When France began his premier "Strictly Stock" series (now the Nextel Cup) at the Charlotte Speedway in 1949, the "Mad Flocks" were the main attraction. Racing in modified stock cars, all three brothers placed in the top 10 in points, with Fonty second (with 15 wins), Tim third (with one win), and Bob seventh (with five wins). In 1948, the brothers signed on to France's new National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) series and were joined by youngest brother Julius Timothy "Tim" (born 1924). In 1947, the pair had one of their most successful years when Fonty won six races and the points championship and Bob won eight races and placed fifth in points. The Flocks always received top billing for these races, and promoters often paid them to come to town days before an event to help build interest. Often billed as the "Mad Flocks," "The Flying Flocks," or the "Fabulous Flocks," Bob and Fonty found stock-car-racing stardom in the late 1940s in France's National Championship Stock Car Circuit in Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia, at northeastern fairgrounds, and as far west as Indiana. The brothers found another outlet for competition in races promoted by former racing competitor Bill France. When Atlanta police tried to arrest him, he led them on a high-speed chase around the speedway, through the board fence, and down the streets of the city. Bob gained local fame when he tried to sneak into a Lakewood race with his face hidden behind a bandana. After a major campaign led by Atlanta Constitution editor Ralph McGill and the local Baptist and Methodist ministerial alliance, the track management agreed to ban anyone with a police record from racing at the city-owned track. Unfortunately, they could not pursue their craft on their home turf of Lakewood Speedway. The outbreak of the war interrupted the brothers' racing career, and both served in the military.Īfter the war, Bob and Fonty returned to stock-car racing and soon became two of the top stars in the region. Both brothers became car-racing fanatics and soon were regulars on the fledgling stock-car circuit, traveling to races throughout the Piedmont South prior to World War II. The race was won by Roy Hall, another bootlegger, but Bob had a successful debut and finished third. The Flock family entered the world of stock-car racing on September 9, 1939, when Bob and Fonty entered their Ford Coupes-probably their bootlegging cars-in a 100-mile race at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway. Their mother, Maudie, moved the rest of the family to the Atlanta area in 1931. Robert Newman "Bob" Flock (born 1918) and Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (born 1920) joined their bootlegging brother, Carl Lee Flock Jr., in Atlanta in the illegal liquor business. Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (Ma– July 15, 1972) of Fort Payne, Alabama was an American stock car racer. Photo: Left to right: brothers Fonty, Tim, Bob, and Carl Flock.
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