Curtis Turner

Curtis Turner (born April 12, 1924 in Floyd , Virginia , † October 14, 1970 in Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania ) was an American NASCAR racing driver. In 1998 he was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers , one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Racers.

Career

The 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle driven by Curtis Turner.

Turner began his racing career in 1946 in Mount Airy , North Carolina , where he took part in a race that he was the last to finish. However, Turner did not give up disappointed, but tried again and won the race in which he had previously failed. From 1949 he drove in NASCAR. In his very first season he won a race at Langhorne Speedway . In the 1950 season he won again on this track. From 1950 to 1954 he went almost exclusively Oldsmobile , in a few races he was behind the wheel of a Nash , with whom he in the season in 1951 and won a race. Turner is the only driver to ever win a NASCAR race in a Nash. From 1955 he drove a Ford in the Grand National Division . From 1956 to 1959 Turner was active in the NASCAR Convertible Division , in which convertibles were driven. He took part in 79 races, of which he won 38. Later in his Grand National career, he made frequent car changes. In his final season in NASCAR, the 1968 season, he drove all the races in which he competed in a Plymouth . Turner drove his last race in the NASCAR Grand National Division on September 15, 1968 at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro , North Carolina. He finished the race in which Richard Petty celebrated his 13th win of the season in 13th place.

Turner was one of the most successful drivers of his time, but never won the championship because he never drove more than 17 races in a season. In total he was active for 17 years and drove 183 races, of which he won 17, 73 times he finished in the top 10. Turner was the first driver who was able to start from pole position in two consecutive races and to win it without giving up the lead. Turner was also the first rider to climb the mountain in less than 15 minutes on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb .

Curtis Turner died on October 14, 1970 in a plane crash near Punxsutawney , Pennsylvania . In 1998 he was included in the list of the best NASCAR drivers of all time ( NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers ).

Web links

• Driver statistics on racing-reference.info