FRANCE FENDS OFF UNION
The Aug. 16, 1961, issue of NSSN detailed efforts by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to unionize professional race car drivers, including those holding NASCAR licenses.
The movement started when NASCAR driver Curtis Turner reportedly approached the Teamsters about a loan. Turner was attempting to obtain the money necessary to regain control of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the financially strapped race track he built and was president of until being forced out following the 1961 World 600.
Turner claimed a majority of drivers in NASCAR’s premier series had signed applications and paid the $10 initiation fee for union membership.
That news didn’t sit well with NASCAR founder “Big Bill” France.
“No known Teamster members can compete in a NASCAR race, and if this isn’t tough enough, I’ll use a pistol to enforce it,” said France. “I have a pistol, and I know how to use it. I’ve used it before. I am barring union members from races to protect the drivers who do not sign up.”
As it turned out, the attempt to unionize drivers was short-lived and the effort quickly faded away.
NASCAR’S DARKEST DAY
“This is undoubtedly one of the toughest announcements I’ve ever personally had to
make, but after the accident in tum four at the end of the Daytona 500, we’ve lost Dale Earnhardt.”
Those words, spoken by NASCAR President Mike Helton from the Daytona Int’l Speedway media center on Sunday evening, Feb. 18, 2001, delivered a blow to the sport from which it has never fully recovered.
The 49-year-old, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion from Kannapolis, N.C., died from blunt force trauma to the head when his black No. 3 Chevrolet veered up the banking in turn four and hit the outside wall.
In the Feb 21 issue of National Speed Sport News, Mike Kerchner wrote: “Dale Earnhardt was simply the most loved and most hated racing driver who ever lived. Earnhardt’s life ended Sunday afternoon at Daytona Int’l Speedway, and it wasn’t just his legions of fans who cried. An entire sport wept.”
A lengthy investigation into Earnhardt’s death resulted in a change of attitude among those in the NASCAR industry. This led to multiple safety advancements, including the required use of head-and-neck restraints, the introduction of carbon-fiber seats and cockpit cocoons and the installation of SAFER barriers.
FABULOUS FINALE
The season-ending Hooters 500 on Nov. 15, 1992, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., was one of the most significant races in NASCAR history.
Davey Allison, Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki were among those who entered the weekend with a shot at the premier series championship.
Allison’s hopes were dashed by an early accident, but the title fight went down to the final lap. Elliott won the race with owner/driver Kulwicki close behind in second. Kulwicki earned five bonus points because he led one more lap than Elliott and that was the difference in Kulwicki being crowned the 1992 champion.
That Sunday afternoon also saw two other milestone events:
n The race marked the culmination of Richard Petty’s season-long farewell tour as the seven-time NASCAR champion turned his final laps of competition. The 55-year-old Petty started 39th and ended up 35th after being caught in a multi-car crash.
n Jeff Gordon, a 21-year-old open-wheel sensation who honed his skills in USAC midgets and sprint cars, made his debut in NASCAR’s premier series. Driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon started 21st and finished 31st. His day ended after 164 laps when he clobbered the concrete wall.