Not too long ago on a whim I picked up the book, Real NASCAR: White Lightning, Red Clay, and Big Bill France by Daniel S. Piece.
There hidden in and amongst the pages of the early story of what would become NASCAR was mention of the winningest racing money in all of motorsports- Jocko Flocko.
Jocko Flocko was a Rhesus money who rode shotgun with driver Tim Flock for eight races in 1953. Jocko Flocko was purchased by Flock’s sponsor Ted Cheater as a publicity stunt. Things went well for a number of races until Jocko Flocko got a little bit too curious as monkeys are want to do.
In those days, over on the passenger side of the car was a hatch that the driver could manipulate to monitor tire wear. No doubt Tim Flock had operated the flap and checked his tire wear under the watchful eye of Jocko Flocko.
During a race at the Raleigh Speedway on May 30, 1953, Jocko Flocko’s final race, Jocko Flocko was able to get out of his restraints and immediately head to the hatch to open it up. After opening the hatch, Jocko Flocko was either hit in the eye with track debris or skimmed his head on a right front.
While the cause is unclear the effect was not. Jocko Flocko went crazy and began jumping violently around the car including jumping on Tim Flock’s back and neck. Tim Flock had to pit and get rid of the monkey.
No one really knows what happened to Jocko Flocko.
I consider myself a fairly devoted NASCAR fan and like many I had heard the names Red Byron, Lee Petty, Curtis Turner and Fireball Roberts after the occasional FOX or NBC flashback. But I had never heard of Jocko Flocko.
The Jocko Flocko story and incident belong to a more colorful time in racing history before driver soundbytes and polished personas. Dominated by bootleggers mostly from the Atlanta area NASCAR and its predecessors have a colorful history. This site seeks to remember the personalities and events of that era and beyond.
The purpose of this website is to preserve stories like that of Jocko Flocko and help people come to appreciate the rich history of NASCAR and its predecessor organizations, including that which happened before the famous meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach in December of 1947.
I hope you enjoy the site.
Here are some links to learn more about Jocko Flocko’s story.
http://www.timflock.com/jocko.htm
https://www.ourstate.com/jocko-flocko-nascar-monkey/
https://jalopnik.com/that-time-a-monkey-went-apeshit-on-a-nascar-drivers-fac-1795135034
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2016/05/11/remembering-tim-flock-and-his-monkey-jocko-flocko.html