Popularly known as the legendary master of mechanics, automobile engineering, and design, Smokey Yunick is a familiar name in the history of motorsports. From piloting in the US Army Air Corps to being one of the finest drivers, racers, designers, and mechanics of all time, Smokey Yunick walked a long way. In his autobiography, he penned everything from his early life to his glorious career, which later placed him in Hollywood too. More than his design, Smokey is more known for the innovations he developed during his reign, some of which were later patented. For more information, scroll through the article.
Introduction
Whoever has been closely following motorsports over the past 30 years, definitely comes across this name, Smokey Yunick, a genius mechanic who is known for his unconventional modifications, exceptional engineering prowess, and rebellious spirit, someone whom today’s Gen Z or even Gen Y may or may not be aware of.
Henry Smokey Yunick was a professional American stock car racing crew chief, owner, engineer, car designer, engine builder, and even a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps. In a nutshell, Smokey Yunick wore more crowns in one life than anyone could imagine. In the earlier years of NASCAR, he was deeply involved with the organization, taking part in almost every race as a driver, mechanic, or designer. Always posing with a cowboy hat, his habit of either smoking a cigar or a pipe, named him Smokey Yunick, one of the most legendary car mechanics and engineers of all time.
Early Life
Born into a Ukrainian immigrant family in 1923, Yunick has been inclined toward mechanical components since childhood. Due to the sudden death of his father, he had to drop out of school. He grew up on a farm in Neshaminy, Pennsylvania, and after dropping out of school, he started taking care of the farm, at the age of 16. In his spare time, due to his inclination toward mechanical matters, he built tractors from junked cars or built and raced motorcycles, which titled him Smokey. To be specific, the title was derived from one of his motorcycles, which was known for the same nature.
In 1939, World War II started, and America joined in 1941. Like other Americans, Yunick also joined the US Army, specifically the US Army Air Corps, piloting a B-17 Flying Fortress. He and his jet had been commissioned in more than 50 European countries, and together they were called “Smokey and his Firemen”.
Smokey’s Garage
In 1947, Smokey Yunick opened his garage named “Smokey’s Best Damn Garage in Town” in Daytona, Florida, to repair trucks, and the garage was functional until 1987. It’s claimed that, apart from Smokey, there was no better mechanic. The garage played a big role in setting him up for success in NASCAR.
Innovation and the NASCAR Chapter
During the period from 1947 to 1987, Smokey was popularly known in the town for being the best mechanic. At that time, Marshall Teague, a local stock car race team owner, invited him to join his team, and although completely unaware of stock car racing, Smokey Yunick joined his team and prepared a Hudson Hornet for driver Herb Thomas for the Southern 500 race in South Carolina, which won the race. Since then, there has been no looking back. In 1960, Yunick won the Indianapolis 500 racing competition. The prime reasons behind his victories are said to be the unorthodox approaches and innovations that he implemented in the cars.
Yunick’s involvement in NASCAR began when he built a car known as the “Best Damn Garage in Town Special” for the 1952 Daytona Beach Road Course race. This car featured various modifications and improvements that gave it a competitive edge over other vehicles. Although Yunick’s car did not win the race due to a technical disqualification, it caught the attention of the racing community.
In 1959, he invented the “Reverse Torque Special,” which made the engine run on the opposite rotation from normal. In 1964, he developed the Hurst Floor Shifter Special, which can be conferred as a sidecar, mounted with the driver’s capsule. In 1962, he installed a single wing on the Simoniz Vista Special Watson Roadster, driven by Jim Rathmann, which increased the downforce and helped Jim to reach the fastest cornering speed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which further ranked the car to embark on a record in slower lap times.
Due to his innovations, Yunick became the unofficial race team of Chevrolet, followed by Ford and Pontiac. In 1955 and 1956, he raced Chevy, followed by Ford in 1957 and 1958, and Pontiac from 1959 through 1963. With the Pontiac, Yunick became the 1st team owner to win the Daytona 500 race twice consecutively, in 1961 and 1962. Apart from the mentioned innovations, Smokey also developed an offset chassis, raised floors, roof spoilers, nitrous oxide injection, and other innovations. Along with building other cars, he also built a 1968 Camaro for Trans-Am racing.
However, in 1964, his close friend and 33 times NASCAR winner Fireball Roberts crashed and died, and Smokey Yunick started a campaign for safety modifications in racing competitions. In 1970, due to repeated overrule by then-NASCAR owner Bill France Sr., he left NASCAR.
Today, we find safe walls with piled-up tires in F1 races and other motorsports. But do you know, it was Yunick who built the first “safe wall” race track barrier in early 1980 using old tires between sheets of plywood?
Awards and Recognition
Yunick, due to his unmatched knowledge and implementation in the mechanical department, won the NASCAR Mechanic of the Year twice, and his team is included in the list of 50 of the most famous drivers in the sport. Along with these, his team also won 57 NASCAR Cup Series races, including two championships in 1951 and 1953.
In 1990, he was awarded the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, and in 2000, he won the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. Across the world, he is a member of the 30 Fall of Fame.
Legacy
Cars 3 – the 2017 Disney film was based on Smokey Yunick, and he was portrayed by Chris Cooper. Yunick also columned in a Popular Science magazine from 1960 to 1970, under the name “Say, Smokey”. He also penned for Circle Track magazine and published his autobiography “Best Damn Garage in Town…The World According to Smokey” in July 2001.
A Final Note
They say innovation comes from hunger, however, nowhere is the type of hunger mentioned. It may be the food or the hobby that makes anyone a genius, even without a degree. Smokey was not a graduate; in fact, forget graduation, he even had not completed school due to the sudden death of his father. Yet, being inclined toward mechanical engineering, he became one of the finest mechanics of all time. After going through his autobiography, anyone can be deceived into thinking that he might hold a major in Physics, but that’s not the case at all. Due to his sheer knowledge and unmatched practical experience, Henry Yunick today is called Smokey Yunick.
