| Born: | April 12, 1924 | |
| Birthplace: |  Floyd, Virginia |
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| Died: | October 4, 1970 (aged 46) | |
| Cause of Death: | Airplane crash | |
| Achievements: | — | |
| Awards: | Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Inducted in to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1992) Inducted in to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2006) |
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics | ||
| 183 races run over 17 years. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Floyd is a town in Floyd County, Virginia, United States. The population was 432 at the 2000 census. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers is a list of NASCAR drivers In 1998, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration NASCAR gathered a panel to select "The 1998 in NASCAR can refer to any of the following NASCAR national series 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series - The top racing series in NASCAR The International Motorsports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame dedicated to enshrining those who have contributed the most to Auto racing either as a driver owner The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 5th - 1950 (Grand National) | |
| First Race: | 1949 Charlotte Speedway (NASCAR's first race) | |
| Last Race: | 1967 Occoneechee Speedway | |
| First Win: | 1949 200-mile Race (Langhorne Speedway) | |
| Last Win: | 1965 (Rockingham) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 17 | 73 | 16 |
Curtis Turner (born April 12, 1924 in Floyd, Virginia – died October 14, 1970) was an early NASCAR driver. The 1950 NASCAR Grand National Season began on Sunday February 5 and ended on Sunday October 29. The inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock season began on June 19 and ended on October 16 in the year 1949. For the current NASCAR track in Charlotte North Carolina see Lowe's Motor Speedway. Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open The inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock season began on June 19 and ended on October 16 in the year 1949. Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack located in Langhorne Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. This article is about the Rockingham North Carolina Track for the track located in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom see Rockingham Motor The term " pole position " comes from the Horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Floyd is a town in Floyd County, Virginia, United States. The population was 432 at the 2000 census. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing ( NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of Stock cars in the United States. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a sports hall of fame located in Portsmouth, Virginia.
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History
He began his racing career in 1946 when he finished 18th in a field of 18 contestants in a race at Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. However, he rebounded and won his next race. During his career, he won 360 races several different racing series, including 22 in the NASCAR Convertible Division in 1956, and 17 wins in the NASCAR Grand National series (now Sprint Cup). The NASCAR Convertible Division was a division of Convertible cars early in NASCAR 's history From 1950 to 1954, he drove for Oldsmobile being billed as the Blond Blizzard of Virginia. Oldsmobile was a brand of Automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. He switched to driving Fords in 1954. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following He eventually acquired the nickname of Pops, allegedly because of the way he would "pop" other drivers on the track.
Accomplishments
He is noted for several other racing accomplishments:[1]
- The only NASCAR driver to win two Grand National races in a row from the pole by leading every lap (Rochester, New York and Charlotte, North Carolina in July 1950)
- The only win in NASCAR for Nash — Charlotte 150 — April 1, 1951
- The only driver to win 25 major NASCAR races in one season driving the same car in each of them (in 1956 — 22 were won as the #26 car in the convertible division, the other three, including the 1956 Southern 500, were with a top welded on. Also see Kelvinator and American Motors Corporation Nash Motors was an Automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha Wisconsin, in Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January )
- The only driver to win a major NASCAR race that was red-flagged because his car was the only one still running (at the Asheville-Weaverville, North Carolina track on September 30, 1956. )
- The first driver to climb Pikes Peak in less than 15 minutes (in a 1962 Ralph Moody Ford — the actual time was 14 minutes 37 seconds for the 14 mile course. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC, also known as the The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle Hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Ralph Moody (b September 10 1917, Taunton Massachusetts - d June 9 2004, Mooresville North Carolina) was a NASCAR )
- The first winner of the American 500 at Rockingham, North Carolina (in a 1965 Woods Brothers Ford. Wood Brothers Racing is a United States auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Craftsman Truck Series. )
- The first driver to qualify for a NASCAR Grand National race at a speed greater than 180 miles per hour (1967 Daytona 500, driving #13, a 1967 Smokey Yunick Chevrolet. Henry "Smokey" Yunick (born May 25, 1923, Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, died May 9, 2001 of Leukemia Chevrolet (ˌʃɛvroʊˈleɪ - French origin (also known as Chevy) is a Brand of Automobile, produced by General Motors (GM )
- Turner conceptualized, secured financing for, and built Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1960 before being forced out by his business partners. Lowe's Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a speedway in Concord North Carolina, north of Charlotte.
- 2006 inductee of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
Labor Union
Being able to see the racing industry from the business end, he developed a feeling that drivers deserved a better deal for their role in the sport. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum in Novi Michigan for American motorsports legends He attempted to organize a union for them in 1961. A trade union or labour union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas such as wages hours and working conditions forming Unfortunately for him, NASCAR has never looked favorably on an organized union for the drivers, and Turner was banned for life. However, the ban was lifted in 1965, and he returned to racing.
Death
He died in an airplane crash near Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1970. Punxsutawney is a borough in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, 84 miles (129 km northeast of Pittsburgh. The crash also killed golfer Clarence King.
External links
- Curtis Turner at Nascar.com
- Curtis Turner at International Motorsports Hall of Fame
- Curtis Turner at FireballRoberts.com
- Curtis Turner at racing-reference.info
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