Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner [Hardcover]

Robert Edelstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 27, 2005

Curtis Turner's life embodied everything that makes NASCAR the biggest spectator sport in American history. In gripping prose, and with full access to the files of Turner's widow, biographer Robert Edelstein thrillingly recreates the life of this American legend. Full Throttle is the first-ever full-scale chronicle of Turner's legendary life, from his days as a teenage moonshine runner, through his incredible comeback after four years of being banned from the NASCAR circuit. Motor racing and mayhem, the non-stop pursuit of outrageous dreams, high-speed thrills, and a really good time...these are the raw materials of Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner. This one's on the fast track.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Curtis Turner dominated the sport of stock car racing and thrilled fans with his daredevil driving in the 1940s, '50s and '60s, long before NASCAR became an official racing organization. Motor sports writer Edelstein breathlessly recounts Turner's career as well as his significant contributions to the sport. Turner (1924–1970) started driving his father's car at age nine; by the time he was a teenager, he was running moonshine in the Virginia hills, becoming famous for his ability to outrun cops. During those years, Turner perfected a move immortalized by Burt Reynolds in his Smokey and the Bandit movies: he'd slam on the brakes, spin a complete 180 to face his pursuers and escape. Turner moved on to racing at dirt tracks throughout the South, driving with the reckless abandon he'd learned as a teenage 'shine runner. His personal life moved quickly, too: he became a millionaire many times, but spent the money as quickly as he earned it, often on failed business ventures, women and parties. Edelstein is impressed by Turner's accomplishments (and rightly so); he effusively chronicles one after another (e.g., Turner's status as the first race car driver pictured on Sports Illustrated's cover; his building of the Charlotte Motor Speedway) and draws on concrete sourcing—based on Turner's personal files—to give the book depth and perspective. Photos. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In the NASCAR beginning, there was Curtis Turner, the "Babe Ruth of Stock Car Racing," who won more than 350 stock-car races, including 25 NASCAR events in 1956 alone, and was the first professional driver ever featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, in 1968. In his spare time, he threw the best and longest parties on the circuit and, by the way, earned millions dealing in timber, selling acreage the equivalent of six percent of the state of North Carolina. Edelstein offers a well-researched, thoroughly enjoyable account of the life of this NASCAR pioneer and iconoclast, starting with Turner's boyhood as a moonshine runner for his father (where Curtis learned his uncanny driving skills escaping the law), followed by his development as a timber entrepreneur (he started with a $32,500 investment in a Virginia mountain that he quickly turned around for $85,000), and covering the history of Turner's rough-and-tumble racing career, which ended with Turner's untimely death in 1970 in a plane accident. An excellent volume for libraries whose patrons have even only a passing interest in NASCAR. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover; First Edition edition (January 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585674389
• ISBN-13: 978-1585674381
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #846,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down the best auto racing book I've seen, April 14, 2005

By 

B. Reed - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner (Hardcover)

I've been around this sport my whole life, and I've eagerly snatched up and read every book on the sport I could find.

And out of all of those, this book is without a doubt the best. Curtis Turner had a life that would take 4 Hollywood films to document. It was complex, it was wild, it was, in a word, unbelievable. Edelstein's book was 5 years in the making. It was painstakingly researched, and was very, very well written. Edelstein puts the reader in the race car with Turner, as well as in the seat next to him aboard his Aero Commander, where Curtis was equally as fearless. From the highs, such as his 1956 Southern 500 victory, to the lows, such as the ultimate betrayal of a business partner that lost him his beloved Charlotte Motor Speedway, the book continues to work at a professional, even keel.

It's not a book about racing. It's a book about a legend. It was long overdue. Thank you, Mr. Edelstein, for finally bringing Curtis Turner back to life.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Legend of the Early Days, February 22, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner (Hardcover)

There's always been the instinct in mankind to see if their horses, cars, airplanes or boats were faster than the other guys. In the days long before NASCAR was the most popular sport in the country there was still racing.

The early training in what was to become NASCAR was running illegal liquor during prohibition. That's how Curtis Turner got his start. And from what he learned there, combined with a natural showmanship he all but defined what NASCAR racing was all about. In his day he was bigger than any star you can name today. This is his story. From running liquor to winning millions, constantly living life close to the edge his story is an interesting one.

Mr. Edelstein has carefully researched this book, talking to a large number of people who knew him personally and makes this a fascinating tale.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly entertaining bio, November 17, 2005

By 

P. Thron (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Full Throttle: The Life and Fast Times of Curtis Turner (Hardcover)

Let me preface this review by stating that I don't consider myself a fan of NASCAR or car racing in general. So when a friend suggested I read "Full Throttle" I was reluctant. My reading preference is usually fictional narrative with occasional reference books. My friend insisted that I would enjoy the read though, and since I trust him I took the plunge. And I am so glad I did.

From the opening scene it's clear that the author not only knows his subject but is a superb storyteller. Until reading this book I frankly had no idea of the existence of Curtis Turner but I feel now that I have intimate knowledge of this interesting figure. His life was full of passion and adventure and Edelstein does a masterful job of giving us a firsthand view of the man, from the perspective of family and friends as well as sitting in the passenger seat through several thrilling races and crazy side trips. From his early days behind the wheel of bootlegging vehicles to the creation of NASCAR and beyond this is a great read and it's obvious that it was exhaustively researched.

Whether you have a love of the subject matter or simply enjoy a great read, "Full Throttle" is well worth your time and money. One of my favorite books of the year...