Moonshine & Motorsports Trail: Exploring a North Carolina Racing Hidden Gem (Ep. 2)

What is the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame?

After stopping at the NASCAR Hall of Fame to start the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail, Eric takes a detour to Mooresville, North Carolina to what he calls a “Hidden Gem.” That hidden gem is the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

According to their website, this museum has been around since 1994. The museum houses more than 40 cars from different disciplines of auto racing. Inductees are a who’s-who of auto racing legends including Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, Tony Stewart, and more.

What’s Inside?

Inside of the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is nothing short of a spectacular collection. Cars from the early days of NASCAR up until the new millennium, plus little trinkets that make any NASCAR or auto racing fan’s eyes pop.

Eric starts the tour with a look at a 1940s Ford Coupe. A peek into the history of where NASCAR came from. Moonshiners tricking whatever car they had to make it go fast.

From there, it’s views of classic stock cars from all different era and even some different disciplines of motorsports. One car that a few may recognize is The Fabulous Hudson Hornet driven by NASCAR’s first two time champion, Herb Thomas.

Not only were there cars at the museum, but there were also pieces of memorabilia including diecasts and firesuits. A piece Eric found particularly intriguing was a Rusty Wallace scale model used for aerodynamic testing in the 1990s.

In addition to the older pieces in the museum, there were also pieces that were more modern. The one Eric took the most time looking at was a Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing 20 car.

Stewart made that 20 car famous during his first 10 Cup Series seasons winning two championships in 2002 and 2005. He also won a rookie record three races in his rookie season of 1999.

Not a planned pit stop on Eric’s Moonshine and Motorsports Trail, the North Carolina Motorsports Hall of Fame seems to have something for everyone. Eric will continue his tour through North Carolina to visit more historical sites on the Moonshine and Motorsports Trail.