In the earliest years of NASCAR, and even before the current Sprint Cup Series was started, many of the sport’s top drivers and its top team were based in Atlanta. Raymond Parks was the Rick Hendrick of his era, dominating the series with multiple entries of immaculately prepared cars. And Peach State drivers such as Red Byron, Gober Sosebee, Roy Hall, Lloyd Seay and the Flock brothers — Bob, Fonty and Tim — were among the sport’s early stars. In 1949, the first year of the series now known as Sprint Cup, Byron won the championship, and he and Bob Flock combined to win half of the eight races on the schedule.
But it wasn’t until the fifth class of the Charlotte, N.C.-based NASCAR Hall of Fame that a Georgian was selected.
On Wednesday, the late Tim Flock, the younger brother of Bob and Fonty, was among five selected as members of 2014 class.
Flock’s Cup career was relatively brief. He ran only 187 races, but won 39 times and took championships in 1952 and 1955. His winning percentage of 20.86 percent is second only to another Hall of Famer, Herb Thomas, who finished his career at 21.05.
Flock, who was born in Ft. Payne, Ala., but moved to Atlanta as a child, was banned for life from NASCAR for trying to help organize a driver’s union, but was reinstated shortly before his death in 1998.
Career bests at Charlotte: Kyle Busch won last week's Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, his first truck win of the season, his fifth at Charlotte and the 31st of his career.
Behind him, two young Georgia racers scored career-best finishes.
Max Gresham of Griffin finished third, and John Wes Townley of Watkinsville was eighth, tying his previous best result from Pocono Raceway last year.
Gresham, 20, also led three laps, the first time he’s been atop the leaderboard in his truck series career.
“This is really just a win all around for us,” said Gresham, whose previous best finish was 11th at Martinsville Speedway last fall. “This is justification that we’re going in the right direction, and that (crew chief) Chris (Showalter) and I are working well together, and we’re getting better. …
“This is a huge confidence gainer for us. We’re going to go to Dover and have that extra confidence, and we’re going to make it work.”
Townley, 23, also said he felt like a winner, as he was able to show some of the form he did in winning the ARCA race at Daytona in February.
“It feels like a dream come true to be able to back it up like this, it just shows that we can only go forward from here, and that’s real exciting,” he said. “There have been some ups and downs in my career, and this year has been overall pretty positive.”
Smith discussing moving race: Over the years, track owner Bruton Smith has a habit of stirring the Sprint Cup pot on weeks when his tracks are hosting races.
This week, Smith told a Charlotte TV station, WBTV, that there’s a good chance he’ll move the fall Cup race at Charlotte to another of his tracks, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which now has just one Cup race.
“I’ve been having some strong conversations about one of these events being moved,” Smith told the station, explaining that dollars will drive the decision on whether to move the race, which has been run at Charlotte since the track was built in 1960.
“When the game is over, it’ll be money, money, money. Money will move it. I’d say (the chances) are about 70/30.”
Smith surprised many in 2010 by taking a race from Atlanta Motor Speedway and moving it to Kentucky Speedway, but some are skeptical that another major move is being seriously considered.
“I highly doubt whether we see that race move to a different location,” driver Greg Biffle said on a teleconference this week. “If your race is well-attended, I don’t see any reason for moving it … (but) I don’t know all the behind-the-scenes stuff.”
