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Fonty Flock

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

Fonty Flock
BornTruman Fontell Flock
(1921-03-21)March 21, 1921
Fort Payne, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJuly 15, 1972(1972-07-15) (aged 51)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Achievements1947 National Championship Stock Car Circuit Champion

1949 NASCAR National Modified Champion

1952 Southern 500 Winner
AwardsGeorgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame Association (2004)

Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame (2004)

Motorsports Hall of Fame (historical) (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
154 races run over 9 years
Best finish2nd (1951)
First race1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race1957 Southern 500 (Darlington)
First win1950 (Langhorne)
Last win1956 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles
19 83 33
NASCAR Convertible Division career
3 races run over 1 year
Best finish37th (1956)
First race1956 Race #5 (Peach Bowl)
Last race1956 Race #14 (Columbia)
First win1956 Race #5 (Peach Bowl)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 2 0

Flock family

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He 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

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Moonshine

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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."[1]

Early career

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Flock won a 100-mile race at Lakewood Speedway 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 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

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Flock was in the United States Army Air Corps for four years during World War II.[2]

NASCAR career

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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 4+1⁄2 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 six of eight Strictly Stock (later Grand National Series) events and finished fifth in the points.

He 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.[3]

He had two wins, 17 Top-10s, and seven poles in 1952. He finished fourth in the points.

He 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-10 finishes, and three poles to finish fourth in the final points.

He 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-10s, and six 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 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.[4] He died on July 15, 1972, after a lengthy illness.[5]

Awards

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


Media

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

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 Grady Cole 47 Hudson CLT
2 		5th 554.5 [6]
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 [7]
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 [8]
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 [9]
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 [10]
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 – – [11]
Raymond Parks 99 Buick DAB
57
Hudson ATL
5
1955 Frank Christian 14 Olds TCS PBS JSP DAB
5 		OSP 11th 4266 [12]
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 [13]
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 [14]
Thomas Racing 92 Pontiac DAR
48 		NYF AWS CSF SCF LAN CLB CCF CLT MAR NBR CON NWS GBF

Convertible Division

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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 NCC Pts Ref
1956 Hubert Westmoreland 33 Chevy DAB CLT HBO FAY PCH
1 		MGY HCY LCS GBF OBS RSP 37th 528 [15]
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

References

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  1. ^ Hickok, Ralph (February 18, 2009). "Flock, "Fonty" (Truman Fontell)". hickoksports.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  2. ^ Freedman, Lew (2013). Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing. ABC-CLIO. p. 225. ISBN 9780313387104.
  3. ^ Motor Sports World, Vol.1, No.4, Los Angeles, California, July 13, 1951, Page 1.
  4. ^ "Fonty Flock quits racing after a brush with death". The News and Courier. Charleston, South Carolina. Associated Press. September 3, 1957.
  5. ^ "Fonty Flock dies in Atlanta". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. July 16, 1972.
  6. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  7. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  9. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1954 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  12. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1955 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  13. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1956 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  14. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1957 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  15. ^ "Fonty Flock – 1956 NASCAR Convertible Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by National Championship Stock Car Circuit Champion
1947 		Succeeded by
Red Byron
(NASCAR)
Preceded by NASCAR Modified Division Champion
1949 		Succeeded by
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