Moonshiners put more time, energy, thought, and love into their cars than any racer ever will. Lose on the track, and you go home. Lose with a load of whiskey, and you go to jail.

He is nicknamed "The Last American Hero" and his autobiography is of the same name. In the 1970s and 1980s he became a NASCAR racing team owner; he sponsored such NASCAR champions as Cale Yarborough and Darrell Waltrip. He is credited with discovering drafting.