Unlike the NFL, MLB, or even Formula 1, NASCAR has never had a drivers’ union, but not for lack of trying. In the early 1960s, Hall of Famer Curtis Turner joined forces with the Teamsters in a bold push to organize the garage area — a move that got him blacklisted by the sport he helped build. Over the years, similar efforts were quietly floated and just as quickly shut down.
Why has unionization never gained a foothold in stock car racing? What were the drivers asking for — and what is NASCAR so afraid of?
In this episode, we’ll trace the roots of NASCAR’s labor resistance, and unpack how the sport’s Southern identity, family-owned governance, and rapid commercialization combined to make organizing nearly impossible.
This is the story of the union that never was.
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Episode Bibliography:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcB2WLxDdk8
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-speedway-spasm/146339838/
https://www.cottonowens.com/archives/Spartanburg_Racing.php
https://teamsters174.net/how-jimmy-hoffa-tried-to-give-unions-the-green-flag-at-nascar/
https://web.archive.org/web/20141216130458/http://speedzone70.tripod.com/VolII.html
