retired or veteran drivers

[smack500]

Alot of new fans, dont really know much about the older or retired drivers. Just thought It would be interesting to post short biographys and facts about them. Ill start out with the king.

Richard Petty

Richard Lee Petty was born on July 2,1937, in Randleman, NC, the son of Lee Petty. Lee was one of stock-car racings early pioneers who won three Grand National championships in the '50s. Lee held the record for most victories, 54 , until his son broke it.

Richard started out as a mechanic for his father because his father refused to let him race until he was a legal adult. So days after Richard turned 21, he drove to a sixth place finish in his first race. During his next eight races Richard failed to finish any of them.

Richard's thought he had his first win when he took the checkered flag but as he was heading to victory lane another driver protested the race, saying the checkered flag was waved on the wrong lap. Richard did not get the win, instead the driver who protested was awarded the win, that driver was Lee Petty.

It was 1959 and the inaugural running of the Daytona 500, which was won by Lee Petty. Richard watched from the pit area as his father took the checkered flag, because Richard blew his engine. Richard went on to claim Rookie of the Year and in 1960 he finished second in the points to Rex White.

In 1964 Richard became unhappy with the sport because other drivers were saying that his engines were bigger and they protested. Richard spent 1965 competing as a drag racer. His career there was cut short when he crashed his car at a race in Georgia, killing an eight year old boy.

Returning to his roots, Petty made a comeback in NASCAR during the '66 season by winning the Daytona 500 and becoming the first driver to win it twice. In 1967, Petty won 27 of the 48 races and had a string of ten wins in a row. He finished in the top five in eleven other races to earn his second Grand National championship.

Richard passed his fathers record of 54 wins in only his eighth season. Petty never had much competition until David Pearson emerged upon the race tracks. Between 1963 and 1977, Petty and Pearson finished one-two sixty three times and Pearson held the edge 33-30.

It didn't matter what Petty drove, he could win in any car. During the '70s Petty racked up five Winston Cup championships and four Daytona 500's. His fifth Daytona eluded him in 1976 when he and Pearson made contact on the last lap and Pearson went on to win.

Richard's son Kyle is running the circuit now but is still dealing with the loss of his son Adam, who was killed in a crash in 2000. Petty Enterprises is struggling with the new Dodges but they will be a presence in NASCAR for years to come, watch and see.



Starts Wins Poles Top-5 Top-10 Money
1185 200 126 556 713 $7,757,964.

 

[DE_Wrangler_2]

Not to down grade Richard Petty.......he's the bench mark for all drivers in this sport. But let's get everyone on an even playing field. I see where you are going.......list every great driver's stats. And no one will ever top Richard Petty in pure stats........because no one started as many races as Richard Petty.

Wins: 200...........17% ratio of wins to starts
Poles: 126..........16% ratio of wins to starts
Top 5's: 556.......47% ratio of top 5's to starts
Top 10's: 713.....60% ratio of top 10's to starts

I'm sure Richard will top them all with top 5's and 10's. But I know you are going to be surprised on some of the other numbers if you level the playing field a little!! I know..............I've done this comparison thing before!! It's fruitless.

 

[LUKE'57]

Maybe we should get together and syncronize your facts and my pics. My next one will be a Larry Frank '57 Chevy.

 

[smack500]

I dont know much about larry frank. He was a ex marine from indiana who won a controversial race. He won the southern 500 at darlington on 9/3/1962, it was his 102nd start.

Since he only won 1 race Ill post information on that race.

Seven makes of cars are entered, but almost a third were the popular '62 Pontiacs. Four of the top five qualifiers are wide trackers, including the front row! Richard Petty, Bobby Johns, Buck Baker and Fireball Roberts are shown qualifying, with pole-sitter Roberts choosing the outside front row to start the race!

Just after the race gets underway, Roscoe Thompson loses his Mercury out of turn four and slides down the main straightaway! In turn one, Pontiac drivers Joe Weatherly and David Pearson tangle but both are able to continue. During the first part of the race, Fireball Roberts and Bobby Johns trade the lead, but as Fireball slows to pit, he loses control on the track apron and slides back across the track, smashing the wall and destroying the right front of his car. Now, Johns is leading with Petty second and Johnson third. Ralph Earnhardt, driving the #47 Pontiac for Jack Smith, spins thru turn one backwards after hitting the guardrail. After surveying the damage, he climbs back into the car and takes off for the pits! In another incident, Bunkie Blackburn and Darel Dieringer tangle in turn three. Jim Pascual and race leader Johns cannot avoid the accident, and when Johns hits Dieringer, the #26 Ford catches fire! This mishap knocks Johns out of the race, and Richard Petty takes over with Johnson now second. Later, Johnson hits the guardrail and must come in for repairs. As Johnson leaves his pit after losing two laps, the most biggest wreck of the race occurs in turn 1. Johnny Allen, in the #46 Holly Farms Pontiac, hits the fence and rides the guardrail for hundreds of feet, the car sliding on its side! As he flips upside down and skids along on his roof, a punctured gas tank which is leaking fuel ignites and the car is soon a blazing inferno!

Frank has mistakenly not been given credit for a lap and when he passes Richard Petty on the backstretch in the latter part of the race, he goes into first place, although the scorers show him 4th. They have Petty leading with Junior Johnson closing fast. Richard blows a tire with less than five laps to go and Johnson passes! Richard keeps driving on three wheels, while mechanic Ray Fox and his crew celebrate when Junior is given the checkered flag! Larry Frank, who has already crossed the finish line ahead of Junior, then blows a tire on his cool-down lap and disgustedly parks his car in the infield grass. While Johnson is getting all the accolades in Victory lane, Richard Petty eases the disappointment of his 5th place finish (on three wheels) by taking a slug from a glass bottle of milk!

The next day (monday), johnson had to give the trophy to larry. And of course larry ended up with credit for the win.

Also heres a exerpt from a site I found talking about stories from nascars old days. (Not official could just be rumors)

Frank was a small but tough ex-Marine who one time

chased Joe Weatherly out of the pits, on foot, after a race. Weatherly, who had a good 40 pounds weight advantage on Frank, feared for his safety and jumped up and onto the roof's of a line of parked cars. Frank was below, chasing and grabbing at Weatherly's legs as he bounced from one roof to another; denting them all.

Both Lund and Frank enjoyed a good bar-room brawl. It was not uncommon for both men to walk into the closest saloon, and just start irritating people enough to where they would reach the boiling

point and take a swing. They would do it intentionally, and think nothing of it. In fact, if the two men were bored, they'd look for the first Bar that they came to, just to pick a fight. It was recreation for those two. At any time, either man could climb atop the bar and just start cursing at anyone who walked by. If you hit one, you hit both. And you could count on being served a knuckle sandwich if you messed with either of them. Sometimes, a few of the other drivers accompanied them to these joints just to sit back, knock down a few drinks, and watch the action. A few of these brawls, one grizzled veteran said, looked like something out of the old West, with people being thrown over the bar and into the rows of liquor behind it.

Needless to say, Tiny Lund and Larry Frank were banned from more than just a few saloons.

 

[smack500]

Day 3 driver 3
_____

Dale Earnhardt

Birthdate: April 29, 1951
Birth Place: Kannapolis, N.C.
Died: February 18, 2001
Car Number: 3
Team: Richard Childress Racing
Sponsor: GM Goodwrench Service Plus
Manufacturer: Chevrolet

There was never any doubt in Dale Earnhardt's mind about what he wanted to be in life. As a young boy watching his father Ralph race -- and win -- in Stock car events throughout the Southeast, Dale developed a love for the sport that would ultimately fuel one of the most successful careers in the history of motorsports

In his late teens, Dale began racing Hobby-class cars in and around his native Kannapolis, NC, working full-time by day, welding and mounting tires, and either racing or working on his cars by night. He financed his own effort, oftentimes having to borrow money to buy parts and pieces to run on the weekends, hoping to win enough to pay back the bank on Monday.

In 1973, Ralph Earnhardt died of heart failure while working on his race car. Crushed by the loss, Dale eventually learned to cope by becoming more determined than ever to be successful as a driver. He continued to compete on the Sportsman circuit, racing at speedways near his home such as Hickory, Concord, and Metrolina Fairgrounds.

Dale made his Winston Cup debut in 1975, finishing 22nd while driving Ed Negre's Dodge in the World 600 at Charlotte in a deal put together by CMS President Richard Howard. Over the next three years, he made a total of eight more starts, the last of which was the 1978 Dixie 500 at Atlanta, when he drove a second car for Rod Osterlund. Earnhardt finished fourth in the race, one spot behind Osterlund's regular driver, Dave Marcis.

Marcis left after the 1978 season to start his own team, leaving Osterlund with a list of candidates to fill the seat in his Chevrolet. He decided to take a chance on the young driver, and offered Dale his first full-time Winston Cup ride for the 1979 season. Earnhardt considers the offer the biggest break of his career.

In his first full season of competition, Dale scored his initial Winston Cup win at Bristol in just his 16th career start. Eight races later, he notched his first career pole at Riverside. By the end of the season, he had driven to 11 Top 5 finishes and beat Harry Gant, Terry Labonte and Joe Millikan for the rookie title in one of the most competitive rookie battles ever.

In 1980, with a young, yet solid team, good equipment and the determination to prove he belonged at racing's highest level, Earnhardt beat tough veteran Cale Yarborough for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series title to become the only driver ever to win the rookie crown and the series' championship in consecutive seasons.

Midway through the 1981 season, Osterlund sold his team to Jim Stacy. Earnhardt, disenchanted with the performance of the new team, left after only four races, deciding to finish the season driving for Richard Childress. By the end of the year, Childress realized that his cars were not performing at a level that justified a talent like Earnhardt's, so he urged Dale to accept an opportunity to drive for the well-established team of Bud Moore and big-dollar sponsor, Wrangler. Earnhardt accepted the ride in the #15 Fords, in which he competed for two seasons, winning three races and finishing 12th, then 8th in the points.

Meanwhile, Childress, with driver Ricky Rudd, was building his team into a championship contender. In the off-season between 1983 and 1984, Earnhardt made the decision to rejoin Childress. Driver and owner immediately began a program to achieve the level of performance both believed would take them to a NASCAR Winston Cup championship. Neither could have envisioned the success they would achieve together.

The duo captured their first championship two years later, in 1986, beginning a reign that would bring them six titles over the next nine seasons, accumulating records that attest to the talent and ability of one of the greatest drivers ever to have raced the short tracks and superspeedways of NASCAR. The highlights include:

Seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships ('80, '86, '87, '90, '91, '93, '94)

The only Winston driver to win Rookie of the Year and the Championship in successive years (1979, 1980).

Career winnings in excess of $40 million.

Five-time NMPA Driver of the Year ('80, '86, '87, '90, '94)

Only three-time winner of "The Winston" ('87, '90, '93)

Only six-time Busch Clash winner ('80, '86, '88, '91, '93, '95)

Four-time IROC champion ('90, '95, '99, '00)

Earnhardt has won nearly every major event and title available to NASCAR Winston Cup drivers, including the Daytona 500.

In February 1998 after 20 attempts, Dale Earnhardt captured the only major victory that had eluded him throughout his career, the Daytona 500. The win was the 71st of his career and came in his 575th Winston Cup start, placing him sixth on the all-time wins list. Earnhardt added to his legacy in 1998 when NASCAR honored him and his father Ralph as two of the 50 Greatest Drivers in NASCAR history.

Two years later, Earnhardt's son, Dale Jr. followed in his father's tire tracks, joining his dad on the Winston Cup circuit. The father experienced a career renaissance — nearly winning a record eighth Winston Cup championship — finishing second to Bobby Labonte in 2000.

In February 2001, Dale Earnhardts, elder and younger, opened Daytona Speedweeks together as two members of a team in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, an annual sportscar race. The Earnhardts finished second in their class and fourth overall, proving to any doubters that Dale and son were more than just stock-car drivers.

The death of Dale Earnhardt on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500 moved America like no other athlete's death ever had. Earnhardt was an original, a one-of-a-kind guy who captured the hearts of American stock car racing fans and the general public as well. With a twinkle in his eye and a devilish grin on his face, Earnhardt shoved and pushed his way to the front. With unparalleled determination, he willed his race cars to victory. He was loved not so much for the number of checkered flags and championships he won but for the spectacular style with which he won them.

http://www.daleearnhardt.net/biography/

____

Races / Wins / Top 5 / Top 10 / poles / Earnings
676.......76.......281.....428.........22.......$41,538,362

http://www.racelinecentral.com/Dstats.html

 

[smack500]

Cale yarborough

Born: Mar. 27, 1940 Home: Timmonsville, SC

He began racing stock cars in the early 1960s. He was the first and still the only driver to win the NASCAR championship for three consecutive years (1976–78). He also won the Daytona 500 three times (1968, 1977, 1983), the Atlanta 500 four times (1967, 1968, 1974, 1981), the southern 500 5 times. Has the best points average per race record set back in 1978 at 161.36 per race, he was also the first person to break 5,000 points that year.

Race / Wins / top 5 / top 10 / pole / laps led / earnings
560......83........255.....319.......69........31677...5,646,479

Notes:
Won 5 Iroc races

Could not really find any information about him before his racing career, if anyone has anything please post it.

Stories
______________

Cale Yarborough is well known to all NASCAR fans. He's always been described as one of the best there ever was. And if Cale wasn't a great driver, he was a fabulous purveyor of practical jokes.

Among his close friends, in addition to Curtis Turner, was Dwayne ‘Tiny' Lund. Lund, a 6-6, 280- pound behemoth, was one of the nicest people to ever climb into a stock car.

But get him angry, and he could be a tornado on two legs.

Lund and Yarborough were roommates on several occasions ----- an arrangement that was necessary in those early days when drivers made little money. One day, Lund was in the shower when Cale dumped a bucket of ice water over the curtain. Lund was livid. He burst from the shower stall and chased Cale out into the parking lot. The chase ended when Lund, naked as a jay bird, found himself standing in front of an elderly lady. "Pardon me, Ma'am." was all he could mutter.

He then pretended to tip an imaginary cap, and the biggest man in NASCAR trotted away.

This kind of horseplay continued to the race track. Lund knew that Cale was an accomplished handler of Rattlesnakes. So, at one race, Lund had a rubber snake, and threw it in Cale's car after he had climbed in. Cale's reaction was pretty much what you would expect, until he realized that the snake was fake.

Cale got revenge the next week, and went one step further. He caught a live rattlesnake and pulled it's fangs out with a pair of pliers. At the track, Cale waited until Tiny had strapped himself in, and then threw the angry snake onto Lund's lap. Lund's reaction was even more intense, as he instantly realized that this snake was alive --- it was real. Of course, he didn't know the snake had no fangs.

Lund was screaming bloody murder, and unable to free himself from the straps. The snake was rattling it's tail. And Cale, who had tipped a few of his friends off to the stunt, stood back and laughed. It was no small feat for ‘Tiny' to get strapped into his car. He barely fit through the drivers window, and it took minutes to get all the belts and straps tightened. But when that snake landed on his lap, Lund got out of that car considerably faster than he went in. Lund tore from the ****pit, grabbed a ball peen hammer, and chased Yarborough into the garage. It took a couple of men to restrain Lund. By the end of the race, fortunately, both men laughed about the incident.


___

In his younger days, Cale Yarborough was a daredevil. Cale used to perform "stunt shows" for his neighbors. He would hold on to a rope tied to the back of a friend's pickup truck, and try to stay on that bumper while his friend sped through an open field or meadow at breakneck speed, sawing the wheel left and right, trying to throw him off. Sometimes, Cale would lose his grip and go tumbling from the truck like a weed --- bouncing and grazing along the grass ---- limbs flailing in the air as he tumbled helplessly for dozens of feet ---- end over end. Those who watched this silly spectacle howled with laughter when they saw Cale tumbling through the field. But Cale, who was tough as nails, would climb back on, and do it again to the delight of those assembled.

Like his mentor, Curtis Turner, Cale was also fond of airplanes. And he liked jumping out of them with a parachute. During one dive, Cale's chute got tangled up, and he plunged to the earth. Fortunately, Cale "landed" in a freshly-plowed field that had been further softened by a recent rain shower. It took a minute or two to catch his breath, but Cale was able to limp away.

Cale also skirted death at the Charlotte (now Lowes) Motor Speedway. But it wasn't on the track. It was in the infield. On this particular day, Cale had been driving around town in a rental car with Banjo Matthews. Matthews was fond of racing at full speed through the tunnel, and into the infield.

Matthews had been talking to Cale about something as he sped out of the tunnel, and did not see the light pole that was rapidly closing in.

Cale saw it, though.

"Banjo!" He exclaimed.

Matthews kept talking and looked at Cale as his foot remained firmly planted on the floor.

"Banjo !!!" Cale again yelled.

It feel on deaf ears.

"Banjo! Watch out for that......."

BLAM !!!

It was a dead-center, head-on collision. The front-end of the car looked like an inverted ‘V'. Neither men were hurt, but Banjo had one helluva story for the rental car company that day. He told them that "something had happened to the radiator", and suggested they come get it with a tow truck.

____

cale was in the news last year for challenging gordon for Southern 500 mark.

Cale Yarborough is not surrendering his Southern 500 record easily.

The winner of five Labor Day weekend events at Darlington Raceway issued a challenge to the driver who tied the mark last season, Jeff Gordon.

Yarborough thinks Gordon should have to win six Southerns just to claim a tie.

"I won one on the old Darlington racetrack" in 1968, Yarborough said. "And it's twice as hard to win on that race track as it is today."

The track started as a 1‘-mile layout and grew to its current 1.366-mile length. It's banking was reworked in 1969 to make entrances and exits slightly easier than before.

Gordon has watched film of old Darlington races. He's amazed anybody could get around the quirky oval.

"Throwing the car sideways with smoke rolling off the right rear tire," he said. "It wasn't an easy place to pass. It was even narrower than it is now."

Through the years, only NASCAR's best seem to navigate the sport's oldest superspeedway.

Yarborough reigned from the mid-1960s until his last victory here in 1982. Gordon has been the most recent Darlington master. He won an unprecedented four consecutive Southern 500s from 1995 to 1998 and regained his touch here last year, leading 125 of the 367 laps.

Gordon remembers when he first came to Darlington and everyone told him how impossible it was to drive.

"They basically scare you before you make one lap on the track," he said. "And then you go out there and you think it's a little spooky, but it's a cool track."

Yarborough, known as one of NASCAR's feistier competitors, wouldn't mind racing Gordon to the checkered flag Sunday.

"It would be a heck of a last lap, I tell you," Yarborough explained. "I'd wind up in victory circle. I'd probably have to bump him a little bit, but I'd get it done."

 

[Ward Burton]

Wow, you have a lot of information!!!

 

[smack500]

Petty stories

A few years before Richard began his career, he followed his father to almost every race. Being in the days before cars were hauled on trailers, Richard's job would oftentimes see him driving the actual race car to an event. On one occasion, Richard's job was the drive the car to California from Level Cross, NC. One evening, in Arizona (An estimate; Petty had no idea what state he was in at the time), Richard was running over 100 miles per hour when he hit a fast-moving, four foot-deep river of water flowing swiftly --- and dangerously --- across the road --- the product of a drenching thunderstorm just hours before. It was an ‘Arroyo,' a common phenomena in the west. Richard had little warning of the danger ahead (a road sign in Spanish that he didn't understand), and he plowed into the stream ---- just making it to the other side. Had he been driving slower, at the posted speed, he would have probably been swept away to his death. It was very late at night. In the remote area where he was at the time, he may not have been found for weeks --- if at all.

He made it California. Following the race, he made the return trip in less than 40 hours. His average speed was well over 100 miles per hour. Ironically, his only speeding ticket was earned less than 75 miles from home.

This wasn't Richard's only early brush with danger. During another race, Richard was cleaning his fathers' windshield in the pits when, suddenly, the elder Petty streaked away to beat the pace car, which was nearing the pit exit. Richard was still on the hood of the car, holding on for dear life. On the next lap, officials made Petty come back into the pits to discharge his frightened passenger.

The story of the Petty family rising to prominence in NASCAR breaks the stereotypical view that many have about those early stars of NASCAR. The Petty family never hauled moonshine. Lee was a truck driver who could also drive a car on the back roads around Level Cross faster, and more assuredly than anyone else. He was a masterful driver, and won many late-night races on country roads. Lee had a natural talent. He could go through a turn with all four tires singing an Aria, while his adversary's headlights literally disappeared. In fact, Lee was so dominating in these races, that he would actually paint the car a new color each week so that others wouldn't recognize it. Those who knew who owned the car would not even bother to race against him or even make a wager. And in some of those late-night, backroads races, the purse would be as much as $1000 for the winner ----- many times more than what professional racers were making at the time.

Richard was often with him (much to the chagrin of his mother) on these ‘runs,' and it taught him a lot about wheeling around in a fast car. By the time Richard got his drivers license at 16, he was already well-versed in the subject of speed and control, and he could outrun any of his school-mates who also took fancy to fast driving. Richard finally told his Dad that he wanted to race. The elder Petty made it clear that Richard had to be 21 before that would happen. True to his word, on his son's 21st birthday, Lee pointed to an battered Oldsmobile Convertible that had been sitting in the garage and said "Go take the convertible over there." And with those words, Richard Petty's racing career began.

A week later, Richard was at Columbia (SC) speedway, beating and banging with guys like Joe Weatherly and Fireball Roberts.

The Petty's were a close family. And when it came time to defend their honor, everyone got involved. On one occasion, Dwayne ‘Tiny' Lund ------ who was far from ‘tiny' ----- confronted Lee after a race. Lund was upset over some contact that he felt was inappropriate. Words were exchanged, and Lund took a swing at the elder Petty. A fight ensued. But it didn't last long. Richard, a teen ager at the time, grabbed a tire iron. His brother, Maurice, got into the fray. And, to the delight of everyone who was watching, Richard's mother began beating Lund over the head with her huge pocketbook. Lund decided that he had had enough, and made a hasty retreat. Later, all Lund could say was "When you take on a Petty, you take on the whole darned family."

As close as they were, Lee never gave Richard any special treatment on the track. As far as Lee was concerned, his son was just another driver out to beat him. And the only way Lee was going to let his son beat him was if it was done fair and square. At a race at Atlanta, Richard appeared to have won the event. But one of the drivers protested, saying that Richard was a lap down. NASCAR decided that Richard had not won the race. The driver who protested was awarded the Victory. The driver who protested was Lee Petty

 

[smack500]

Tim Flock

"To me, he was a cool customer. You would see a bunch of them drivers running sideways and doing all. Tim would just be running around. When the race was over, Tim won. Them guys were still running sideways," says Richard Petty about Tim Flock on ESPN Classic's SportsCentury series.



Raised in a family of bootleggers who never met a vehicle they wouldn't race, Tim Flock made his mark as one of stock-car racing's pioneers. Exploding on the scene in the 1950s, he won two Grand National championships and finished with 40 victories (in 189 starts). His winning percentage of 21.2 remains the best in NASCAR history.

With his career winding down in 1961, Flock gained more headlines when he was banned for life from NASCAR for his involvement in attempting to start a drivers union.

Flock's personality and antics were as memorable as his victories. Most notable was "Jocko Flocko," the pet monkey who accompanied Flock in his car for eight races.

Julius Timothy, who would be known as Tim, was born on May 11, 1924, in Fort Payne, Ala. He was only one when his father Lee, a mechanic and taxi driver, died at 52. Flock's mother Maudie, who worked in a hosiery mill, looked to her older children to help pay the bills.

The eldest, Carl, had already become involved in Uncle Peachtree Williams' bootlegging business. During prohibition (1919-33), Tim said his uncle was "the biggest bootlegger who ever lived in Atlanta."

Upon Williams' death, Carl became the bootlegging kingpin and moved the family to Atlanta. Bob and Fonty, Flock's other brothers, also became involved in the family business. The older brothers started competing in unorganized racing events against other bootleggers. Though they tried unsuccessfully to keep Tim away from car racing and in school, he watched the races, which were held in cow pastures and drew crowds of 200 to 300.

Dropping out of school at 16, Flock went to work. In 1942, he was drafted into the Army, but was discharged because of an ulcerated stomach.

Flock married Frances Marie Roberts in 1944, three years after meeting her when she was 13. The teenager disregarded an uncle's warning not to date Flock because his brothers were bootleggers.

Flock held various jobs but couldn't get racing out of his blood. In fact, the family seemed drawn to the sport. Perhaps it began with Tim's father, who was a bicycle racer and owned the first car in Fort Payne. Bob and Fonty had their racing careers, which began in the late 1930s. Sister Ethel was a stock-car driver in her own right, competing in more than 100 races and finishing 11th in her only Grand National.

Flock's first professional ride came in 1947 in North Wilkesboro, N.C., in a modified race. While his brothers wouldn't let him drive their cars, another owner offered Flock his vehicle. Flock embarrassed himself by spinning the car after turn one. But in the next race, he outran his siblings.

The competing Flock brothers, who became known as the "Flying Flocks," were curious about a new type of race started by Bill France, who formed NASCAR in December 1947 and ran a modified series in 1948. In 1949, France launched a strictly stock-car series.

On June 19, in the inaugural race of the Strictly Stock Division, at the Charlotte Speedway three-quarter-mile dirt track, Flock finished fifth. On October 23 at Lakewood Park in Atlanta, he gained his first stock-car victory.

Flock's relationship with France began to sour in 1950. Bruton Smith, who owned a track outside Charlotte, wanted Flock to run for him and the driver agreed, as long as France said it was okay. But France didn't want his drivers competing on an "outlaw" track. Smith sweetened the deal, offering Flock $500, a considerable sum in those days.

When Flock raced, an angry France took away 837.5 points the driver had earned in the Modified Division. Flock maintained this cost him the championship. To win NASCAR's Grand National title in 1952, all Flock had to do was start the final race, in West Palm Beach, Fla. But just starting wasn't Flock's style. On lap 64, his Hudson hit the retaining wall and flipped, skidding down the front stretch on its roof.

"I bet I'm the only guy who ever won a championship while on his head," said Flock, who won eight of 34 races.

He won just once in 1953, when he was sometimes accompanied by Jocko Flocko. The monkey's racing career ended when he got loose in the car and Flock was forced to stop and hand him to the pit crew. Flock figured the maneuver cost him $750, the difference between finishing second and third.

While the monkey cost Flock money, an accident almost cost him his life. On July 4, a car ran over him as he was sleeping in the infield before a race at Spartanburg, S.C. Suffering from a concussion, dizzy spells and blurred vision, he feared his career might be over.

It wasn't, though. He returned in fine form in 1954, but he suffered a bitter disappointment at Daytona's Beach and Road Course. Although he finished first, he was disqualified two days later because his car had soldering on one of the screws in the carburetor. "They changed the rules whenever they wanted," said Flock, who blamed France for the disqualification.

An angry Flock quit racing fulltime and returned to Atlanta, where he bought a Pure Oil station.

Friends convinced Flock to go, as a spectator, to Daytona in 1955. He had no intentions of driving and didn't even bring his helmet. But after seeing the new Chrysler 300 of Carl Kiekhaefer, who made millions selling outboard motors, he had a change of heart. He convinced Kiekhaefer, who was just entering NASCAR racing, to let him drive his car.

Flock won the 160-mile race, though it took a disqualification. Unlike a year ago, Flock got the best of the decision at Daytona when Fireball Roberts was disqualified, enabling Flock to move from second to first.

Back driving fulltime, Flock had his best year in 1955 as he captured his second championship. He won 18 of 39 races, a record that stood until 1967, when Richard Petty registered 19 victories. The 18 pole positions Flock earned still stand as a record. Flock's fellow drivers also voted him Most Popular Driver.

But Kiekhaefer's demanding and gruff ways wore on Flock, who didn't like the constant power struggles and that the owner was hiring other drivers despite Flock's success.

After finishing first three times in eight races in the 1956 season, the two had a nasty breakup. Flock didn't see the owner for 24 years - and when they met, Kiekhaefer still held a grudge.

Flock competed in 13 more races in 1956, but won only one: His 40th and last Grand National victory came on Aug. 12, 1956 at Elkhart Lake, Wis., in a Bill Stroppe Mercury. He entered just 15 races from 1957-61, but never achieved even a top five finish.

Flock had another brush with France in 1961 when he went along with racing legend Curtis Turner's attempt to start a drivers union. Teamster boss Jimmy Hoffa backed the union that Flock believed would force France to treat drivers more fairly.

France's threat to close his tracks if a union was formed frightened other drivers from joining. With the union no longer a possibility, France banned Turner and Flock. However, when interest in NASCAR declined because of numerous factory boycotts and pullouts, France reinstated them in 1965.

By then, it was too late for Flock as a driver. At 40, he was enjoying life at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he had been employed since 1959 selling tickets, meeting celebrities and dabbling in public relations.

Flock, who earned $103,515 in prize money from his stock-car career, was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Diagnosed with a tumor that January, Flock died on March 31, of lung and liver cancer. He was 73.


Races / wins / top 5 / top 10 / ave finish/ earnings
187........39......102.....129...........9.5........$110,365
____

One of the earliest characters in the sport was Tim Flock. In his time, Flock was one of -- if not the best --- driver in NASCAR. Unlike the Petty's, Flock ran ‘moonshine,' and it was that vocation that allowed him to developed phenomenal driving skills. Unfortunately, Flock is most often remembered for a Rhesus Monkey that rode with him in eight races. Everyone knows the story about ‘Jocko Flocko.' Complete with a drivers uniform and a specially-made seat in the car, the Monkey drew wails of laughter from the crowds. Flock said that the Monkey ran with him in eight races. NASCAR never objected. It remains one of the greatest P.R. stunts in NASCAR.

The diminutive primate took his last ride at Raleigh speedway. During the race, Jocko amused himself by pulling on a rope that opened a "trap door" that the driver could pull and open to check his tire wear. Jocko opened it just enough so that a pebble flew into the car and smacked him on the head. Jocko went berserk. Flock had to pull into the pits. Flock later said that it was the first time in NASCAR History that a car had to pit to put a monkey out of it.

When Tim first started racing, he once found himself at a track with a car that was obviously not up to par with the assembled competition. Ever resourceful, Flock noticed a brand new Buick, which he knew had a powerful V-8 engine, parked outside the second turn. He ran over to the car and asked an elderly couple if he could borrow it for the race. They let him, and he finished third.

Flock was also one of NASCAR's greatest economizers. Before he drove for the high-financed Chrysler team owned by Karl Kiekhaefer, Flock raced on a shoestring budget. In those days, they still ran "street" tires. Flock purchased his from the local Sears store. He'd buy a complete set, use them in the race, and then return them to the store the next day --- with most of the tread scrubbed off --- and claimed that the tire did not deliver the advertised mileage. Flock would walk out with a set of replacement tires, use them in the next race, and repeat the procedure the following week.

Finally, a manager wised-up to the tactic, and ground it to a halt.

Tim's brother, Bob, was also a moonshine-runner, and was well known, and even respected by Federal Agents who chased him night after night in the hills and mountains of North Georgia.

In those days, you couldn't race if you ran moonshine. About this time, Bob Flock had such a reputation, Federal Agents learned that Flock would be driving in a race at Atlanta. Eager to catch their elusive prey, Agents staked out the track on the day of the race. Somehow, Flock eluded them, and when the race started, a gate was opened, and Flock drove onto the track at the drop of the green flag. Minutes later, when the Police found out that a convicted moonshine runner was driving in the race, they had the gates opened, and scores of police cars drove onto the track ---- while the race was in progress ---- and commenced to chase Flock around the speedway ---- lights and sirens wailing. Another gate was opened, and Flock dove through it and onto the street. The cops followed and chased Bob clear into downtown Atlanta, where he finally ran out of gas.

Afterwards, Flock observed that "I would have won that race if the cops had stayed out of it."

The Flock family, which also included brother, Fonty (who, incidentally, would drive while wearing Bermuda Shorts on hot days), was never known as ‘hell raisers' or one of NASCAR's "party animals." By comparison, every one of the Flock brothers could be considered one of the "good boys."

 

[Eagle1]

Very interesting stuff.

 

[dragonlady424]

Holy Cow!!!!! So much interesting reading there, it's hard to
try to absorb it all. Gonna save these to my puter, and give it a better try later.
Thanks for all the good stuff, peeps. Pure gold!!!!!