Curtis Turner
| Curtis Turner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turner in 1949 | |||||||
| Born | April 12, 1924 Floyd, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | October 4, 1970 (aged 46) Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Airplane crash | ||||||
| Achievements | 1956 Southern 500 Winner 1967 Daytona 500 Polesitter Inaugural winner at Rockingham Speedway (1965) | ||||||
| Awards | 1949 and 1956 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 184 races run over 17 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1950) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1968 Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro) | ||||||
| First win | 1949 untitled race (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last win | 1965 American 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Convertible Division career | |||||||
| 79 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 2nd (1956) | ||||||
| First race | 1956 Race #1 (Daytona Beach & Road Course) | ||||||
| Last race | 1959 Rebel 300 (Darlington) | ||||||
| First win | 1956 Race #1 (Daytona Beach & Road Course) | ||||||
| Last win | 1959 Catawba 250 (Hickory) | ||||||
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| Statistics up to date as of February 22, 2013. | |||||||
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.