Smokey yunick car and driver magazine

The following is a copy of the original smokey yunick hot vapor engine article in hot rod magazine article that appeared in the june 1984 publication. Smokey yunick, 77, wizard of the auto racing garage the new. Marshall teague, then a wellknown stock car driver, lived in daytona, and when he saw smokeys business, he took the former farm boy up on his claim. Car owner henry smokey yunick brought this 1968 camaro to. Smokey yunick was inducted into the international motorsports hall of fame in 1990 and you knew for certain that his cars would consistently run up front. Sep 01, 2001 smokey yunick was inducted into the international motorsports hall of fame in 1990 and you knew for certain that his cars would consistently run up front. Smokey yunicks best damn garage in town complete set. Smokey yunicks first indy car the 1957 kurt hemmings daily. Smokey yunick tribute from his induction into the sema hall of fame in october, 2009. How to pick the right spring rate chevy high performance magazine 1966. The 427 mark ii mystery motor isnt actually part of the legendary mark iv family, which debuted in. He participated as a racer, designer, and other jobs relating to the sport but was bestknown as a. The son of socrates shorty johns a midget driver of some renown bobby johns spent his childhood. From bobby allison, another former champion and hof driver.

Dec 20, 2017 yunick did return to indy in 1959, with a car he called the reverse torque special, built from a 1958 kurtis kraft chassis powered by an offy engine. Not this smokey yunick built 1967 chevrolet chevelle it was banned by nascar before it had a chance to compete. Nascar and usac were at war in the early1960s and drivers were not allowed to compete in rival events. He participated as a racer, designer, and held other jobs related to the sport, but was best known as a mechanic, builder, and crew chief. Jan 24, 2016 most race cars are famous for what they did on track. He said heard that yunick took a car and made it smaller while keeping the motor the same size. What follows is his recounting of that night in alabama, in true, no holds barred smokey yunick style. Originally built by kar kraft engineering in brighton, michigan, as a turnkey trans am race car with full intent for competing in the 1969 ta season. Smokey showed his mechanical prowess with a variety of car makes. A practical man, he was always honest, even when the truth hurt. Hot rod magazine december 1965 dodge street hemi smokey yunick 396 wedge engine.

Henry smokey yunick may 25, 1923 may 9, 2001 was an american mechanic and car designer associated with motorsports. Smokey really held the driver responsible for that slight, correct. The best damn chevelle in daytona smokey yunicks 1966. He was also one of the most practical people from the last half of the last century. Henry smokey yunick, one of auto racings most brilliant mechanics and innovators.

In the winter of 19671968, smokey yunick built the second of two chevy chevelle nascar stock cars, the first driven by curtis turner who put. Car owner henry smokey yunick brought this 1968 camaro. He is a member of the national racing hall of fame, international motorsports hall of fame, legends of auto racing hall of fame, daytona stock car racing hall of fame, and many more. Rathmanns first qualifying attempt on the second day of qualifying, sunday may, was too slow, and the crew waved him off. Walkin under a snakes belly volume 1, all right you sonsabitches, lets have a race.

Fun to drive, economical, distinctive in appearance, comfortable in an active participants. Casey mears reveals his throwback paint scheme for the southern 500 at darlington raceway, which features a black and gold color scheme that honors former car owner smokey yunick and driver curtis. Aug 21, 20 the truth about smokey yunicks 78scale chevelle. Smokey yunick indy car information on collecting cars. Curtis turner was the first driver to surpass 180 mph on an official qualifying run. The best damn garage in town or maybe anywhere, ever burned down monday night. Smokey yunicks best damn garage in town complete set three volumes. Bobby johns broke the mould when he became the first nascar driver to attempt to qualify for the indianapolis 500 in 1964. Smokey with grandson casey yunick, a stock car driver himself, at a personal appearance smokey made not too long before his death. Aug 04, 2010 in the winter of 19671968, smokey yunick built the second of two chevy chevelle nascar stock cars, the first driven by curtis turner who put it on the pole for the 1967 daytona 500 and crashed it. It was also where smokey penned columns for the magazines of true.

Smokey yunicks 1966 chevy chevelle chevy bigblock super. Best damned garage sale in its final phase, but the legend lives on. Best damn garage in town, plus tshirts, hats, signs and more. Driver jim rathmann and crew chief smokey yunick renewed their association at the 1962 indy 500 for the third consecutive year. Smokey tells all smokeys vault circle track magazine. For those of you not in the know, smokey yunick was a legendary race car mechanic and popular science correspondant. The truth about smokey yunicks 78scale chevelle macs. Dec 02, 2009 marshall teague, a wellknown stockcar driver and owner, lived in daytona beach and, upon seeing yunicks new business, decided to take the garage owner up on his claim. He wrote a column, say, smokey, for popular science magazine in the 1960s and 1970s and many articles for circle track magazine. Smokey yunick at indy with a twinturbo smallblock chevy. Where it all began smokey yunicks capsule car sidecar. The worlds most famous chevelle was developed by smokey yunick for driver curtis turner and the 1967 daytona 500. Another look at smokey yunicks capsule car macs motor.

A true largerthanlife american original fox sports. Smokey yunick, whose ingenious wizardry with automobile innards made him one of the most celebrated mechanics in racing car history, died. These seven bizarre designs prove he wasnt afraid to. Third yunick chevelle being restored mid at smokeys shop 1966 chevelle. In 1962, yunick created a wing for rathmanns car that created front downforce, but it was banned by usac officials prior to the race.

Ralph moody and curtis turner each made one start in the car during the cup season. Paul goldsmith was no longer available as a driver, but veteran indy racer duane carter was, and put the yunick car 12th on the grid. Daytona beach henry smokey yunick, one of auto racings most. Smokey did just about everything but drive the cars he worked on. Or, to liberally paraphrase nascars finest rulebender, the late smokey yunick, to compete is to cheat. See more ideas about race cars, nascar and vintage racing. May 09, 2001 he is a member of the national racing hall of fame, international motorsports hall of fame, legends of auto racing hall of fame, daytona stock car racing hall of fame, and many more. Car owner, builder and mechanic henry smokey yunick with his 1957 ford that was used in nascar cup competition. Hot rod magazine dynos smokey yunicks 1963 chevy 427. Smokey yunicks 1966 chevy chevelle the best damn garage in town. Why smokey yunick is not and may never be in the nascar. Profile for racing driver bobby johns from united states. Here are some photos of another smokey yunick indy car that is a bit more conventional. Official site for legendary mechanic smokey yunick.

Paso was an avid nascar fan and a parttime driver who actually ran many of the. Smokey yunick stats, race results, wins, news, record. Henry smokey yunick was one of motorsports most cunning race mechanics. May 17, 2012 by the 1960s, nascar builders like smokey yunick had come up with ingenious alterations like lightweight wooden roll bars painted to look like steel, frozen springs that dropped the car below. And it was one visitor to the shop who changed smokeys life forever. Smokey yunick is widely considered the greatest mechanic of his era.

Fireball roberts was the winning driver for three of those four races. In it, in his time, henry smokey yunick worked wizardry unprecedented in nascar, or indy cars, or the. Get the latest race results, news, videos, pictures, win record and more for smokey yunick on. Mar 09, 2001 henry smokey yunick may 25, 1923 may 9, 2001 was an american mechanic and car designer associated with motorsports. Smokey yunicks first indy car the 1957 kurt hemmings. Mar 14, 2014 smokey yunick is widely considered the greatest mechanic of his era. One of the founding fathers of stockcar racing smokey yunick was a pioneer in the area of rules interpretation which sometimes labeled him an outlaw genius. He claimed he had made revolutionary advances, and bedard was less than convinced, but still impressed by yunicks moxie. View smokey yunick racing nascar car numbers by year has results for smokey yunick racing from the april 8, 1951 100 miles at carrell speedway to. Apr 11, 2010 did smokey think it was a good idea for the driver to turn his head 90 degrees at speed to check these.

Yunick did return to indy in 1959, with a car he called the reverse torque special, built from a 1958 kurtis kraft chassis powered by an offy engine. Indy 500 car and driver my dream car indy car racing indycar series indy roadster old race cars. Yunick was deeply involved in the early years of nascar, and is probably most associated with that form of racing. Smokey yunick and a 66 chevelle tribute car smokey with someones tribute car see more. Henry smokey yunick may 25, 1923 may 9, 2001 was an american mechanic and car. Home of legendary mechanic smokey yunick and the his autobiography. By all accounts, smokey yunick liked stock car racing but loved indy. Theres no way to talk about defiant racers and competitors without talking about smokey yunick. Teague invited smokey to join his team, even though yunick told teague he knew nothing about stock car racing. The first described the story about smokey yunick and what he had done in the past. This sign prompted a visit to my shop by bill, because that day i was.

Best damn garage in town is smokey yunicks autobiography that tells the story of his adventures as a racer. He would push the envelope of racing from the time he entered the. Apr 20, 2015 we named the 6000ste to our 1983 10best list, deeming it in every way a car and driver kind of car. The fact that the car is not a daily driver is proof to me that there are issues with the system. More smokey yunick stories at macs motor city garage the truth about smokey yunicks 78 scale chevelle another look at smokey yunicks reverse torque special. One of the founding fathers of stockcar racing smokey yunick was a pioneer in. With a legendary past, and being known as a bit of a cowboy, fans shared tall tales of his exploits years after he retired. Books every fan must read 0 of 10 smokey yunicks 2001 work best damn garage in town is regarded as a mustread for the diehard race fan. Aug 20, 2014 smokey yunick at indy with a twinturbo smallblock chevy. Tony stewart weighs in on danica patricks decision to leave stewarthaas racing. His stock car exploits are well documented, but his indy stuff is a little different. But rathmann gave the credit to chickie and since the driver said it chickie thats how indianapolis set the crewchief of record. His column say, smokey was a staple of popular science magazine in the 1960s and 1970s. Delivered to smokey yunick, powered by a twin holley dominator boss 302 engine with a full floater rear, 4wheel disc brakes in.

Apr 29, 2014 a few years later, smokey turned the car over to the indianapolis motor speedways hall of fame museum, where visitors can see it today. Stewart recalled a story involving former nascar mechanic, car driver and occasional driver smokey yunick. Hot vapor cycle engine hvce the adiabatic engine litermil sv kilometerliter dk milesgalon us this page is a translation from the swedish hot rod magazine. Smokey yunick made headlines at daytona several times with the no. The text originally appeared in the january 1991 edition of circle track. Jan 30, 2008 legendary racer smokey yunick discusses thirty years of fun, games, and playing fast and loose with the rules circle track magazine.

Smokey yunick, the legendary daytona beach mechanic, used to insist that it wasnt. He penned numerous magazine articles during his long career. Delivered to smokey yunick, powered by a twin holley dominator boss 302 engine with a full floater rear, 4wheel disc brakes in black with gold boss 302 stripes. By the 1960s, nascar builders like smokey yunick had come up with ingenious alterations like lightweight wooden roll bars painted to look like. Thats apparently not true of the late smokey yunick. The united states automobile club usac immediately banned the use of wings but they soon began to appear. Car owner, builder and mechanic henry smokey yunick with. A few years later, smokey turned the car over to the indianapolis motor speedways hall of fame museum, where visitors can see it today. One of the founding fathers of stockcar racing smokey yunick was a. If this car ever hit the wall driver s side first there would be no hope for the driver. Yunick worked with some of the greatest race car drivers in the 20th century, including. Legendary racer smokey yunick discusses thirty years of fun, games, and playing fast and loose with the rules circle track magazine. Smokey yunick is still considered by most in the racing industry to be the most celebrated mechanics in automotive history.

Scale auto magazine smokey yunick camaro hot rod roadster charger police car. France a gas station and yunick a repair shop known as the. Tony stewart tells the best cheating story hes ever heard. Most race cars are famous for what they did on track. Yunick entered the car for driver paul goldsmith in 19 cup races, scoring three wins. By the 1960s, nascar builders like smokey yunick had come up with. Hot rod magazine dynos smokey yunicks 1963 chevy 427 mystery. In 1947, he opened an automobile repair shop on beach street he dubbed the best. Hot rod magazine hot rod magazine recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of the big block chevrolet mark iv engine with a worldexclusive dyno test of one of the 427 mystery motors built by smokey yunick. More smokey yunick stories at macs motor city garage the truth about smokey yunicks 78 scale chevelle another look at. Henry smokey yunick born may 25, 1923 in daytona beach, fl died may 9, 2001 of leukemia was a mechanic and car designer associated with motorsports in the united states. Because of the many stories surrounding the car and its creator, the car became an urban legend, where the lines between fact and fiction are extremely blurred. I dont want to leave the impression that all racers were wild, drunk womanizersjust 80 percent of us, wrote the late henry smokey yunick.

Looking back on my years in racing, i was always called a loner. Henry smokey yunick was an american race car mechanic, designer and innovator. Jul 15, 2010 smokey yunick, who wrote his sortof edited, hard nosed, cuss filled autobiography at 75 and a half and was a hard nosed, brilliant, amazing engineer before car builders were called anything. Al gore wasnt the only guy flogging an 80mpg car car and driver. Smokey yunick speedway motors museum of american speed. Teague invited yunick to join his team even though yunick admitted he knew little about stockcar racing. Popular science magazine september 1964 smokey yunick car clinic. Renowned mechanic smokey yunick was many things most of all. Mar 14, 2014 smokey yunick is still considered by most in the racing industry to be the most celebrated mechanics in automotive history. But it would be more frustrating to give up trying to make our car better. During his years in stock car racing, smokey fell in love with a mistress that he would visit every may for over 20 years. Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty images. He came back to indy as part of the winning effort with driver jim rathmann in 1960.

So many myths have been spread about the car, most untrue. Yunick was deeply involved in the early years of nascar, and he is probably most associated with that racing genre. In march 1983 popular science carried a story about an engine he had developed that only had two cylinders and 78 cubic inches but developed 150 hp and got 60 mpg when installed in what looks like a. Car owner henry smokey yunick brought this 1968 camaro to daytona international speedway for the 24 hours of daytona and hired superstars bruce mclaren and jim hall to do the driving. Unfortunately, the capsule car, as smokey called it, was one of yunicks brainstorms that didnt prove out, as driver bobby johns looped the car on its qualifying attempt and failed to make the.