Curtis Turner

Curtis Turner was a moonshiner turned race car driver who helped build the very tracks he would later conquer, and no figure in NASCAR's early history embodies the sport's wild, untamed origins quite like the Floyd, Virginia native. Turner was instrumental in the construction of Charlotte Motor Speedway, mortgaging his own fortune to help create one of the sport's cathedral venues. On the track, Turner was one of the most naturally gifted drivers of the 1950s and 1960s, with a style that was aggressive, spectacular, and occasionally reckless. He won 17 races during an era when NASCAR was still a young sport finding its identity, and his battles with Joe Weatherly, who was his closest friend, produced some of the most entertaining racing of that era. Turner's career was interrupted by a four-year suspension after he attempted to organize a drivers' union in 1961, a bold move that reflected his willingness to challenge authority on behalf of his fellow competitors. When he was reinstated, he returned and won at Rockingham, proving that neither time nor politics could diminish his talent. Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2016, Curtis Turner's legacy extends far beyond his victories. He helped build the sport -- literally and figuratively -- and his larger-than-life personality set the template for the charismatic, hard-living race car driver that has captivated American audiences for generations.

Written by Richard R. Glover, NASCAR Reference