Fonty Flock
Encyclopedia
Truman Fontello "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1920–July 5, 1972) of Fort Payne, Alabama
was an early NASCAR
driver.
and Bob Flock
, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley
. The four raced at the July 10, 1949 race at the Daytona Beach Road Course
, which was the first event to feature a brother and a sister, and the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. Ethel beat Fonty and Bob by finishing in eleventh.
. He started delivering on his bicycle as a teenager. He used his car to deliver moonshine as he got older. "I used to deliberately seek out the sheriff and get him to chase me," he later recalled. "It was fun, and besides we could send to California to get special parts to modify our cars, and the sheriff couldn't afford to do that." http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/flockfonty.shtml
Park in Atlanta, Georgia
in 1940. He raced on dirt tracks in Georgia.
He qualified in the pole position for the July 27, 1941 race at the Daytona Beach Road Course
beside Roy Hall
. Flock took the early lead, before Flock and Hall got together in the south turn. Flock rolled and landed upside down in bushes. The seatbelt broke during the rolling, and Flock was tossed around. He was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Fonty suffered a crushed chest, broken pelvis, head and back injuries, and severe shock.
Air Corps for four years during World War II
.
His brother convinced car owner Ed Schenck to put Flock in his car at the first race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway
on May 5, 1947. Flock won the pole and his heat race. He won the 30 lap feature after not racing in 4½ years. He took over his brother Bob's ride later in the season after Bob broke his back. He won seven of 47 races that season, and beat Ed Samples and Red Byron
to win the National Championship Stock Car Circuit championship.
He won eleven features and won the NASCAR
National Modified championship in 1949. He raced in 6 of 8 Strictly Stock (later Grand National, now Sprint Cup) events, and finished fifth in the points.
He raced his first full-time season in the Grand National series in 1951. He had 8 wins, 22 Top-10s, and 13 poles to finish second in the points. He won the 100-mile Grand National Stock Car race at Bainbridge Speedway, Solon, Ohio, on July 9, 1951.
He had two wins, 17 Top-10s, and 7 poles in 1952. He finished fourth in the points.
He held over a one minute lead at the 1953 Daytona Beach Road Course
race, but ran out of gas taking the white flag at the start of the final lap. Flock’s teammate pushed his car into the pits. Bill Blair passed to win the race in a 1953 Oldsmobile. Flock finished second by 26 seconds. He had 4 wins, 17 Top-10 finishes, and 3 poles to finish fourth in the final points.
He opened an insurance agency in 1954, and he raced part-time after that.
He raced 31 of 45 events in 1955. He had 3 wins, 14 Top-10s, and 6 poles. He finished eleventh in the points.
He had his final win in 1956 at the Charlotte Speedway
.
In 1957 he raced at the Daytona Beach Road Course
. Herb Thomas
was gravely injured in the same Charlotte 1956 race, so he asked Fonty to drive the car in the Southern 500
. Fonty accepted. He spun and was smashed by Bobby Myers
and Paul Goldsmith
on lap 27, injuring all, Myers fatally. From the hospital bed, Fonty announced his retirement, and laid low until his 1972 death of cancer.
Fort Payne, Alabama
Fort Payne is a city in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,938. The city is the county seat of DeKalb County. It bills itself as the "Official Sock Capital of the World."...
was an early NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
driver.
Flock family
He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim FlockTim Flock
Julius Timothy Flock was one of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.- NASCAR career :...
and Bob Flock
Bob Flock
Robert Newman Flock of Fort Payne, Alabama, USA was an early NASCAR driver. He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race.-Flock family:...
, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley
Ethel Mobley
Ethel Mobley of Fort Payne, Alabama was tied for the second female to drive in NASCAR history. Her brother Tim Flock said she was named after the gasoline her father used in his car.-"Flying Flocks":...
. The four raced at the July 10, 1949 race at the Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
, which was the first event to feature a brother and a sister, and the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. Ethel beat Fonty and Bob by finishing in eleventh.
Moonshine
Like many early NASCAR drivers, Fonty's career began by delivering illegal moonshineMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
. He started delivering on his bicycle as a teenager. He used his car to deliver moonshine as he got older. "I used to deliberately seek out the sheriff and get him to chase me," he later recalled. "It was fun, and besides we could send to California to get special parts to modify our cars, and the sheriff couldn't afford to do that." http://www.hickoksports.com/biograph/flockfonty.shtml
Early career
He won a 100 mile race Lakewood SpeedwayLakewood Speedway
Lakewood Speedway was a race track located south of Atlanta, Georgia, in Lakewood, Georgia, just north of the eastern arm of Langford Parkway . The track held many kinds of races between 1919 and 1979, including events sanctioned by AAA/USAC, IMCA, and NASCAR. It was a one-mile dirt track which...
Park in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
in 1940. He raced on dirt tracks in Georgia.
He qualified in the pole position for the July 27, 1941 race at the Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
beside Roy Hall
Roy Hall
Roy Hall is an American football wide receiver for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
. Flock took the early lead, before Flock and Hall got together in the south turn. Flock rolled and landed upside down in bushes. The seatbelt broke during the rolling, and Flock was tossed around. He was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Fonty suffered a crushed chest, broken pelvis, head and back injuries, and severe shock.
World War II
He was in the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Air Corps for four years during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
NASCAR career
He sat out the 1945 and 1946 seasons because of his injuries.His brother convinced car owner Ed Schenck to put Flock in his car at the first race at the North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway was a short track that held races in NASCAR's top three series from NASCAR's inception in 1949 until its closure in 1996...
on May 5, 1947. Flock won the pole and his heat race. He won the 30 lap feature after not racing in 4½ years. He took over his brother Bob's ride later in the season after Bob broke his back. He won seven of 47 races that season, and beat Ed Samples and Red Byron
Red Byron
Robert "Red" Byron was a NASCAR driver who was successful in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock champion in 1949.-Background:Born in Colorado he moved to Anniston, Alabama at an early age, Byron began...
to win the National Championship Stock Car Circuit championship.
He won eleven features and won the NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
National Modified championship in 1949. He raced in 6 of 8 Strictly Stock (later Grand National, now Sprint Cup) events, and finished fifth in the points.
He raced his first full-time season in the Grand National series in 1951. He had 8 wins, 22 Top-10s, and 13 poles to finish second in the points. He won the 100-mile Grand National Stock Car race at Bainbridge Speedway, Solon, Ohio, on July 9, 1951.
He had two wins, 17 Top-10s, and 7 poles in 1952. He finished fourth in the points.
He held over a one minute lead at the 1953 Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
race, but ran out of gas taking the white flag at the start of the final lap. Flock’s teammate pushed his car into the pits. Bill Blair passed to win the race in a 1953 Oldsmobile. Flock finished second by 26 seconds. He had 4 wins, 17 Top-10 finishes, and 3 poles to finish fourth in the final points.
He opened an insurance agency in 1954, and he raced part-time after that.
He raced 31 of 45 events in 1955. He had 3 wins, 14 Top-10s, and 6 poles. He finished eleventh in the points.
He had his final win in 1956 at the Charlotte Speedway
Charlotte Speedway
For the current NASCAR track in Charlotte, North Carolina, see Charlotte Motor Speedway.Charlotte Speedway was the site of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock series race on June 19, 1949. The Daytona Beach Road Course held the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948...
.
In 1957 he raced at the Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course
Daytona Beach Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. It originally became famous as the location where fifteen world land speed records were set...
. Herb Thomas
Herb Thomas
Herbert Watson Thomas was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s.-Background:...
was gravely injured in the same Charlotte 1956 race, so he asked Fonty to drive the car in the Southern 500
Southern 500
The Showtime Southern 500 is the annual spring NASCAR Sprint Cup race held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, USA, and is the second such event at Darlington to bear the name. It began in 1957 as a race in the Convertible Division, known as the Rebel 300. In 1966, the race was...
. Fonty accepted. He spun and was smashed by Bobby Myers
Bobby Myers (racer)
Bobby Myers was an American NASCAR driver from 1951-1957.- Career :Myers began competing in the NASCAR Grand National Division in 1951 at the age of 24...
and Paul Goldsmith
Paul Goldsmith
Paul Goldsmith is a motorcycle Hall of Famer, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee and former USAC and NASCAR driver.- Motorcycle career :...
on lap 27, injuring all, Myers fatally. From the hospital bed, Fonty announced his retirement, and laid low until his 1972 death of cancer.
Awards
- Flock was inducted in the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame in 2004.
- He was inducted in the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association in 2004.
External links
- NASCAR drivers statistics at racing-reference.info
- Biography at Talladega Walk of Fame
- Granddaughter's website includes photos
- Biographyat decadesofracing.net
- Biography at hickoksports.com
- Fonty Flock at The Crittenden Automotive Library includes career Strictly Stock/Grand National Statistics and complete Grand National win list.
- Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame