Bootleg Mobile
Dale Earnhardt's Old Ride?
As a continuation of Kathleen’s Texas Adventures, she came across this Vintage Chevy “Special Deluxe” painted with Stars and Stripes. The owner (Kathy’s Uncle Richard) decorated it for a Parade in downtown Dallas for the Bi-Centennial. He was also cast for the TV show, “Walker, Texas Ranger’ but when he heard that Chuck Norris was going to come in to “clean up” the mob scene he claimed, “I don’t throw a fight for anybody!” Perhaps Chuck would have had a surprise? These type of vehicles were often used in Bootlegging moonshine (not that this one was) but a bit of History!
Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, when drivers ran bootleg whiskey and moonshine made primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States. Bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, and some of them came to love the fast-paced driving down twisty mountain roads.
The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 dried up some of their business, but by then Southerners had developed a taste for moonshine, and a number of the drivers continued “runnin’ shine”, this time evading the “revenuers” who were attempting to tax their operations. The cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, where, unsurprisingly, many of today’s NASCAR Legends are from!
Can’t Drive 55
Daddy The Speed Limit is 65!
This was shot at at Vintage Car Show in Lido, California. A close examination of this curiuos kids back shows the original vehicle!
So, the title is a Tribute Van Halen and NASCAR!
The song has been a signature track for Hagar during and after his tenure with Van Halen, and is commonly used on TV programs and commercials related to automotive racing. Most recently, the song was featured in a NAPA Auto Parts commercial, where NASCAR drivers Micheal Waltrip and older teammate Dale Jarret are asking Hagar to keep the noise down during a recording session; in response, Hagar asked Waltrip if he could drive faster. Waltrip’s car number at the time of the 2007 commercial was #55.
In 2001, NBC Sports had Hagar record a “corrected” version, now known as “I Can’t Drive 65,” reflecting the common 65 MPH speed limit on freeways, for use during Bud Pole Award presentations on Winston Cup Series broadcasts on NBC and TNT. It was used from 2001 to 2003 during the broadcasts. www.kerstenbeck.com
White Lightening
This was shot at the amazing Bernardo Winery. Wine to White Lightening from the Bernardo Winery in San Diego?
I am not saying that during Prohibition that the Bernardo Winery “fortified” their Wine, but I do know that this is quite easy – my Father produced many gallons of Valge Valke (Estonian translation for White Lightening) and it was somewhat strong!
You may recognize The Ball Mason Jar now used in many Bars (and for Pickling). The earliest glass jars were called wax sealers, because they used sealing wax, which was poured into a channel around the lip that held on a tin lid. This process was complicated and error-prone, but was largely the only one available for a long time, and widely used even into the early 1900s.
These jars were later used by entrepaneaurs transporting Shine during the Prohibition. The drivers would customize their cars engines, transmissions, shocks etc in order to keep ahead of the FBI. This was the birth of National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing or (NASCAR)…. Funny how things evolve!
150 Proof
Bonus Image of the Day: “3”
I think this image is just fun – I call this “Tribute to Dale Earnhardt” for all NASCAR Fans! m
……………..more images at http://www.kerstenbeck.com
Kerstenbeck Photographic Art 