Smokey Yunick's Old Garage Burns

From Jayski's NASCAR News site:

"The last remaining portion of legendary race car builder Smokey Yunick's former garage complex was destroyed Monday night as smoke and flames poured from the building onto North Beach Street [Daytona Beach FL]."

Link to the whole story in the Daytona Beach News Journal: http://www.news-journalonline.com/breakingnews/2011/04/smokey-yunicks-garage-destroyed-by-fire.html

What a shame. Another piece of automotive history gone!

 

That's a shame. Smokey was a racer's hero.

 

Smoky was indeed a character and a innovator he was the first to pioneer the aspect of softer walls. HRP

 

Who's that?

Doc.

 

Why Doc, he was the official vigilante of stock car racing!

 

Very sad news. Smokey could pull more stunts than an entire circus. He is one of my hero legends. ~sololobo~

 

Always sad to read about a landmark burning, glad nobody was injured fighting it.

 

Wasn't it Smokey what built that 7/8 scale Chevelle that took NASCAR awhile to figure out why it was so fast? I think he also was a regular in Popular Mechanics 'Say, Smokey' back in the 50s or 60s that had hop-up tips and misc. engineering information.

Smoky was scheduled to come to the R&D center at my workplace back in '99 or 2000 but he had to cancel due to health issues so I missed seeing him. I think he died in '01 or '02.

 

So what you are all saying, if he was any better he would be Dick Johnson!

Doc.




PS, I know who he is!!

 

Smokey was a genius. I think they caught that Chevelle during tech inspection and never let it race. Smokey was the reason that NASCAR uses templates today.

 

And MR SBC as well. You all know the SBC don't ya?

Doc he was a man of few words as wordiness goes. If he thought you were wearing your sphincter for a hat band he would just tell you. But all around good fella if your weren't of the more genteel persuasion.

he believed that the rules were made to be challenged and did so enough to be notorious for it. He pioneered HP to the max. As far as I know he is the only man in history to squeeze more than 2 HP per inch from a 283 inch Chebby.

He could make conversation about engine building so simple that a 1st grader could understand or so in depth that a mechanical engineer would have trouble keeping up.

If you ever get a chance to capture one get his book how to hot rod small block chevys. Good read and lots of knowlege to be gleaned.

 

I never heard of Smokey crying over his broken car

 

I attended the first auctions there during Speedweek about 25 years ago. He was not only smart but had a sense of humor. Some of the items that were sold were experimental one off. It was a couple events I am glad I attended.

 

This is very sad. I left Motorcycle Racing in the early 80's and moved to Florida where I was quickly picked up by a prominant Off-shore Powerboat racing Engine shop. I didnt know who he was at the time, but I had known the " MAN " was there at our shop. He was looking at some of the carts examining the componants. One cart had a 4340 Billet crank for one of the two 540 BBC that powered the current champion boat. The crank was broke in two, no diffrent than a pretzel stick broke in two. The best crank money could buy, and I wont mention the name, due to it not being the cranks fault for the breakage. There was a issue with the outdrive, unknown to us at this time. The smaller piece comprised of the snout and the first counterweight, and the 1-2 journal, and part of the second couterweight. Smokey was astonished at the way it was broken clean in two. He said, " if I had to quess, these off-shore race engines live with 4 times the stress as ANY race engine of ANY kind to do this kind of damage ". Of course there were a handful of explitives mixed in typical Smokey. I never in my career forgot what the " MAN " said regarding these Powerboat race engines, and incorporated that type of thinking throughout my career. The rest as they say is history. Thank you Smokey, GOD SPEED!

 

As I remember the story: Smokey built two cars - the race car and a street car AND templates to match. They parked the street car in the lot real close to tech area.
Tech guys just couldn't figure it out - yes, it fit the templates but didn't look right. Smokey says: Let's go find a chevelle in the lot and check it.
bwahahahahahaha

 

I was attending the Gator Nationals in Gainesville, Florida the year before Smokey Died. I was making my rounds through the funny car pits and low and behold, here's my idol Smokey Yunick. Smokey was the center of attention in the Ron Capps pits. I waited a few minutes, saw a break in the action and kindly asked Smokey Yunick for his autograph. "I'd be delighted to give you my autograph, son", was his words.
If you ever get to Florida, in and around Ocala, Don Garlits Museum, has a section devoted to Smokey Yunick. He was a TRUE GENUIS.

 

^Classic.
I'd like links to other Smokey threads.

That's a bummer with fire. Hope no one got hurt too bad.

 

Yeah, but Smokey never lost his house, business and everything he owned because someone rolled a rock down in front of him destroying his car.

If it were not for the people of Australia spontaneously donating so much money to him old 'Richard Johnson' never would have driven again. Now go find someone who could ever get an XD,E or F Falcon to go that good??!!

PorknBeaner, thats ok you can flap your jaw any time. I always learn something.

Doc.

PS, DJ got almost $10 out of me, all I had in the piggy bank.

 

I was just reading an old HRM from the 60s last night. 20th Annivers. Issue. He was discussing his NASCAR Camaro and dodging the whole story like he was a pro at doing. His book on Audio is a MUST HAVE for road trips!

 

The place should have been preserved, a damn shame that that community was short sighted enough to let it go - communities will spend millions to gussy up an old dairy barn and showcase it as a community center but to ignore a place of historical significance is just plain irresponsible. Do you think the Wrights' bycicle is shop is now a laundrymat? Edisons' shop a Verizon phone store?
You think any speed secrets got burned up in the fire?

 

I have to add too, that in no time during my career, could I not think of some of Smokey's incredible way of thinking. I think the topic that most comes to mind is oiling. I could not work out a dry sump system, or a external wet-sump, without picturing him watching the oil through his clear valve covers or clear valley pan. Anyone who has ever built a performance Harley-Davidson has to know of the amount of power hidden deep within its oiling system and how to extract it. There again too, I would often wonder, what would Smokey do here?

 

Rear the story, Smokey DID NOT WANT a shrine neither did his family.

 

Just finished Smokey's trilogy.If you enjoy a good read,BUY his books!
He modified just about everything he touched?

 

Very sad indeed. I'm at a lose for words.

 

Wasn't it Smokey who packed dry ice around a 20 gallon fuel cell so he could get 22 gallons in it? And also used radiator hose for fuel line for a few extra gallons?

 

Man this another one of those "life markers" that pops up as you roll through life. Your heroes die,all their stuff gets sold and then the shrine itself goes up in flames, and the beat goes on. He was THE man!

 

It was either Smokey or Junior Johnson. I heard whoever did it, ran fuel line thru the frame channels and rollcage & NASCAR pulled the tank to figure out how the extra mileage. Then tossed the tank on the back of the car & whoever was in the car, started it up and drove away... Maybe an urban legend, but a good story and I wouldn't put it past either one of those two.

 

That was Smokey. The legend goes the rules stated the capacity of the fuel tank and the maximun diameter of the fuel line. It did NOT list a minumum length. It did afterwards!

 

Why that was "The Best Damn Garage In Town"!