Josh Owens is not your average moonshiner. He is a man who lives on the edge, risking his life and limb for the sake of his passion. He is a master of the art of making illegal liquor in the remote mountains of North Carolina, using ancient recipes and techniques passed down from generations of outlaws. He is also a daredevil who loves to race motorcycles and explore the wilderness. But his adventurous lifestyle comes at a cost. He has suffered a terrible motorcycle accident that left him with multiple broken bones and a long road to recovery. He has endured pain, hardship, and uncertainty, but he has never given up. This is the story of Josh Owens, the moonshiner who defied the odds and lived to tell the tale.

How old is Josh Owens?

Josh was born on August 28, 1977, in Columbus, North Carolina, United States. The birthdate makes him 46 years old. He holds ameriocan citizenship and belongs to Caucasina ethnicity. According to astrology, Josh is a Virgo, which means he has traits like humility, hard work, and practicality.

Early Life & Family

Josh was born and raised in Columbus, North Carolina, as one of the two children of Cindy Owens. He has a younger sister, Chelsea Morris, who was born on October 15, 1991, a decade after him. Josh’s mother, Cindy, also known by the nickname Cynthia, served in the U.S. Army and worked for many years at General Electric. She passed away at the age of 50 on June 7, 2011.

As an older sibling, Josh took care of Chelsea and helped her with various things. He also taught her his view of the world. Josh was fascinated by bike riding and would often go on strolls whenever he had the chance. Josh attended school, but his educational endeavors are unknown.

Career & Progression

Josh grew up in rural North Carolina where he developed love for nature and adventure. He became a professional motocross and superbike racer in his 20s and won many titles with his fearless style.

He competed in different levels of bike racing, such as NCHSA and GNCC. He won the Heavy-C championship in NCHSA in 2003, and then 250-B in 2004. He moved up to 250-A in 2005, but a knee injury ended his racing career.

Josh still enjoys racing cars and bikes. In 2016, he joined the Southeast Gassers Association (SGA) and raced a 1953 Chevy Gasser at Brainerd Motorsports Park and Greer Dragway.

Josh also worked as a lumberjack and owns a lumberjack business, Tree and Yard Busters, in Polk County. He operates bobcats and dump trucks, climbs and cuts trees, and clears land.

Moonshining

Josh’s moonshining career began after he met Barney Barnwell, a legendary moonshiner from his local area. Barney taught Josh the art and science of making moonshine, a high-proof distilled spirit that is usually produced illegally. Josh was fascinated by the process and the history of moonshining and decided to follow in Barney’s footsteps.

Television

Josh accidentally became a reality television actor. It was his friend and mentor Barney Barnwell who was supposed to become a cast of Moonshiners. Josh was helping Barney to build an underground still for the project. After only two weeks of filming Barney died of a heart stroke. As the work was only at the initial phase camera crew and production team backed off.

Despite the uncertainty, Josh and his friend Bill Canny completed the work as a memorial for Barney which later turned out to be their shot at the television world. Discovery producers were impressed by the work and asked both of them to be cast in the docudrama, Moonshiners. Josh made his debut on the show in 2012 during season 2 episode 1 titled “Rise ‘n Shine!.” He has since become a regular cast member featuring in over 139 episodes until now.

Josh has gained a lot of fans and fame from his appearance on the show. He is admired for his no-nonsense attitude, outdoor abilities, and impressive liquor-making skills.

Net Worth

Josh Owens has a knack for making money from moonshine. He learned the art of distilling from a local legend and turned it into a lucrative career. He also has a passion for racing and adventure, which adds to his fame and fortune. His net worth reflects his hard work and dedication to his craft. He is one of the most successful and popular stars of Moonshiners, with an estimated net worth of $400,000.

Personal Life

Wife & kids? Girlfriend?

Josh is neither married nor dating a girlfriend unless he is keeping the details to himself. During an interview with Moto USA in 2015, Josh shared about juggling between his ex-girlfriend and partner. Josh became a father for the first time in February 2010 when his daughter Elizabeth Reese Owens was born. Elizabeth is 12 years old now attending school and keeps herself away from social media. Josh has not revealed the name of the mother. Also, we are not sure whether the child was born from marriage or a prior relationship.

In the past, Josh went public with his girlfriend  Amber Layne Gabric in the past. Josh and Amber were in a relationship for some years including from 2012-2014 however the pair did not get to the nuptials. The pair secretly broke up and has not gone on to record to explain the reason behind the split.

While together with Josh, Amber was also involved in his daughter, Reese’s life. The trio was seen hanging out in public places. As a father, Josh values raising kids and involves himself in charitable events from time to time. He participated in raising awareness for the welfare and upbringing of little children. He holds a special place for helping needy children, maybe raising a kid of his own installed such passion.

Accidents and Injuries

Josh Ownes’ passion for speed almost cost him his life when he was involved in a horrific crash at the Daytona International Speedway in March 2023. The accident happened during a bike race at the famous track in Daytona Beach, Florida. Owens was riding his motorcycle at high speed when he lost control and crashed into a wall. The impact was so severe that he broke his neck, back, arm, legs, and shoulder. He was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.  While fans were devasted by the news, rumors about his death started circulating on social media, but they have since been debunked. However, this is not the only time Josh has met with an accident and survived.  If the words from the man himself are anything to go by he is an unluckiest individual when it comes to accidents and injury. The man has gone on to say,

“I tend to be the guy that’s always at the wrong place at the right time…. or the right place at the wrong time.”

Looking at his past incidents, on March 16, 2018, Josh was hospitalized at Halifax Health Medical Center for injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident during Daytona Bike Week. He was thrown from an antique motorcycle while preparing for an exhibition race at the New Smyrna Speedway. According to the statement given by Josh, he had broken all but one of his ribs, punctured a lung, broken his collarbone and shoulder blade, and stripped the skin off one of his pointer fingers down to the bone.

On August 12, 2017, Josh witnessed his trailer attached to a truck burn after the fire broke out near Sloan Iowa on Interstate 29 Southbound at Mile Marker 130. He was backed off by Iowa police patrol as he tried to disconnect the truck from the trailer. Although he did not sustain any injury Josh lost the trailer to fire. The truck sustained damage to the tail lights, tailgate, and fenders, and a race motorcycle in the back of the truck also received some damage.

In 2016, Josh sustained serious damage to his index finger. The details of the accident have not come out however according to a source close to Josh, it occurred when a grinding wheel exploded.

Josh Owens Wiki/Bio Facts

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