Big Bill vs. the Brotherhood: NASCAR’s War on Unions

About this episode

This episode explores the history of unionization efforts in NASCAR and the factors that have prevented it from taking hold.

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. To find out more about Deadly Passions, Terrible Joys: https://linktr.ee/deadlypassionsterriblejoys Subscribe on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/deadlypassionsterriblejoys Subscribe on Substack: https://deadlypassionsterriblejoys.substack.com/ Follow DPTJ on BlueSky: @deadlypassions-pod.bsky.social Follow DPTJ on Instagram: @deadlypassionsterriblejoys Follow DPTJ on Twitter/X: @terriblejoy_pod Watch on YouTube…

People in this episode

Host: Elizabeth Blackstock

Topics covered

• NASCAR
• unionization
• labor resistance
• Southern identity
• commercialization
• sports history

Keywords

• NASCAR
• union
• Curtis Turner
• Teamsters
• labor
• Southern identity
• sports governance

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teamsters, NASCAR, NFL, MLB, Formula 1

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