Bob Flock

American racing driver (1918–1964)

Robert Newman Flock (April 16, 1918 – May 16, 1964) was an American stock car racer. He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Cup Series) race and, along with Red Byron, is considered one of the two best drivers from that era. Flock died of a heart attack in 1964.

He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Fonty 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.

The Flock family had an illegal moonshine business. The federal agents discovered that Flock would be running a race in Atlanta, and they staked out the place to make an arrest. A gate opened as the race was beginning, and he drove on the track to take the green flag. The police vehicles quickly appeared on the track. They chased Flock for a lap or two before he drove through the fence. The police followed him until he ran out of gas. Reminiscing years later, Flock said, "I would have won that race if the cops had stayed out of it."

He was a well established driver before NASCAR was formed. He took over NASCAR founder Bill France's ride in 1946. He won both events at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1947. Flock was known for his daring driving style. For example, during a race on June 15, 1947, Flock overturned his car in an accident. Instead of accepting a DNF, he solicited help from spectators, who turned the car back on its wheels, and he finished the race: "Like other wrecks it wasn’t anywhere near as serious, and folks flipped Flock’s car over on its wheels." In an October 1947 race at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, he suffered a crushed vertebra when his tire blew, sending his car through the track fencing and into a light pole. He sat on the pole for NASCAR's first race at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, setting a qualifying time of 38.37 seconds. He had two wins that season, and finished third in the points behind Lee Petty and champion Red Byron. Flock was the only winner of a Cup Series race held at the mysterious Air Base Speedway in Greenville, SC in 1951 on August 25. His brothers, Tim and Fonty also took part in the event. The track was closed in 1952 after only three years of racing but was still visible by 1964 and only partially by 1976. He won two 100 lap ARCA races at Lakewood Speedway in 1954. Flock retired from driving when he broke his back in an on track accident. He had over 200 modified wins in his career. He competed in one NASCAR Convertible Division event, at Montgomery Motor Speedway, he started on pole position but finished 20th after having a broken axle.

Flock became a track promoter in Atlanta. He hired three women (Sara Christian, and Mildred Williams, and his sister Ethel Mobley) to race at his new track.

He was inducted in the Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame in 2003. He was a member of the National Motorsports Hall of Fame Association.

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

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 Davis Brothers 7 Hudson CLT 32 3rd 704 Raymond Parks 14 Ford DAB 22 Frank Christian 7 Olds HBO 1** LAN 2 HAM MAR 14 HEI NWS 1 1950 DAB 7 CLT 2 LAN MAR CAN VER DSP MCF CLT HBO DSP HAM DAR 27 LAN NWS 9 VER MAR WIN HBO 20th 314 1951 Ted Chester Plymouth DAB CLT NMO 8 GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR 10 CAN 6 CLB 13 DSP GAR GRS BAI HEI 14th 869 Lincoln CLS 29 Olds AWS 10 MCF ALS MSF 20 FMS MOR ABS 1* DAR 27 CLB 4 CCS 18 LAN 30 CLT 16 DSP WIL 2 HBO TPN PGS MAR OAK ATL 2 GAR NMO 20 77 Hudson NWS 10 HMS JSP 1952 7 PBS DAB JSP NWS MAR CLB ATL CCS LAN DAR DSP CAN HAY FMS HBO CLT MSF NIF OSW MON MOR PPS MCF AWS 1 DAR 29 CCS LAN DSP WIL HBO MAR NWS ATL PBS 73rd – 1954 Ernest Woods 88 Olds PBS DAB JSP ATL 31 OSP 12 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 – – 1955 Carl Kiekhaefer 308 Chrysler TCS PBS JSP DAB OSP CLB HBO NWS MGY LAN CLT HCY ASF TUS MAR RCH NCF FOR LIN MCF FON AIR CLT PIF CLB AWS MOR ALS NYF SAN CLT FOR MAS RSP DAR MGY LAN RSP GPS MAS 5 CLB MAR LVP NWS HBO 62nd – 1956 Mauri Rose 296 Chevy HCY 27 CLT WSS PBS ASF DAB PBS WIL 77th – DePaolo Engineering 9 Ford ATL 20 NWS LAN RCH Mauri Rose 49 Chevy CLB 5 CON GPS HCY HBO MAR LIN CLT POR EUR NYF MER 4 MAS 11 CLT MCF POR AWS RSP PIF CSF CHI CCF MGY OKL ROA OBS SAN NOR PIF MYB POR DAR CSH CLT LAN POR CLB HBO NWP CLT CCF MAR HCY WIL

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 MGY 20 HCY LCS GBF OBS RSP LAN STR CLB 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 – –