Jalopnik: North Carolina

North Carolina Woman Crashes Into Store For One Case Of Beer

Patrick Frawley — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST

Kara Fitzgerald Overman of Burlington, NC, was arrested last Wednesday after she allegedly crashed her pickup truck into the front of the Deep Creek Convenience Store, grabbed a case of beer, and drove off. More »

Former Nascar driver Jeremy Mayfield caught with meth and 50 guns

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:30:00 EDT

The road from Nascar driver to backwoods criminal's been a short one for Jeremy Mayfield, culminating in his arrest for possession of stolen goods, methamphetamine, and a small arsenal last night in Catawba, North Carolina. More »

Drunk woman steals special-needs bus in post-breakup crime spree

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:30:00 EDT

Amidst a bad breakup, a 22-year-old woman got drunk, stole a school bus and planned to drive it 3,000 miles to California. In Hollywood that would have been the plot of a feel-good date movie. More »

Cop Car In Chase Takes One For The Team

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:15:00 EST

This North Carolina Highway Patrolman was ready for his high-speed chase to end, so he attempted a PIT maneuver only to end up crashing. He stopped the truck, though he may have lost a few friends in the motor pool. More »

Ghost Hunter Chasing "Ghost Train" Killed By Real One

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:30:00 EDT

A 29-year-old amateur ghost hunter chasing a ghost train was killed by a real train near Statesville, North Carolina. It was in the same spot exactly 119 years after the fatal accident he was hoping would produce the ghoulish locomotive. More »

Jalopnik Hangs With Traffic Barrel Monster

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EDT

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The Traffic Barrel Monster is one of our favorite stories this year, so when we saw him hanging out at the North Carolina State Fair we had to stop for a picture. More »

Primered, Chong-Autographed, 3-On-The-Tree Chevy Van May Be Best Motor Vehicle Ever!

Murilee Martin — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:30:00 EDT

We can't even fit half the great things about this van in the title! It's also got a household air conditioner (with generator) and authentic 1970s red-white-and-blue shag carpet in the back! More »

Ten Great States To Drive Across

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EDT

There's nothing like the thrill of crossing an entire U.S. state. We just know it's what our forefathers intended. With a little help from our readers we've put together this list of ten states to criss-cross on a driving adventure. More »

A Visit To Holman Moody Makes 24 Hours Of LeMons Staff Reconsider $500 Limit

Murilee Martin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT

When you've got a few hours to kill before catching your flight out of Charlotte, North Carolina, what do you do? Pound Retsina-and-Schlitz Boilermakers at the airport bar… or check out Holman Moody's shop? More »

Yokels Molest Crashed Lamborghini

Wes Siler — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 11:30:00 EST

A yellow Lamborghini Murcielago with the vanity plate, “ITSYELLO” crashed in Greensboro, NC on Friday, attracting a crowd of locals who apparently scavenged the site for parts. More »

Fun With Corvettes In Quebec And North Carolina!

Murilee Martin — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:30:00 EDT

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting ~~street-parked~~ cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Today we've got a couple of modified Corvettes caught in motion by eagle-eyed readers, one in Quebec and the other in North Carolina. See, the problem with Corvettes is ~~execrable build quality~~ lack of interior space, and here we see two different approaches to solving that problem! Thanks to Seatbelt123 and RacerX for sending these in; make the jump to read their descriptions. More »

DOTSBE, Carolinas Edition: Mystery Mack Truck

Murilee Martin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

We've had quite a few great Down On The Street Bonus Edition cars and pickups so far, but how about great big diesels? The kind that's inspired even more country tunes than Death Row? Fortunately, road-test guru Wes Siler and a certain Czech Corvette-drivin' Jonny Lieberman were down in the Carolinas and came across this amazing Mack parked in some haunted-looking pine woods. Make the jump to hear the Loverman's description: More »

Personalized Plate Slips by North Carolina DMV

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:15:00 EST

Apparently the North Carolina DMV is unfamiliar with the darker corners of the internet because they've let a whopper of a plate slip through the screening process. If you've ever seen what this plate is referring to, may God have mercy on your soul. There are just some things you can't unsee. We're sure the proud new owner of this plate will have a lot of splainin' to do when the first net savvy cop pulls him over for some form of public indecency. More »

Hey, Hey, You, You, Get Off Of My Lawn

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 12:30:25 EDT

Residents of a community lucky enough to maybe be near a Penske Racing facility are totally blowing it with their not-in-my-backyard attitude. The company wants to build a testing track where it can test and develop their high performance vehicles in the middle of a Mooresville business park. The future neighbors are resistant to the facility because, well, Penske wants to have the zoning changed to allow for fumes, odors and noise. "We couldn't be outside and carry on a conversation," said a nearby resident. What they fail to realize is that, with all the fumes and odors, you're not going to want to be outside anyways. And if they want to talk, I'm pretty sure those Nextel pit crew headsets aren't that expensive. [WCNC-TV] More »

Fearing Cooties, Democrats Get Vaccinated Before NASCAR Events

Murilee Martin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 08:30:00 EDT

In a move seemingly calculated to enrage Southern racing fans, who tend to get pissed off when perceived as hookwormy, disease-ridden third-worlders by folks from Yankeeland, Democratic staffers on the House Committee For Homeland Security recommended that those planning to attend NASCAR events in North Carolina and Alabama get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and influenza beforehand. "Democrats should know that there is no preventive measure yet designed to ward off the blue-collar values and patriotism that NASCAR fans represent," snaps the chairwoman of the North Carolina Republican Party. Yes, that's Gerald Ford in the photo and, yes, we know he was a Republican. Hey, it's hard to find shots of politicians getting vaccinated, so you take what you can get. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution] More »

Adventures in Revenue Generation

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:30:00 EDT

Police officers in Gardena, California and Rocky Mount, North Carolina have taken to setting up roadblocks to check vehicles for illegal tint, registration and drivers for belt usage and license possession. No drunk drivers were busted, but 62 vehicles were impounded during the four-hour California roadblock alone. Police estimate that each seizure is worth around $1,400 in towing, ticketing and impound fees each. Well, it is twenty-three years past 1984, we suppose. This makes us feel a little queasy and a lot mad. After all, they disbanded the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Who told freaking Gardena they could pick up the mantle. We suppose losing those Nissan HQ tax dollars hurt worse than they initially thought. Thanks Carlos. Thanks a lot. – Davey G. Johnson More »

Kickin' it Like St. George on the Dragon: Tennessee's Public Nurburgring

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 20:30:00 EDT

According to a mysterious man known only as El Tonito, every year, especially around the time of the Honda Hoot, motorists and motorcyclists converge on the Tail of the Dragon, a section of US 129 south of Knoxville that features 300 turns in 11 miles, no doubt in search of the ultimate in brake and tire burnination, and possibly leaving a beefy arm or two on the side of the road. We feel like the only way to truly enjoy this section of road is on a consummate V-twin while smoking cigarettes hand-rolled from loose-leaf and sparked up by a BMW lighter. And the Trogdor comes in the NIIIIIIIIGHT! More »

Drinking and Driving: Childress Starts a Winery

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 20:57:01 EST

When you've got enough cars turning enough laps at Sears Point, you'll eventually get sucked out Highway 37, up Highway 29 and over Highway 12 into the the Napa/Sonoma winemaking region. And if you've got a bankroll the size of Paul Bunyan's bunions burning hot enough to smelt your money clip, you might just decide to start a winery in your home state of North Carolina. And that, friends, is what Richard Childress has done. Still, it makes sense, as a career arc start off as a hardscrabble kid in a '37 Plymouth in a sport founded by moonshiners, make your bones and end up of the landed gentry, producing froufrou alcohol legally. More »

Winston Churchill's Hearse to be Auctioned This Weekend

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 17:41:32 EST

Raleigh-area auto dealer Mike Leith has a notoriously huge collection of cars. He also has to clean house once in a while, and this weekend he's doing just that at an auction that allows potential buyers the unique opportunity to test-drive the classics before they bid on them. We didn't get a full list of cars that are up for bids, but from what we read, we're putting a our last five bucks down on the '37 Rolls that carried Winston Churchill's body to the grave and hoping that nobody else recognizes the vehicle's provenance. More »

The Other Wheeled Sport in the Carolinas: Soapbox Racing

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:33:33 EST

Sitting here on 2nd Street in Long Beach, we just saw a guy at a stoplight in a shiny, newish BMW 3-Series convertible cranking the Descendents' "Suburban Home," which struck as as oddly perfect and highly incongruous. So we decided to post on something completely DIY: Outlaw soapbox racing. The Fall Classic Soap Box Invitational, in Durham, NC took place October 22nd and featured everything from a downhill Barcalounger to something that looked like a cross between an Incom T-65 and a Dalek. And if that last simile made perfect sense to you, you really need to get outdoors more. We're bloggers. What's your excuse? [Thanks to Kevin for the tip.] More »

The Salesman Giveth and the Salesman Taketh Away: Dealership Manager Charged with Larceny

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 22 Jul 2005 13:38:28 EDT

Remember when the worst quality of automobile salesmen seemed to be their propensity for calling you "buddy" or more recently, "bro?" (We killed a man with our bare hands because he called us "bro.") Well, a North Carolina man recently took slimy salesmanship to the next level, horking cars he'd just sold to customers. Randall Lake's luck ran out when he unlawfully repo'd a 'Slade he'd just sold to a man at Arnold Palmer Cadillac in Gastonia. (We ask you, what other brand of car would old-school golfing greats sell?) The police tracked the Escalade via LoJack to Lake's house, where they found it stripped, along with a Corvette chassis and an ill-gotten TrailBlazer both stolen during his tenure at another dealership. For Lake's sake, let's hope his cellie's actually named "Buddy." More »