BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 25: Cars race during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series IRWIN Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 25, 2012 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The legend goes that NASCAR was borne out of bootleggers attempting to run alcohol past authorities in souped up coupes and then raced those very cars on small tracks in the southeast. That sounds crazy, but it’s not far from the truth and that’s embraced by NASCAR and its fans.

So it’s a bit ironic that in 2012, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used seemingly illicit funds to rent out a suite at Bristol for the Irwin Tools Night Race. And yet, that’s exactly what happened!

The New York Times reported the story, which includes plenty of “Are you kidding me?” moments:

Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used a secret, off-the-books bank account to rent a $21,000 suite at a Nascar race, take a trip to Las Vegas and donate money to the school of one of the agents’ children, according to records and interviews.

Agents also used the account to finance undercover operations around the country, despite laws prohibiting government officials from using private money to supplement their budgets, according to current and former government officials and others familiar with the account.

One of the crazier aspects of the story is how that secret account was financed to begin with.

Via Black Flag:

The bureau’s secret slush fund was put into the public spotlight earlier this year by the New York Times, who claimed that millions of dollars had been funneled into it through the resale of untaxed cigarettes, which were then marked up and sold at a profit, spawning a federal racketeering lawsuit.

This is bad! Though it is hilarious that almost a century after prohibition, the very same lawmen who once chased the bootleg drivers now used their own illicit activities to fund a trip to see a NASCAR race.

Just how much did that NASCAR trip cost?

Other expenses, such as renting a 16-person suite at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, had no obvious connection to law enforcement operations. A.T.F. agents, along with some community members, used the suite in 2012 for the Irwin Tools Night Race, a Nascar event, according to two people who worked closely with the bureau at the time. A receipt obtained by The Times shows the suite cost $21,000.

Also, quick aside: they kept the receipt! Does that mean they assumed it was all above-board, or are they just really dumb? (It could be both!)

Denny Hamlin held off Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon to win, if you were curious. And you can watch the whole thing for much less than $21,000:

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.