Gant still the same at 75 - ESPN
The smoke rolls heavy across the Brushy Mountains in western North Carolina, nestled halfway between Durham and Knoxville. It's moonshine country out here, Wilkes County shine, America's most wanted. Fifty years ago these woods held two lanes to freedom for good ol' boys hauling lightning up and down Highway 16, as curvy as a centerfold and just as dangerous. Harry Gant and his buddies never hauled shine. They'd hang around downtown, near the Taylorsville red light, and wait. When a notable, sometimes notorious, shine runner rolled into view, Gant and the boys would roll out to the light. When the light flashed red to green, they'd take off down the hill to the city limit sign, attitude like a Hal Ketchum song: Pedal to the metal 'fore they changed their minds. Shine runners were wheelmen. They'd drag-race every night, 11 p. m. to sunup. Every single night. Sometimes it was a two-car race. Other times they'd get adventurous and take off through the country, six or seven miles across the mountain. Regardless, you kept your foot in it. Every now and again they'd race Highway 90 all the way to Statesville, 20 miles, flat out. When the state built Route 421, they'd head out there and race to Interstate 40. Then they'd take 40 to the Iredell County line. Source: espn.go.com
