I was looking up information on race tracks in North Carolina. Sometimes Wikipedia takes you on a journey, however, and that’s how I wound up finding the greatest paragraph in motorsport history. It’s about NASCAR racer Tim Flock, who drove for 13 years starting back in 1949. He finished 5th in NASCAR’s first race. Over the course of his career, Flock won 39 races and finished in the top ten 129 times. In 2014 he was entered into the NASCAR hall of fame and also given a nod as one of the 50 Greatest Drivers in the sport.
But that’s not what I’m talking about here. While searching Wikipedia for some information, I came across this paragraph:
Jocko Flocko, Tim Flock’s pet monkey, accompanied the racer in-car for the final time at the 1953 Grand National race. Somehow Jocko got loose from his seat harness and began exploring the race car. He found a string that lifted a trap door where the driver could check the condition of the right-front tire. As Jocko opened the door, a pebble flew up and struck him in the head. The monkey went berserk and Tim, who was leading the race at the time, had to pit to have the crazed primate removed from the car. Tim finished third as a result.
Tim Flock used to race with his pet monkey in the car. He would’ve won this particular race had his monkey not got hit in the head with a rock, after he got loose from his harness.
This is the greatest paragraph in motorsport history. There’s no chance of topping this one. So revel in the glory that is Tim Flock and his pet monkey Jocko Flocko.
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