Birth: September 22, 1904 – Death: March 7, 1991 | Birthplace: Dawsonville, GA

Red Vogt’s cars won the first race ever staged under NASCAR’s sanctioning. Born Sept. 22, 1904 in Washington D.C. and motorcycle racer early on, Vogt was winner of four-straight championships on old-style board tracks. Vogt also raced dirt cars and lost most of his teeth in a crash. This crash and another on motorcycles promoted Vogt to become a mechanic.

Building engines and racecars are where Vogt realized his true greatness. Vogt eventually moved to the racing hub of Atlanta, putting together some of the fastest cars that Georgia bootleggers – and police officers – had, and he later became one of the best builders of early day stock car racers, puffing on signature cigarettes and downing coffee in “Red’s Garage” on Spring Street.

He applied his “magical hands” to creating vehicles in that were faster and sturdier than the rest. While building engines for whiskey runners, Vogt was known to ask what route the driver was planning on taking. With that information, Red would build the car according to the specific twists, turns and bumps of that particular route. “Vogt Specials” were well known throughout the south where they won untold numbers of races.