Fonty Flock
Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1920 - July 15, 1972) of Fort Payne, Alabama was an early NASCAR driver.
He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock.
Racing career
Moonshine
Like many early NASCAR drivers, Fonty'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
He won a 100 mile race Lakewood 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 Flock 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. Fonty suffered a crushed chest, broken pelvis, head and back injuries, and severe shock.
World War II
He was in the United States Army Air Corps for four years during World War II.
NASCAR career
He sat out the 1945 and 1946 seasons because of his injuries.
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. In 1951
In 1952
In 1953
He opened an insurance agency in 1954, and he raced part-time after that.
In 1955
In 1956
In 1957 he raced at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Herb Thomas was injured while practicing for the Darlington 500 at the Darlington Speedway. Thomas was injured in a practice crash. The car was in bad shape, and a tire blew on the sixth lap. He walked away unhurt, but he decided to walk away for good.