JOCKO CLARKO?
In the 1990s, I got to know hall-of-fame racer Tim Flock a little bit, and I liked him. Flock was one of three famous brothers (Tim, Bob and Fonty), and he was best known for his co-pilot monkey, Jocko Flocko.
In 1953, the Atlanta resident (and defending NASCAR champion) won a race at Hikory Motor Speedway with Jocko as sneaked-in co-driver. Then he took Jocko with him to Raleigh (N.C.) Speedway on May 30. Jocko bit through his restraints and got hit by a rock that flew up through the trap door in the floor. Naturally, Jocko went ape, climbing on the driver, and Flock had to pit and let Jocko out.
(If you're wondering about the trap door, back then these race cars had trap doors in the passenger-side floor boards so drivers could monitor tire wear.)
Fast forward to the late 1990s, I knew a winning racer at Summerville (S.C.) Speedway named Donald Clark. Donald kept a bunch of stuffed monkeys, chimps and gorillas in the rear window of his Late Model Stock car.
I didn't connect Donald and Tim until years later; never thought of it. But I guess it was Clark's way of paying homage to Flock and Jocko. Or maybe he never heard of them and was just going ape in his own way.
No way of knowing. I can't contact Donald through Summerville Speedway; it was torn down years ago and turned into a subdivision. And the owner/promoter is no longer with us.
Oh, well.
Could Donald have thought of Jocko Clarko?
