Few stories in NASCAR history are as delightfully bizarre as Tim Flock’s partnership with a Rhesus monkey named Jocko Flocko. For Hall of Famer Mark Martin, the real twist is a personal one that traces back more than 40 years.
The 66-year-old retired NASCAR driver recently mentioned Jocko Flocko when describing one of his “biggest regrets ever.”
Mark Martin’s Missed Opportunity With Tim Flock
Flock was no ordinary driver. The Alabama native captured Grand National (now Cup Series) championships in 1952 and 1955, amassing 39 wins in just 187 starts—an astonishing 20.85% winning percentage. But it’s his 1953 partnership with Jocko Flocko that stands out as one of the sport’s greatest curiosities.
“My dumb young a** never talked with him about the monkey riding with him in his race car. It’s one of my biggest regrets ever,” Martin wrote in a recent social media post about meeting Flock in 1982.
I got the hang out with Tim a couple times in 1982. My dumb young ass never talked with him about the monkey riding with him in his race car. It’s one of my biggest regrets ever. https://t.co/eQrsTdaVaa
— Mark Martin (@markmartin)
The monkey story is too good to be true. Flock’s sponsor gave him Jocko as a gift and the little guy even had his own custom seat and racing outfit. They even made history at Hickory Speedway on May 16, 1953, when they won together, which remains the only time an animal has officially been part of a NASCAR victory.
Unfortunately, Jocko became a bit unhinged two weeks after the victory at Hickory, forcing the monkey into an early retirement.
Flock recalled the day things went wrong: “Listen, it was hard enough to drive those heavy old cars back then under normal circumstances, but with a crazed monkey clawing you at the same time, it becomes nearly impossible!”
The Real Story Behind Jocko Flocko’s Retirement
The day it became “nearly impossible” happened on May 30, 1953, during the 1953 Raleigh 300. Jocko somehow got loose from his harness and stuck his head through a small door in the floor of the car. A pebble hit him in the face, sending the monkey into a panic.
He started clawing at Flock, who had to make an emergency pit stop to get the monkey out of the car. The unplanned stop cost Flock a shot at winning and a nice payday. After that wild incident, Jocko’s racing days were over.
For Martin, not asking about this famous story when he had the chance to hear it directly from Flock still bothers him. It wasn’t just missing out on a funny story, it was missing a chance to connect with a unique piece of NASCAR history.
Flock’s racing achievements remain impressive – those two championships and his place in the NASCAR Hall of Fame speak for themselves. But for many fans and fellow drivers like Martin, it’s that crazy story about a monkey in a race car that keeps Flock’s memory alive in a special way.
Sometimes, as Martin learned, the chances we don’t take become the stories we wish we could go back and change.