Curtis Turner
| Curtis Turner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
April 12, 1924 Floyd, Virginia, United States |
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| Died | October 4, 1970 (aged 46) | ||||||
| Cause of death | Airplane crash | ||||||
| Achievements |
1956 Southern 500 Winner |
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| Awards |
1956 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver |
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| Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 184 races run over 17 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1950) | ||||||
| First race | (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1968 Hillsboro 150 (Hillsboro) | ||||||
| First win | 1949 untitled race (Langhorne) | ||||||
| Last win | 1965 American 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of February 22, 2013. | |||||||
1956 Southern 500 Winner
Inaugural winner at Rockingham Speedway (1965)
Led Grand National Series in wins one time (1950)
Holds record for most career NASCAR Convertible Division wins (38)
Holds record for most career NASCAR Convertible Division poles (23)
Holds record for most NASCAR Convertible Division wins in a season (22, 1956)
1956 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1992) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2006)
Curtis Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American . 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.
He was born in Floyd, Virginia and 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. 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 (now Sprint Cup). 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.
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