When we talk about NASCAR history, the name Curtis Turner looms large. One of the first true superstars of the sport, Turner was fast and loose in all aspects of his life. He made and lost millions. He drove like a maniac on the track, winning and wrecking with impunity.He took on Bill France head-on by trying to unionize the drivers, was thrown out of the sport, and fought his way back in.
Turner was a magante in the timber industry at the time of his NASCAR antics and like any good wild magnate is was either totally flush with cash or teetering on the brink of bankruptcy at any given moment of his life. Turner was not a moonshiner, probably, but instead he was a guy that lived the NASCAR lifestyle wide open and the fans loved him. When people knew he was going to race, the stands would be packed.
Between the partying, the huge ideas, and the constant pressure he kept on fellow racers and NASCAR management, few people, if anyone have had as large a presence in the sport as Curtis Turner did in the 1950s and 1960s. This video does an amazing job of telling his life story.
