable !

Great video, Thanks again for keeping old NASCAR alive.

Love what you are doing... Preserving, and finding, history is SO important.

When I was 17, Fonty Flock, took me around the Daytona International Speedway in a Florida Hiway Patrol Car at 150 MPH.... No seatbelt, helmet, nothing... He was a great guy... Took me into Frances office. Introduced me and gave me a small card signed by Bill France. I was a dumb kid but he took the time to do that...great guy. True Story..

Thank you Mitchell for bringing us this awesome history content

Very cool thank you for documenting and preserving this history

Love hearing the story’s of these moonshiners, you hear people talk about them as the start, but you don’t hear the specifics like them getting caught 😂😂

Bill really caught me off guard,, when he pointed to a photo of him racing in West Palm Beach, Fl. Sadly they demolished the entire facility 2 years ago and left it without building what they bought it for. Fantastic video!!

Very interesting man with a great memory

FYI - For many years before Hot-Rodders started using it - it was a solvent for ink used in printing presses and news paper printing - it dries really fast

DAMN one of my dad's best friends who was Track Champion at Greenville Pickens in the 50's recently passed, he was building flatheads with my dad the day he died. In so far as drag racing : Quain Stott who's family owns Stott Ford previously Stott Chevrolet in the 1960's owns and runs the Southeast Gassers Series race series... runs on the 1967 NHRA rule book.

Absolutely amazing to hear and see that stuff. What a treasure he is to be still here to share his stories. Brilliant job capturing it all. I even heard him say that he had audio of some meetings organizing rules….just amazing !!

I loved it. He is a walking talking history book. Keep them coming, I love this. God bless you both.

Love seeing all the early parts and stories!!!! To hear this Gentleman's knowlodge and history !!! Great Stuuff !!!

Thanks for doing this you two. We really appreciate it. I am so happy you spent the day with Ed Pink. He is a drag racing legend. Get Prudhomme next, he has some stories. Take a couple days and visit his shop in California. It's awseome!!

Thank you sir please keep telling the history of nascar you are awesome me and my dad watch all your videos just know that there are people out there that really appreciate what you’re doing

Incredible episode! Thanks for visiting Mr Blair and bringing his wealth of knowledge to us!

I swear I had a grin from ear to ear watching this. This is the best video yet! Man you're just killing it!!!

Old Nascar and a big time Pontiac drag racer.Wow!

Damnitboy. You knocked this one outta the park. I remember being a fan of this guy drag racing in the late 60's and early 70's and wondered whatever happened to him. I really had no idea who he was and certainly didn't know anything about who his dad was and his connection to pre Nascar stock car racing and moonshining. This is definitely one of your best videos yet. What a wealth of knowledge and a cool dude this man is. I bet he does have some stories. LOL Great job by you and Logan. You guys are absolutely crushing it!

This guy is such a badass! 65mph behind a station wagon 😂 This episode was amazing, thank you🙏

Hello Stapleton, this is the best yet. My first car was a 1950 Ford with the V8. Brings back memories just as you see.

i never realize how much robert gee had an impact on racing and bill blair sr and jr the same way thank you so much for this video iwished you could have got but i realize its not easy to do

Junior Johnson

Sad that in 150 years unless ur a prominant or popular person. We will not be remembered in future generations. Sad. An thanks for what an all ya do to preserve history. Much appreciated

Awesome stuff! Very cool to see more on the vintage cars and the people behind them. I race a vintage class in Eastern WA/ North Idaho. '28-'48 original steel bodies, straight axles and leaf springs, and either flathead v8 or inline sixes for power. Some of the most fun I've ever had! The cars always get a TON of attention.

That was great! You guys are doing a great job gathering this history. That early supercharger was really cool, well, everything was really cool!! Thanks, cheers!!

Wow, just wow! Awesome that you have documented his story! Thanks y'all, good stuff!

You guys rock man! Awesome history and stories. Well done!

Mitchell, my ears perked up for the Pontiac stuff. My high school shop teacher was a huge Pontiac guy. He raced a '62 Pontiac from 1963 until he died in 2007. He also had one of the factory aluminum '62s. I never realized how big he was until I went to his funeral and was reading the cards on the flowers. One of them was from Arnie and Evelyn Beswick.

Great content thanks for sharing

Another neat story is the Sox & Martin drag racing story, out of Burlington NC alot of those guys are still living.

It’s a history lesson that is fun with all the stories behind every part 🏁🏁🏁

It's amazing how you have managed to find so much history of stock car racing

(Fancy cap) A wicked stretch of road... right up there with mount eagle mountain right out side Chattanooga TN when it was a 2 Lane...

I would watch your guys channel before I watch any modern NASCAR race!❤

Met Bill Many times over the years at Piedmont Dragway and Farmington Dragway during the Nostalgia Drags at both tracks,saw some of his Super Duty Pontiacs!! I really like NASCAR history, but man I love Drag Racing history, maybe do video with Bill about his Drag Racing Days!👍 love the Channel and the Content! Thanks for sharing.

We towed a 1965 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia all the way from Miami, Florida to Ontario, Canada using one of those clamp on bumper tow bars. We used them all the time in the 70's, but that was the longest distance I towed a car with one. For the tow vehicle, we used my 1978 Plymouth Volare station wagon. The year was 1985. Those bumper tow bars were still readily available at the local automotive hardware store (Canadian Tire and similar stores in the US) in the 80's. My Volare did get pushed around quite a bit, and the VW's steering liked to turn full lock to the side quite often, trying to make the back of my car skid out to the side... Lots of fun when running at wide open throttle (about 75 mph going down a small hill). Other than a couple of blown front tires at 70 mph on the Karmann Ghia, we didn't have any problems.

Thank you an much Respect for the Blair Family

If possible play the whole unedited video I would love to watch the whole thing. Thank you for your wonderful videos.

Bill Blair has some of the rarest of rare Pontiac parts and the red Pontiac aluminum fenders, hood, bumpers. Pontiac built rare swiss cheese cars, Light weight. 421 super duty engines, a friend of mine has one of them. The exhaust system he showed I would say that is all thats around. I would love to see that shop .

This was really interesting, getting to see the connective tissue between moonshine running and racing. Fully support this part of your work, tracking down stories and figures who had a closer connection to the stock car racing NASCAR is named after.

Mr 42 you found your passion and doing a great job with this

I'm in love with his garage!!

Great video! Mr. Blair sure had a great memory. Thanks for doing these videos, I have been following NASCAR and NHRA since mid ‘60s, I have heard of a lot of those people he mentioned in the video but I had never heard of him or his dad. Would be interesting to hear how you found out about them. Good job!

Another great video Mitchell ! Love hearing the old stories and the old tricks that were used way beck in the days ! And I agree , hanging the microphone on your guest's make them very easy to hear as some are not easily understable at times , You on the other hand have a very clear distinct voice and is easily heard . Keep up the good work !

Oh man I loved this guy a wealth of information

Great video, you shouldn't feel bad cause you don't know a lot of those people. You are learning about them and sharing this information and that's why it's important for you to continue doing this. Thanks for the video.

These are the story's great movies are made of, great interview once again, keep it up

This is one of the most important videos ever made about NASCAR, and its roots. Great work man, wish we'd of hungout like we talked about at thundervalley when you were still here in okc.

Awesome content. So glad these guys are still around for you to get all this knowledge from. Thanks for all your hard work in keeping this history alive.

This stuff is so cool to watch and take in! Mitch, you & Logan have done it again with yet another interesting video of old hot rods AKA "ridgerunners", the forerunners of NASCAR. I'm right there with you guys watching this video today, such great history you guys have brought to light! Appreciate you guys to no end, thanks again for all your hard work and efforts!

Thirty seconds in and I new this was gold. Great stuff!!

ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!! Mr. Blair is the PERFECT person to ask and I was going to send you a recommendation to contact him ! THANK YOU SO MUCH !!!!!

One of your best videos yet! Keep it coming!

What I like is that it shows that those guys back there very smart and resourceful. People today think they are smart and advanced, but in reality the further back in history ya go the more advanced they exactly were, used their brains instead of computers.

Very cool video. I really enjoy the olden days of racing and Nascar. The history my stay alive. Keep-a-hammerin Stapelton42

Another awesome awesome video guys. Please keep up the great work. Especially from these old school guys. Thank you very much 👍🏁