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Tim Flock

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Tim Flock
BornJulius Timothy Flock
(1924-05-11)May 11, 1924
Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMarch 31, 1998(1998-03-31) (aged 73)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of deathLiver and throat cancer
Achievements1952 Grand National Series Champion

1955 Grand National Series Champion
1955, 1956 Daytona Beach Road Course Winner
Highest career winning percentage for a full-time NASCAR driver (21%)

Led NASCAR Cup Series in wins 2 times (1952, 1955)
1949 Bowman Gray Stadium Modified Championship
Awards1955 Grand National Series Most Popular Driver
National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1972)
State of Georgia Hall of Fame (1972)
International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991)
Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends (1994)
Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1999)
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2006)
NASCAR Hall of Fame (2014) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
187 races run over 13 years
Best finish1st (1952, 1955)
First race1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race1961 World 600 (Charlotte)
First win1950 (Charlotte)
Last win1956 International Stock Car Road Race (Road America)
Wins Top tens Poles
39 129 39
NASCAR Convertible Division career
4 races run over 2 years
Best finish31st (1957)
First race1957 Race #2 (Daytona Beach & Road Course)
Last race1958 Race #11 (Lakewood)
First win1957 Race #2 (Daytona Beach & Road Course)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 3 1
Statistics current as of May 3, 2020.

Julius Timothy Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998) was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. His brothers Bob and Fonty Flock also raced in NASCAR, as did his sister Ethel Mobley (who was NASCAR's second female driver).

NASCAR career

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Tim Flock's 1955 Ford
Flock's Fabulous Hudson Hornet

Tim Flock finished 5th in NASCAR's inaugural Strictly Stock race at Charlotte, North Carolina in 1949; he drove an Oldsmobile 88 that he borrowed from his newlywed neighbors.[1] NASCAR's first official season ended with Flock in eighth, his brother Fonty Flock in fifth, and his other brother Bob Flock in third in the overall points standings.

Flock won his first official NASCAR race in 1950 at Charlotte. He ran 12 of 19 races and finished 16th in the final standings. In 1951, Flock won seven races. 1952 brought eight wins and four poles. At the end of the 1952 NASCAR season, Flock had 106 more points than Herb Thomas, earning Flock his first NASCAR Grand National Championship title, despite flipping in the final race at West Palm Beach. Flock later joked, "I was the only driver to ever win a championship upside-down." In 1954, Flock was disqualified despite winning at the Daytona Beach and Road Course for illegally screwed carburetor screws.[2]

Flock had a rhesus monkey co-driver named "Jocko Flocko" with him in his May 16, 1953, Grand National win at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jocko Flocks became the only winning monkey ever. The monkey was retired two weeks later at Raleigh, where the monkey pulled the device to allow the driver to observe the right front tire and was hit by a pebble. At the time, drivers used a device to lift the wheel well to observe tire wear in case of a tire failure. Flock had to do a pit stop to remove the monkey, and he finished third (he would have won without the problem).[3]

1955 was a record-setting year for Flock as well as NASCAR. On the way to Flock's second Grand National Championship title, Flock had 19 poles and 18 victories in 45 races. The 18 victories stood as a record until broken by "The King", Richard Petty, in 1967. The 19 poles are still the highest number in a NASCAR season.

The 1956 season saw Flock win the International Stock Car Road Race, the first NASCAR Cup event ever held at Road America. Flock followed points leader and pole-sitter Buck Baker for much of the start until many of the leaders began exiting for various problems, allowing Flock to lead the final ten laps.[4] No other stock car events of any type were held at the track until the 1990s, and in 2010 the NASCAR Nationwide Series began racing there. Despite the win, however, the year was filled with off-track frustration for Flock, particularly with team owner Carl Kiekhaefer. Despite their combined on-track success, Flock left Kiekhaefer's team immediately after his victory in the April 8 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, citing stomach ulcers. Upon departing from the Kiekhaefer camp, he had compiled 21 triumphs out of his 46 starts with Kiekhaefer.

Labor union

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In his final race before "retiring" Flock was disqualified and banned from NASCAR as a result of "having too much solder on his carburetor screw" which was illegal. This was widely known by the public to be retaliation by NASCAR management for Flock's support of a NASCAR driver's union. Like Curtis Turner, he faced a life ban from NASCAR. Flock continued to race under other sanctioning bodies, including the Midwest Association for Race Cars,[5] competing in the 100 mi (160 km) event on the dirt at Lakewood Speedway, Georgia, in October 1961, where he finished second.[6] He also raced at a United States Auto Club event in Concord, North Carolina, in 1963.[7] He was reinstated to NASCAR competition in 1966.[8]

Flock was employed by the Ford Motor Company to entertain customers at track events.[9]

Later years

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In 1959, he was hired by Charlotte Motor Speedway to work in various roles, including public relations and ticket sales.[10]

His last race was the Battle of the NASCAR Legends race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1991. The race featured such drivers as Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson, Pete Hamilton, and Donnie Allison. The winner was Elmo Langley, beating Yarborough to the line by about 3 feet (0.91 m) on the last lap. He finished 10th out of 22 drivers.[citation needed]

Death

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Flock died of liver and throat cancer on March 31, 1998, at age 73, during NASCAR's 50th anniversary season.[11] Darrell Waltrip honored him in a special paint scheme named "Tim Flock Special" at Darlington Raceway weeks before Flock died. Flock was without medical insurance, and Waltrip wanted to help raise money for Flock and his family.

A month before his death, Flock was honored as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He has been inducted in numerous halls of fame, including the: International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991), Motorsports Hall of Fame of America[12] (1999), National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1972), State of Georgia Hall of Fame (1972), and Charlotte Motor Speedway Court of Legends (1994). He was inducted in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in May 2006. On May 22, 2013, Flock was named a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame for 2014, to be inducted during Acceleration Weekend in January.

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

Grand National Series

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NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 NGNC Pts Ref
1949 Buddy Elliott 90 Olds CLT
5 		DAB
2 		HBO
7 		LAN
31 		HAM MAR HEI NWS
19 		8th 421 [13]
1950 Cadillac DAB
6 		16th 437.5 [14]
Harold Kite 21 Lincoln CLT
1* 		LAN
4
Buddy Elliott 90 Lincoln MAR
20 		CAN
9 		VER DSP MCF CLT
9 		HBO DSP HAM
9 Olds DAR
11 		LAN
19 		VER
4 		MAR
12 		WIN
Frank Christian 75 Olds NWS
24
Hubert Westmoreland 98 Plymouth HBO
4
1951 Ted Chester 91 Lincoln DAB
2* 		3rd 3722.5 [15]
Olds CLT
33 		NMO
1* 		GAR HBO
4 		ASF
3 		NWS
2 		MAR
3 		CAN
2 		CLS
1 		CLB
7 		DSP
3 		GAR GRS
4 		BAI
20 		HEI
37 		AWS
11 		MCF ALS MSF
17 		FMS
1 		MOR
1* 		ABS
2 		DAR
11 		CLB
1* 		CCS
22 		LAN
5 		CLT
11 		DSP WIL HBO TPN
7 		PGS
1** 		MAR OAK NWS
4 		HMS JSP
13
Hudson ATL
1 		GAR NMO
2
1952 PBS
1* 		DAB
55 		JSP
4 		NWS
21 		MAR
11* 		CLB
18 		ATL
15* 		CCS
9 		LAN
2 		DAR
2 		DSP
3 		CAN
4 		HAY FMS
1* 		HBO
1 		CLT
2 		MSF
1* 		NIF
13 		OSW
1 		MON
1 		MOR
2 		PPS
1* 		MCF
1* 		AWS
2 		DAR
33 		CCS
3* 		LAN
4 		DSP
6 		WIL
7 		HBO
4 		MAR
4 		NWS
4 		ATL
4 		PBS
12 		1st 6858.5 [16]
1953 PBS
3 		DAB
5 		HAR
7 		NWS
23* 		CLT
4* 		RCH CCS
6 		LAN
5 		CLB
2 		HCY
1 		MAR
32 		PMS
22 		RSP
3 		LOU
4 		FIF
5 		LAN
7 		TCS
22 		WIL
7 		MCF
4 		PIF MOR ATL RVS LCF DAV HBO
16 		AWS
10 		PAS HCY
7 		DAR
10 		CCS
5 		LAN
39 		BLF WIL NWS
13 		MAR ATL
20 		6th 5011 [17]
1954 Ernest Woods 88 Olds PBS DAB
62 		JSP ATL OSP OAK NWS HBO CCS LAN WIL MAR SHA RSP CLT GAR CLB LND HCY MCF WGS PIF AWS SFS GRS MOR OAK CLT SAN COR DAR 35th 860 [18]
Buck Baker Racing 89 Olds CCS
2* 		CLT
9
Elmer Brooks 44 Olds LAN
8
71 Hudson MAS
22 		MAR NWS
1955 Carl Kiekhaefer 300 Chrysler TCS PBS JSP DAB
1** 		OSP CLB
5* 		HBO
17 		NWS
13 		MGY
1* 		LAN
1** 		CLT
2 		HCY
2* 		MAR
1* 		RCH
1* 		NCF
25 		FOR
20 		LIN
2 		MCF
1** 		FON
2 		PIF
1** 		CLB
3 		AWS
1** 		MOR
1* 		NYF
1** 		SAN
1 		CLT
5 		MAS
3 		RSP
2 		MGY
1** 		LAN
1* 		RSP
3 		GPS
1** 		MAS
4 		CLB
1 		MAR
24 		LVP NWS
5 		1st 9596 [19]
301 ASF
1** 		TUS CLT
1** 		ALS
11 		FOR
7 		HBO
1**
Hubert Westmoreland 2 Chevy AIR
3
Carl Kiekhaefer 16 Chrysler DAR
3
1956 301 HCY
1* 		9th 5062 [20]
300 CLT
2 		WSS PBS ASF
3
300A DAB
1* 		ATL
18* 		NWS
1
501 Dodge PBS
7
300B Chrysler WIL
3
Smokey Yunick 3 Chevy LAN
3
Mauri Rose Engineering 49 Chevy RCH
24
1R CLB
15
Jim Stephens 285 Pontiac CON
4 		GPS HCY HBO
Mauri Rose Engineering 11 Chevy MAR
30 		LIN CLT POR EUR NYF MER MAS
4 		CLT
7 		MCF POR AWS RSP
5 		PIF
10 		CSF CHI CCF MGY OKL
Bill Stroppe 15 Mercury ROA
1 		OBS SAN NOR PIF MYB POR
John Foster Motors 86 Ford DAR
12 		CSH
18 		CLT LAN POR CLB
16 		HBO NWP
20 		CLT CCF MAR HCY WIL
1957 Beau Morgan 15 Mercury WSS CON TIC DAB
12 		CON WIL HBO AWS NWS LAN CLT PIF GBF POR CCF RCH MAR POR EUR LIN LCS ASP NWP CLB CPS PIF JAC RSP CLT MAS POR HCY NOR LCS GLN KPC LIN OBS MYB DAR NYF AWS CSF SCF LAN CLB CCF CLT MAR NBR CON NWS GBF NA - [21]
1958 FAY DAB
46 		CON FAY WIL HBO FAY CLB PIF ATL
18 		CLT MAR ODS OBS GPS GBF STR NWS BGS TRN RSD CLB NBS REF LIN HCY AWS RSP MCC SLS TOR BUF MCF BEL BRR CLB NSV AWS BGS MBS DAR CLT BIR CSF GAF RCH HBO SAS MAR NWS ATL
26 		NA - [22]
1959 Ford FAY DAY
24 		DAY
9 		HBO CON ATL WIL BGS CLB NWS REF HCY MAR TRN CLT NSV ASP PIF GPS ATL CLB WIL RCH BGS AWS DAY HEI CLT MBS CLT NSV AWS BGS GPS CLB DAR HCY RCH CSF HBO MAR AWS NWS CON 31st 1464 [23]
1960 CLT CLB DAY DAY DAY CLT NWS PHO CLB MAR HCY WIL BGS GPS AWS DAR
9 		PIF HBO RCH HMS CLT BGS 63rd 890 [24]
18 Plymouth DAY
34 		HEI MAB MBS
Ratus Walters 10 Buick ATL
DNQ 		BIR NSV AWS PIF CLB SBO BGS DAR HCY CSF GSP HBO MAR NWS CLT RCH ATL
1961 Jack Meeks 83 Ford CLT JSP DAY DAY DAY
24 		PIF AWS HMS NA - [25]
Beau Morgan 15 Ford ATL
39 		GPS HBO BGS MAR
9 		NWS
DNQ 		CLB HCY RCH MAR
7 		DAR
30 		CLT CLT
6 		RSD ASP CLT
37 		PIF BIR GPS BGS NOR HAS STR DAY ATL CLB MBS BRI NSV BGS AWS RCH SBO DAR HCY RCH CSF ATL MAR NWS CLT BRI GPS HBO
Daytona 500
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Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1959 Beau Morgan Ford 42 9
1961 Jack Meeks Ford 31 24

See also

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References

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  1. ^ McGee, Ryan (June 18, 2019). "Stock car racing turns 70: Richard Petty recalls wild first race in 1949". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  2. ^ Caraviello, David (January 14, 2014). "TOP 10 DEBUTS WITH NEW TEAMS". NASCAR. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  3. ^ ESPN Interview with Frances Flock, May 22, 2013 on YouTube
  4. ^ "They laughed when NASCAR's stock cars took to the road at Elkart Lake, but Tim Flock gave the show a Detroit Surprise". Sports Illustrated. August 20, 1958. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Augusta Chronicle, October 25, 1961, p. 8.
  6. ^ Augusta Chronicle, October 23, 1961, p. 7.
  7. ^ Oregonian, March 4, 1963, p. 34.
  8. ^ Competition Press and Autoweek, March 5, 1966, p. 1.
  9. ^ Trenton Evening Times, November 19, 1963, p. 31.
  10. ^ Hilton, Lisette. "Flock was NASCAR pioneer". ESPN Classic. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "Nascar legend Tim Flock dies". Ocala Star Banner. 1 April 1998. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  12. ^ Tim Flock at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  13. ^ "Tim Flock – 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  14. ^ "Tim Flock – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  15. ^ "Tim Flock – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  16. ^ "Tim Flock – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  17. ^ "Tim Flock – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "Tim Flock – 1954 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  19. ^ "Tim Flock – 1955 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  20. ^ "Tim Flock – 1956 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  21. ^ "Tim Flock – 1957 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  22. ^ "Tim Flock – 1958 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  23. ^ "Tim Flock – 1959 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  24. ^ "Tim Flock – 1960 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  25. ^ "Tim Flock – 1961 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tim Flock.
Preceded by NASCAR Grand National Series Champion
1952
1955 		Succeeded by
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