Published 01/04/2023, 12:15 PM EST
NASCAR has had its fair share of “bad guys” whom the sport dealt with fairly harshly. In fact, many were even being banned from the sport! But extremely few have been able to get NASCAR to revoke a lifetime ban. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane to look at the driver who had the ultimate story of redemption. Let’s look at the story of Curtis Turner.
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The NASCAR prototype got himself a lifetime ban, yet somehow compelled Bill France Jr. to allow him back and drive to glory.
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Born to a family of moonshiners, Turner was practically the prototype of NASCAR. Well before he could even have a license, the driver was carrying his father’s ‘goods’ across Virginia. Having a knack for racing at an early age and building a reputation for winning races around Virginia and North Carolina area, it was no surprise he was one of the few drivers invited to the first meeting at Daytona Beach.
Curtis Turner is considered one of the founders of what we now know as NASCAR, bringing fame to the sport across the board. But his attempt at organizing a driver’s union got NASCAR president Bill France Jr. to impose a lifetime ban on him and his buddy, Tim Flock. Sadly, the Driver’s Union was also a massive flop because, besides those two, every driver chose to stay with NASCAR.
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But of course, that brought a nasty reputation to his name, leading fans to not expect him to set foot on any track ever again after 1961. But he managed to change everything.
How did Curtis Turner get back into NASCAR?
Bill France Jr. wanted Turner to never set foot in NASCAR again, which left him with no other option. However, sadness struck the sport in 1964 as two of the most popular drivers, Joe Weatherly and Fireball Roberts, lost their lives less than 5 months apart. It forced France Jr. to lift the ban on Turner and get some more familiar faces on track. It was a move to bring fame back to NASCAR.
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Turner came back to make a genuine statement.
In his first year back in NASCAR, Turner won the inaugural American 500 at the North Carolina Motor Speedway in 1965. Apparently, the ban didn’t hurt him too much as he went on to win plenty of other races and became an icon in the sport. In 2016, they rightfully inducted him into the Hall of Fame.
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Unfortunately, a plane crash took Turner’s life in 1970, leaving a loud but silent frown on the NASCAR community’s face. His name continues to live on as one of the 50 greatest drivers ever. Fans will continue to remember him as a legend.