Fonty Flock

Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1921 – July 15, 1972) was an American stock car racer.

Flock family Flock was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock 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.

Racing career

Moonshine Like many early NASCAR drivers, Flock's career began by delivering illegal moonshine. 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."

Early career Flock won a 100-mile race at Lakewood Speedway Park in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1940. He raced on dirt tracks in Georgia.

Flock 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 he 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, having suffered a crushed chest, broken pelvis, head and back injuries, and severe shock.

World War II Flock was in the United States Army Air Corps for four years during World War II.

NASCAR career

Flock's 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 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.

Flock won eleven features and won the NASCAR National Modified championship in 1949. He raced in six of eight Strictly Stock (later Grand National Series) events and finished fifth in the points.

Flock raced his first full-time season in the Grand National series in 1951. He had eight 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.

Flock had two wins, 17 top-tens, and seven poles in 1952. He finished fourth in the points.

Flock was leading by more than a minute 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 four wins, 17 top-ten finishes, and three poles to finish fourth in the final points.

Flock opened an insurance agency in 1954, racing part-time after that.

Flock raced 31 of 45 events in 1955. He had three wins, 14 top-tens, and six poles. He finished eleventh in the points.

Flock had his final win in 1956 at the Charlotte Speedway.

In 1957, Flock raced at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Herb Thomas had been gravely injured in a 1956 race held at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds in Shelby, North Carolina, so he asked Flock to drive the car in the 1957 Southern 500. Flock accepted. He spun and was smashed by Bobby Myers and Paul Goldsmith on lap 27, injuring all, and killing Myers. From the hospital bed, Flock announced his retirement. He died on July 15, 1972, after a lengthy illness.

Awards Flock was inducted in the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame in 2004. Flock was inducted into the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association in 2004.

Media

Flock appeared as a mystery challenger on the April 15, 1956, episode of What's My Line? on CBS television.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR (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 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 Pts Ref 1949 Grady Cole 47 Hudson CLT 2 5th 554.5 Gene Horne DAB 19 Ed Lawrence Buick HBO 4 LAN 45 HAM MAR 12 HEI NWS 3 1950 DAB 10 CLT 21 LAN MAR CAN VER DSP MCF CLT HBO DSP HAM 14th 458.5 Frank Christian Olds DAR 28 LAN 1* NWS 18* VER 7 MAR 4 WIN HBO 20* 1951 14 DAB 3 CLT 20 NMO 2 GAR HBO 1** ASF 4 NWS 1** MAR 5 CAN 3 CLS 25 CLB 12 DSP 4 GAR GRS 3 BAI 1** HEI 36 AWS 1 MCF 14* ALS 1** MSF 35 FMS 18* MOR 30 ABS 4 DAR 8 CLB 10 CCS 4 LAN 3* CLT DSP 1** WIL 1 HBO 15* TPN PGS MAR OAK 11 HMS 24 JSP 3 ATL GAR 11 NMO 4 2nd 4062.25 Ted Chester 7 Olds NWS 1* 1952 Frank Christian 14 Olds PBS 3 DAB 4 JSP 6 NWS 2 MAR 15 CLB CCS 2 LAN 5 DAR 3 DSP 11 CAN 17 HAY FMS 5 HBO 2 CLT 11 MSF 47 MON 4 MOR PPS 15 MCF AWS 12* DAR 1* CCS 24 LAN 26 DSP 16* WIL 18 HBO 1* MAR 2 NWS 2 ATL 19 PBS 2 4th 5183.5 4 ATL 7 7 Kaiser NIF 7 OSW 1953 Frank Christian 14 Olds PBS 11 DAB 2* HAR 14 NWS 3 CLT 25 RCH CCS 4* LAN 3 HCY 26 MAR 29 PMS 15 LOU 11 FIF CCS 14 5th 6174 Hudson CLB 14 RSP 1* LAN 31 TCS 23 WIL 1 MCF PIF 4 MOR ATL 12 RVS 3 LCF 16 DAV 5 HBO 12 AWS 1 PAS 2 HCY 1* DAR 2 LAN 35 BLF 15 WIL 3 NWS 2 MAR 3 ATL 2 1954 PBS 12 JSP 2 OSP 11 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 CCS CLT LAN MAS MAR NWS – – Raymond Parks 99 Buick DAB 57 Hudson ATL 5 1955 Frank Christian 14 Olds TCS PBS JSP DAB 5 OSP 11th 4266 Chevy CLB 1 HBO 5 NWS 20 MGY 3 LAN 22 CLT 23 HCY ASF 28 TUS Carl Kiekhaefer 301 Chrysler MAR 23 RCH 2 NCF 2 FOR 21 LIN 28 MCF 2 FON 11 PIF 2 CLB 15 AWS 2 MOR 26 ALS NYF SAN CLT MAS 1* RSP 9* LAN 3 RSP 1* MAS 39 CLB MAR 25 LVP NWS 6 HBO 15 Olds AIR 11 CLT Carl Kiekhaefer 300 Chrysler FOR 16 36 DAR 51 Thomas Racing 91 Chevy MGY 23 GPS 25 1956 DePaolo Engineering 297 Ford HCY 8 50th 946 Carl Kiekhaefer 301 Chrysler CLT 1** WSS PBS 19 ASF 500B Dodge DAB 10 PBS WIL A. L. Bumgarner 55 Pontiac ATL 7 NWS Carl Kiekhaefer 34 Chrysler LAN 39 RCH CLB CON GPS HCY HBO MAR LIN CLT POR EUR NYF MER MAS CLT MCF POR AWS RSP PIF CSF CHI CCF MGY OKL ROA OBS SAN NOR PIF MYB POR Bill Stroppe 15 Mercury DAR 58 CSH CLT LAN POR CLB HBO NWP CLT CCF MAR HCY WIL 1957 18 WSS CON TIC DAB 3 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 61st 540 Thomas Racing 92 Pontiac DAR 48 NYF AWS CSF SCF LAN CLB CCF CLT MAR NBR CON NWS GBF

Convertible Division NASCAR Convertible Division 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 Pts Ref 1956 Hubert Westmoreland 33 Chevy DAB CLT HBO FAY PCH 1 MGY HCY LCS GBF OBS RSP 37th 528 Frank Christian 14 Chevy LAN 15 STR CLB 7 LKS TUL TFT KSF MOF NOR WIL CHI FRS NYF TOR BUF BEL LIN FWS BGS CLB HCY CLT FRS MCF HEI RSP GPS ATL MCC CHI MAS CCF MAR PIF AWS HBO