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Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. He also fought to form a drivers union, which got him banned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for four years.
Turner was born in Floyd, Virginia, to Morton and Minnie Turner on April 12, 1924. He grew up with a brother and two sisters. His father, Morton Turner, was into the moonshine business and had a productive still. Turner was responsible for delivering his father's moonshine to the customers. From a very early age, long before he was old enough for a driver's license, Turner developed his driving talents by running moonshine through the mountains from the law.
Turner was never caught with alcohol, yet came to grief with a 500 lb bag of stolen sugar (for making alcohol) in the post-WWII ration days. After a gunfight escape from the Joint Expeditionary Base–Little Creek where numerous bullet holes pierced the chassis and the lead lodged in the sugar, his more than 300-mile trip under police dragnet to Floyd, Virginia, was successfully achieved by using back roads. However, his father's house was under surveillance, and he was caught with the sugar and incriminating bullet-riddled car. Under oath, Turner convincingly stated a lie of conspiring to produce apple butter, and the judge let him off with a 1,000 dollar fine and a two-year suspended sentence. Locals spoke of how Turner would drive away from the hot pursuit of revenuers and lawmen, and his legendary ability to turn a car 180 degrees in a very small space.
Turner began his racing career in 1946 when he finished 18th in a field of 18 contestants in a race at Mount Airy, North Carolina. However, he rebounded and won his next race. He also was one of the founding members in the original group that met in Daytona Beach at the Streamline Hotel to discuss and support the formation of NASCAR. During his career, he won 360 races in several different racing series, including 22 in the NASCAR Convertible Division in 1956, and 17 wins in the NASCAR Grand National Series. From 1950 to 1954, he drove for Oldsmobile being billed as the Blond Blizzard of Virginia. He switched to driving Fords in 1954. He eventually acquired the nickname of Pops, allegedly because of the way he would "pop" other drivers on the track.
Turner drove a Holman Moody-prepared Studebaker Lark in the two-hour compact car race accompanying the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Sebring, Florida, on December 12, 1959. He finished second overall, trailing the disc-brake-equipped Jaguar 3.4 of Walt Hansgen.
Turner frequently stayed out partying until the early hours, usually with a friend and fellow driver, Joe Weatherly.
Turner is noted for several other racing accomplishments:[1] Archived 2006-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
Needing money to support the newly constructed Charlotte Motor Speedway, Turner and his business partner Bruton Smith turned to the Teamsters Union to organize a union for them, the Federation of Professional Athletes, in 1961. According to The Washington Post: "His aims are for better purses, a share in broadcasting rights and retirement benefits for the drivers." NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. refused to let any driver who was a part of the union race, and eventually all the drivers except for Turner and Tim Flock sided with France. Turner and Flock were banned for life, and Charlotte Motor Speedway went bankrupt before being saved by its board of directors.
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Curtis Turner
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. He also fought to form a drivers union, which got him banned by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. for four years.
Turner was born in Floyd, Virginia, to Morton and Minnie Turner on April 12, 1924. He grew up with a brother and two sisters. His father, Morton Turner, was into the moonshine business and had a productive still. Turner was responsible for delivering his father's moonshine to the customers. From a very early age, long before he was old enough for a driver's license, Turner developed his driving talents by running moonshine through the mountains from the law.
Turner was never caught with alcohol, yet came to grief with a 500 lb bag of stolen sugar (for making alcohol) in the post-WWII ration days. After a gunfight escape from the Joint Expeditionary Base–Little Creek where numerous bullet holes pierced the chassis and the lead lodged in the sugar, his more than 300-mile trip under police dragnet to Floyd, Virginia, was successfully achieved by using back roads. However, his father's house was under surveillance, and he was caught with the sugar and incriminating bullet-riddled car. Under oath, Turner convincingly stated a lie of conspiring to produce apple butter, and the judge let him off with a 1,000 dollar fine and a two-year suspended sentence. Locals spoke of how Turner would drive away from the hot pursuit of revenuers and lawmen, and his legendary ability to turn a car 180 degrees in a very small space.
Turner began his racing career in 1946 when he finished 18th in a field of 18 contestants in a race at Mount Airy, North Carolina. However, he rebounded and won his next race. He also was one of the founding members in the original group that met in Daytona Beach at the Streamline Hotel to discuss and support the formation of NASCAR. During his career, he won 360 races in several different racing series, including 22 in the NASCAR Convertible Division in 1956, and 17 wins in the NASCAR Grand National Series. From 1950 to 1954, he drove for Oldsmobile being billed as the Blond Blizzard of Virginia. He switched to driving Fords in 1954. He eventually acquired the nickname of Pops, allegedly because of the way he would "pop" other drivers on the track.
Turner drove a Holman Moody-prepared Studebaker Lark in the two-hour compact car race accompanying the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Sebring, Florida, on December 12, 1959. He finished second overall, trailing the disc-brake-equipped Jaguar 3.4 of Walt Hansgen.
Turner frequently stayed out partying until the early hours, usually with a friend and fellow driver, Joe Weatherly.
Turner is noted for several other racing accomplishments:[1] Archived 2006-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
Needing money to support the newly constructed Charlotte Motor Speedway, Turner and his business partner Bruton Smith turned to the Teamsters Union to organize a union for them, the Federation of Professional Athletes, in 1961. According to The Washington Post: "His aims are for better purses, a share in broadcasting rights and retirement benefits for the drivers." NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. refused to let any driver who was a part of the union race, and eventually all the drivers except for Turner and Tim Flock sided with France. Turner and Flock were banned for life, and Charlotte Motor Speedway went bankrupt before being saved by its board of directors.