Sunday, June 27, 2010
Nothing more fun than sibling rivalry in sports. The Flock family boasted three brothers and one sister competing against each other as pioneers on the NASCAR racetracks.
Ethel Mobley (née Flock) (March 8, 1920 - June 26, 1984) of Fort Payne, Alabama became the second female to drive in NASCAR history. Her three racing brothers were Tim Flock, Fonty Flock and Bob Flock. She was married to Charlie Mobley, who fielded Tim's car in NASCAR's modified series.
On July 10, 1949 at NASCAR's second event ever at the Daytona Beach Road Course the four Flocks raced against each other. The event was the first to feature a brother and a sister, and the only NASCAR event to feature four siblings. Moreover, the race featured two other female drivers (Sara Christian who finished 6th and Louise Smith who finished 20th).
Ethel beat Fonty and Bob by finishing eleventh (her career high), and Tim finished second. She made her only other career Cup start at Langley Speedway and finished 44th. In June, 1949, she entered a racing competition in Florida, competing against 57 men drivers. She finished in 8th place.
On August 7, 1949, Ethel Mobley became the first female racecar driver to compete against men in the state of Georgia when she entered a race at Central City Park Speedway in Macon, Georgia. She was rated as the top woman driver in the southeastern United States, having won many competitions in all-women races.
In 1948 her brother Bob built New Atlanta Speedway just outside Jonesboro. To attract larger crowds, he invited Ethel, Sara Christian, and Sara’s sister, Mildred Williams, to race at the new track. During her career she raced in over 100 NASCAR Modified events.
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