Hooch Pooches: Winston-Salem Dash rebrand pays homage to stock car racing, bootlegging in North Carolina
The Winston-Salem Dash's upcoming one-game rebrand pays homage to the early days of racing in North Carolina — and the off-the-track illicit activity that helped fund racing in those early days.
In partnership with Call Family Distillers, the Winston-Salem Dash will for one day on June 20 be known as the Winston-Salem Hooch Pooches.
The logo and uniform reference Winston-Salem's stock racing roots as well as its connection to bootlegging.
Even the NASCAR Hall Of Fame acknowledges the role that illegal liquor played in the early days of the sport.
In the first decade or so of NASCAR racing, the transportation of illegal liquor in the South was huge business, and a lot of the sport's early stars drove, owned or built moonshine cars, and Wilkes County was a hotbed of the moonshine industry.
Excerpt from a blog post on the NASCAR Hall of Fame website
In fact, a life-sized whiskey still is on display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
'We are always looking for ways to honor the rich history and traditions of our great region,' said Brian DeAngelis, President and General Manager of the Dash. 'This night takes two things that make North Carolina stand out and mashes them into one big event the whole community can get behind. It's a bonus that this theme also has ties to Chicago, where our parent club is located.'
You can see the Hooch Pooches in action on Friday, June 20 when they play against the Rome Emperors.Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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