Bob Flock

Robert Newman Flock

Born

April 16, 1918
Fort Payne, Alabama, United States

Died

May 16, 1964 (aged 46)

Achievements

Won the pole for NASCAR's first sanctioned race (Charlotte, 1949)

First NASCAR driver to win a race from the pole (Hillsboro, 1949)

Awards

Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame (2003)

National Motorsports Hall of Fame Association inductee

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career

36 races run over 7 years

Best finish

3rd (1949)

First race

(Charlotte)

Last race

1956 (LeHi)

First win

1949 (Hillsboro)

Last win

1952 (Weaverville)

Wins	Top tens	Poles
4	18	3

Statistics current as of February 20, 2013.

Won the pole for NASCAR's first sanctioned race (Charlotte, 1949)

Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame (2003)

Robert Newman Flock (April 16, 1918 - May 16, 1964) of Fort Payne, Alabama, USA was an American . He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's Strictly Stock (now Monster Energy Cup Series) race and, along with Red Byron, is considered one of the two best drivers from that era.

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 later. Reminiscing years later, Flock said, "I would have won that race if the cops had stayed out of it" [1].

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 (Did Not Finish), 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."

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Wikipedia