Julius Timothy Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998) was an American
stock car racer. He was a two-time
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
series champion. His brothers
Bob and
Fonty Flock
Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1921 – July 15, 1972) was an American stock car racer.
Flock family
He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley. The four ra ...
also raced in NASCAR, as did his sister
Ethel Mobley
Ethel Ann Mobley (née Flock; March 8, 1914 – June 26, 1984) 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 Floc ...
, NASCAR's second female driver.
NASCAR career

Tim Flock finished 5th in NASCAR's inaugural
Strictly Stock race at
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
in
1949
Events
January
* January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025
* January 2 – Luis ...
; he drove an
Oldsmobile 88
The Oldsmobile 88 (marketed from 1989 on as the Eighty Eight) is a full-size car that was sold and produced by Oldsmobile from 1949 until 1999. From 1950 until 1974, the 88 was the division's most profitable line, particularly the entry-level m ...
that he borrowed from his newlywed neighbors. NASCAR's first official season ended with Flock in eighth, his brother
Fonty Flock
Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1921 – July 15, 1972) was an American stock car racer.
Flock family
He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley. The four ra ...
in fifth, and his other brother
Bob Flock
Robert Newman Flock (April 16, 1918 – May 16, 1964) was an American stock car racing, stock car racer. He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series inaugural race, first Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Cup Ser ...
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
Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racing, stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion.
Background
Born in the sm ...
, earning Flock his first NASCAR Grand National Championship title, despite flipping in the final race at
West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
. 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
The Ormond Beach and Road Course was a motorsport race track that was instrumental in the formation of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 land speed record, world land ...
for illegally screwed carburetor screws.
Flock had a
rhesus monkey
The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally brown or g ...
co-driver named "Jocko Flocko" with him in his May 16, 1953, Grand National win at
Hickory Motor Speedway
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars".
The t ...
. 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).
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
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "the King", is an American former stock car racing driver who competed from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most nota ...
, 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
Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...
. Flock followed points leader and pole-sitter
Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racing, stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his ...
for much of the start until many of the leaders began exiting for various problems, allowing Flock to lead the final ten laps. No other stock car events of any type were held at the track until the 1990s, and in 2010 the
NASCAR Nationwide Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
began racing there. Despite the win, however, the year was filled with off-track frustration for Flock, particularly with team owner
Carl Kiekhaefer
Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer (June 4, 1906 – October 5, 1983) was the founder of ''Kiekhaefer Mercury'' (later Mercury Marine) and ''Kiekhaefer Aeromarine'' and also a two-time NASCAR championship car owner.
Kiekhaefer Mercury founder
Kiekhaefer wa ...
. Despite their combined on-track success, Flock left Kiekhaefer's team immediately after his victory in the April 8 race at
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway is a paved oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1947; primarily races sanctioned by ...
, citing
stomach ulcers
Peptic ulcer disease is when the inner part of the stomach's gastric mucosa (lining of the stomach), the first part of the small intestine, or sometimes the lower esophagus, gets damaged. An ulcer in the stomach is called a gastric ulcer, while ...
. Upon departing from the Kiekhaefer camp, he had compiled 21 triumphs out of his 46 starts with Kiekhaefer.
Labor union
In his final race before "retiring" Flock was disqualified and banned from NASCAR as a result of "having too much
solder
Solder (; North American English, NA: ) is a fusible alloy, fusible metal alloy used to create a permanent bond between metal workpieces. Solder is melted in order to wet the parts of the joint, where it adheres to and connects the pieces aft ...
on his
carburetor
A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter)
is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...
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
Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer who won 17 NASCAR Grand National Division races and 38 NASCAR Convertible Division races. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and ...
, he faced a life ban from NASCAR. Flock continued to race under other sanctioning bodies, including the
Midwest Association for Race Cars, competing in the event on the dirt at
Lakewood Speedway
Lakewood Speedway was a race track located south of Atlanta, Georgia, in Lakewood, just north of the eastern arm of Langford Parkway (formerly Lakewood Freeway). The track held many kinds of races between 1919 and 1979, including events sanction ...
, Georgia, in October 1961, where he finished second. He also raced at a
United States Auto Club
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the List of USAC Championship Car seasons, United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the ...
event in Concord, North Carolina, in 1963. He was reinstated to NASCAR competition in 1966.
Flock was employed by the
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...
to entertain customers at track events.
Later years
In 1959, he was hired by
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
to work in various roles, including public relations and ticket sales.
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
William Caleb Yarborough (March 27, 1939 – December 31, 2023) was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, farmer, and rancher. He was the first driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winn ...
,
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson Jr. (June 28, 1931 – December 20, 2019), better known as Junior Johnson, was an American professional stock car racing driver, engineer, and team owner as well as an entrepreneur. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career befor ...
,
Pete Hamilton
Peter Goodwill Hamilton (July 20, 1942 – March 21, 2017) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in NASCAR for six years, where he won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving ...
, and
Donnie Allison
Donnie Allison (born September 7, 1939) is an American former driver on the NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned from 1966 to 1988. He is part of the " Alabama Gang", and is the br ...
. The winner was
Elmo Langley, beating Yarborough to the line by about on the last lap. He finished 10th out of 22 drivers.
Death
Flock died of
liver
The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...
and
throat cancer
Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...
on March 31, 1998, at age 73, during NASCAR's 50th anniversary season.
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip (born February 5, 1947) is an American motorsports Color analyst, analyst, author as well as a former national television broadcaster and stock car driver. He raced from 1972 to 2000 in the NASCAR Cup Series (known as the NAS ...
honored him in a
special paint scheme named "Tim Flock Special" at
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1950; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The venue has a capacity of 47,00 ...
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
NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers is an alphabetical list of NASCAR drivers. It started as NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers as of 1998, the 50th anniversary of NASCAR, and was expanded with an additional 25 drivers in 2023, the 75th anniversary of NASCAR. ...
. He has been inducted in numerous halls of fame, including the:
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
The International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMHOF) is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame located adjacent to the Talladega Superspeedway (formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway) located in Talladega County, Alabama, Talladeg ...
(1991),
Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is a hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles ...
[Tim Flock]
at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is a hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles ...
(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
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
=Daytona 500
=
See also
*
Fireball Roberts
Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts Jr. (January 20, 1929July 2, 1964) was an American stock car racer.
Background
Roberts was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, and raised in Apopka, Florida, where he was interested in both auto racing and baseball. ...
References
External links
Official websiteGo NASCAR Go: Tim Flock*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flock, Tim
1924 births
1998 deaths
People from Fort Payne, Alabama
Racing drivers from Alabama
NASCAR drivers
NASCAR Cup Series champions
International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees
Deaths from cancer in North Carolina
Deaths from liver cancer in the United States
Deaths from throat cancer in the United States
Flock family
NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees