Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 2008
THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
PAGE 3B
Down the Stretch
Fonty Flock made number 14 successful
T ony Stewart recently
made the announcement
that his racecar next year,
as part of his buy-in to the current
Haas-CNC team, will be number
14.
The reason Tony went with this
number was his connection to one
of his racing heroes, legendary
racer A.J. Foyt.
While Foyt is synonymous in
racing with the number 14, the
man who had the most success
in NASCAR with that number
was Georgia Racing Hall of Fame
member Fonty Flock.
Bom in 1921 in Ft. Payne,
Alabama, Truman Fontello Flock,
better known as Fonty, was the
middle of three brothers who
would become racing legends.
Older brother Bob was an incred
ible modified racer, and younger
brother Tim would go on to be
one of NASCAR’s 50 greatest
drivers.
Fonty ran his first race at the
legendary Lakewood Speedway in
Atlanta in 1939, and won his first
career race at that same track one
year later.
In 1941, Fonty traveled to
Daytona Beach for the annual
beach race, taking the pole for the
event.
While racing with fellow
Georgian Roy Hall, the two made
contact in the south
turn, sending Fonty’s
car out of control, and
end over end.
Fonty’s seatbelt broke
during the accident,
and he came away
with multiple injuries,
including a crashed
chest.
Fonty returned to rac
ing in 1947 in the inau
gural event at North Wilkesboro,
N.C. in a ride Bob helped to line
up.
Fonty showed that
the years away hadn’t
dulled his senses, as he
went out and won the
race.
Fonty began racing
on Bill France Sr.’s
National Championship
Stock Car Circuit,
a pre-cursor to
NASCAR. Bob was
racing for legendary
car owner Raymond
Parks. When he was
injured in an accident, Fonty took
over the ride for his brother.
The car number was 14.
Fonty went on to pilot Parks’
Ford to the championship, with
seven wins to his credit.
The next year, as France was
working hard to get NASCAR off
the ground, he promoted Fonty
as the 1947 NASCAR champion
(although NASCAR refuses to
acknowledge that today, just as
they refuse to acknowledge any
thing that occurred prior to 1972).
Fonty won the 1949 NASCAR
Modified champion, and won his
first cup event in 1950 at the gru
eling Langhorne Speedway.
1951 was the year that Fonty put
#14 on the map, as he won eight
times driving Frank Christian’s
“Red Devil” Oldsmobile.
Fonty picked up the biggest win
of his career in 1952
when he captured the
fabled Southern 500 at
Darlington, leading 341
laps en route.
After taking the
checkered flag, he
stopped his car on the
front stretch, stood on
the roof, and led the
crowd in the stands in
the singing of “Dixie.”
His driving suit consisted of a
keen pair of Bermuda shorts.
Fonty was a fan favorite.
Sporting a pencil thin
moustache reminiscent of
Clark Gable, and hardly
ever seen without a smile,
fans would come out to
see what Fonty would do
inside and outside the race
car.
Fonty would win eight
more times between
1953 and 1956, but his
career came to an end at
Darlington in 1957.
Fonty was piloting
a Pontiac for the ailing Herb
Thomas, and the car had prob
lems early on. On lap 27, Fonty
spun at the entrance to turn three,
coming to rest in the middle of
the track.
Young Bobby Myers was racing
Paul Goldsmith down the back
stretch, and didn’t see Fonty’s
stalled car until it was too late.
Myers hit Fonty at full speed,
and Goldsmith was gathered up
into the accident, with all three
cars rolling end over end several
times.
Myers was killed. Goldsmith
was injured, but climbed out of
the car under his own power.
Fonty was badly injured, and was
taken to an area hospital.
He announced his retirement
from his hospital bed.
Fonty Flock died in 1972, at 51
years of age.
Fonty once said that the younger
drivers didn’t know how to have
fun. He said that they make more
money, but “.. .much of the fun
for them is gone.” For Fonty,
piloting number 14 wearing a pair
of Bermuda shorts, racing was
fun, and it was fun for those who
had the privilege to watch.
Brandon Reed is a reporter for
Mainstreet Newspapers. E-mail
comments about this column to
brandon @ mainstreetnews. com.
“Myers was
killed. Goldsmith
was injured,
but climbed
out of the car
under his own
power...”
brandon
reed
Auto Racing
Racing... continued from page JB
The facility was owned by the city
of Atlanta. In an attempt to keep out
former moonshine runners, the city
fathers passed an ordinance barring
drivers who had been convicted of
hauling liquor from racing at the
facility.
That led to a day when legendary
Georgia racer Bob Flock decided he
was going to race, city ordinance be
damned.
“I remember it well,” Irvin said. “I
was lined up out there, and this one
car kept circling. Nobody realized
at first it was Bob, because he had a
handkerchief tied over his face. Then
a police car came on the track, then
another. They got down to the lower
end, and had him hemmed up.
“He ran through the fence, and
broke some boards. He took off
through the field, and went up on
the highway, with these police cars
chasing him, and they took off down
Lakewood Avenue. We found out
later that it was Bob, trying to slip in
there to race.”
Before Irvin raced at Lakewood,
he was one of the thousands of fans
who came out to watch the events.
“When I used to go down there as a
spectator, back when Red Byron and
Bob Flock and them was the top driv
ers, we would go around to the back
side and come through the fence and
stand up on that bank on the back
side of the race track. It was standing
room only all around the track. Of
course, back then, it only cost you
about $2 I guess to go see a race.”
The final automobile race at
Lakewood was held in 1979. A few
years later, a music venue was built
on top of the fourth turn, while a
parking lot covers the third corner.
Very little of the legendary racetrack
remains.
Irvin believes that Lakewood would
still be a viable racing facility today
if it had gotten the proper guidance
and attention.
“If the city of Atlanta had paved
it, I don’t believe there would be
an Atlanta Motor Speedway there
today,” Irvin said back in 2007.
“They had the parking, they had the
security, they had the fences, they
had plenty of room there, and they
had the ideal race track. Everybody
loved Lakewood. I’ve seen boys
from Illinois and everywhere up
north come down to race there. They
really had a racetrack down there.
“But the city of Atlanta owned it,
and they didn’t care if anybody raced
there or not.”
Fortunately, there are those who
care about preserving the memory of
Lakewood. Around 400 of those peo
ple turned out at Saturday’s reunion
to honor not only a legendary facil
ity, but also racers such as Tommie
Irvin who raced and won at a track
that was called “The Indianapolis of
the South.”
Football... continued from page JB
The coach said this year’s Leopard
team accomplished more during off
season training than any team he has
coached.
With the scrimmage set this Friday
against Johnson, Armstrong said his
players are getting an early taste of
game week.
“We are getting used to what our
preparations are going to be like
during the week leading up to a
game,” he said. “Many of our play
ers already know the drill but we are
a different team and do have some
new players.”
The scrimmage will be a 36-min
ute contest. The first string players
will play the majority of the contest
with the second string also getting
work. Armstrong said third string
players will likely get some playing
time late in the scrimmage.
“It will mainly be a varsity com
petition as we want them to get
as much work as possible since
they have to get used to playing a
48-minute game,” the coach said.
While some schools are scrim
maging next week, Armstrong chose
to take part in a scrimmage two
weeks before to the season opener
Aug. 29.
“This gives you an extra week to
see what you need to work on and
adjust,” he said. “Plus, our players
are ready for a scrimmage at this
point.”
Armstrong was the head coach
at Johnson High School during the
2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons. He
guided the program to the state play
offs each of those seasons.
Softball... continued from page JB
“I feel like our offense this year
will have more power 1-9 in the
lineup than ever before,” Lord said.
“However, we will still have to be
able to get bunts down and put hard
line drives and grounders in play on
a consistent basis.”
The Lady Leopards will begin play
at their new field at the new BCHS
sports complex. The team will get
to compete on campus on the first
time.
“Overall, the program is in good
position,” said Lord. “There are
many bright spots to point out. We
have committed players who want
to be successful. Our kids are very
coachable and they work hard. We
represent Banks County with class
and respect on and off the field.
“We were one run and three outs
away from the state sectionals two
years ago. We had some post sea
son success and we are striving for
more. Our new complex is the best
we’ll play at all year. The Board of
Education, superintendent, adminis
trators and community all banded
together to put us in a first-class
facility. We are very grateful. The
booster club is always willing to get
us what we need. We raised money
on our own as well and that has really
helped build up our summer sched
ule. The coaches are very dedicated
and committed to the program.”
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