Men Behind the Wrenches - Smokey Yunick

From the old Speed Channel, Jeff Hammond hosts this profile of Henry "Smokey" Yunick. Always a controversial figure, this all too short biography does little to change that perception.

[@timtest5845]

One of the best stories I've heard about him was when NASCAR decided to limit the size of the gas tanks. Some of the teams were able to use truck tires and run the whole race pit stop free. Smokey noticed NASCAR hadn't limited the length of the filler tube. He put several feet of filler tube under the back seat and ran the whole race anyway. When NASCAR found out they changed the rule the next week. Chris Econamacky asked Smokey how much father he could have gone and he said I probably could have driven all the way back to the house. A legend pure and simple

[@v12tommy]

I hadn't heard the fuel filler thing. I know at one point he ran a whole bunch of 2 inch fuel lines snaked back and forth between the fuel tank and the engine. Not sure if that is what you are thinking about or not.

[@MrGaryGG48]

@@v12tommy The story I heard (MANY years ago!) was that Smokey felt he was getting jerked around in Tech Inspection after a race. He decided he'd been standing around watching the inspectors long enough. While they were poking around with his tank, he got back in the car, (the tank was up on a test bench) fired it up and drove back to his pit stall with no fuel tank! THAT got their attention! There was apparently no specific rule regarding the diameter or the length of the fuel line from the tank to the engine. He found that omission in the rule book and took advantage of it. That contributed to the rumors about Smokey's "cheating."

[@bobthompson4319]

The part you mention about the fuel line is in the movie days of thunder. When harry hogg is talking to the car and says "I'm gonna give you an engine, low to the ground... extra thick oil pan that'll cut the wind from underneath ya, see. It'll give you thirty or forty more horsepower. I'm gonna give you a fuel line that'll hold an extra gallon of gas. I'm gonna shave half an inch off you and shape you like a bullet. I'll get you primed, painted and weighed, and you'll be ready to go out on that racetrack. You hear me? You're gonna be perfect." All of that stuff is obviously inspired by Smokey Yunick. They should've asked to use his name and likeness in the movie.

[@pena.3302]

These Wise.MEN..r no longer.."Theyre not there"..Dirty Blvd.l.reed.

[@localcrew]

I used to read his column in “Popular Science “ magazine way back in the late sixties, early seventies. Anyone else here that old?

[@nickpappas4133]

Yep,I’m 68 and would read any article with Smokey.He was the best.

[@richardpehtown2412]

Hell yes. I remember when he test drove cars for the magazine. In a test of a Fiat ( I think it was ) he wound up rolling the car. He got out, dusted himself off, and gave a straight opinion of what it needed to improve it. Must have been born with a steering wheel in his hands.

[@Tommy_Mac]

Smokey wrote for Circle Track at the end. I thought he also wrote for Popular Mechanics, IIRC.

[@schzx14]

Yep. It was called “Say, Smokey”. I met him and got his autograph back in the 90’s at a car show at Charlotte Speedway and he was very gracious.

[@Tommy_Mac]

@@schzx14 yep. I have a numbered Smokey autographed Prolong poster of a Larry Shinoda rendering of the Spirit of Daytona, signed by him. Never got to meet him, though. He was awesome!

[@genemartin6962]

Why this man is NOT in the NASCAR Hall of Fame is beyond me. If the France family had any sense at all they would embrace and help make Smokey's legend bigger. It is a shame that the France family is not going to allow this man be included in something that he helped start and build. This guy was the real deal.

[@fredericrike5974]

Smokey was one of the car gods from the generation just before me. And what a genius he was- during his career the most sought after opinion, the most copied, the most envied man on Pit Row in many cases was Henry "Smokey" Yunick. You ended talking about his post retirement, but one of his most forward thinking projects came out of that era- a Pontiac Fiero four banger with lots of power and multi hundred mile per gallon efficiency. His daughter is the last person I heard having this car and some of the paraphenalia surrounding it. Go back and follow this up- there are likely a lot of eyebrows that will rise when this "gasoline in his veins" legend of motorsports is revealed for being one of the most forward and potentially environmentally concerned "mechanic, with the "Best Damn Shop In Town" has ever been thought to be. It would do a lot of people good to know that Smokey was already concerned in the early '60s. The Fiero has generated rumors about 400 mpg; if any body could do it in the mid eighties, it would be the "Best Damn Mechanic In Anywhere, USA". The France Family is, unfortunately the France Family; lots of people carp about NASCAR isn't this or that because of the France Family. Truth be known, NASCAR might not even exist or might have been a very different animal if some already regular promoter or entrepreneur had attempted it. But the France Family is still just that, and for a while other investors and stake holders they have to make happy long before the fans enter the picture- which is the other half of the NASCAR story; in the hunt for position and permanence , NASCAR traded off that "blue collar" appeal for a wider audience that wasn't blue collar at all.

[@fredericrike5974]

Maybe so, but how will you show of pique help, beyond not buying any tickets? Are you still watching on TV? The sponsors don't care if you hate the Frances or not, just if you watch their advertisements. And that is where the public aspects of racing can destroy the sport for the people in it. Yunick wouldn't like this system and likely would find a different venue ; since he didn't see himself a zillionaire , he would have moved elsewhere- and not very likely Indycars, where if enough money is thrown at an only willing driver, he may win.

[@scottelkin562]

Smokey's not in the HOF because he cheated and was banned for life. He is the reason NASCAR now uses templates for the body.

[@genemartin6962]

Scott Elkin Scott my boy Smokey to my knowledge was never “banned” from NASCAR. He quit building stock car due to his running feud with Bill France He started building Indy Cars due to the “Skinny little rule book”. He was not a cheater. He was an Innovator.

[@fredericrike5974]

@@scottelkin562 Both an incomplete and less than accurate; the templates you wrote of are the product of NASCARS decision to limit the (then) increasing top speeds and to "regularize and stabilize" the racing field to get cars closer to each other and make a better spectacle- good racing was the last thing on the France family's mind. Smokey had been long gone from the NASCAR world- Dale,Sr's death is a good place to put the "book mark" for the present generation of NASCAR non competitors. The templates are only the part you see- things like how the rear axle is suspended and controlled are checked even, guarantee the brackets are built to "the NASCAR specs". Those specs cover every aspect of the cars construction, dimensions and ultimate performance potential- all of that written to keep the top speed from much exceeding 200 mph, to keep the field largely circulating together (the most dangerous place to be on a NASCAR track has always been "running with the pack") and although the rules seem to frown on avoidable contact, it is to be said that a lot of unnecessary contact (that is where many of the "donuts" on car doors come from) is not only happening, but that NASCAR doesn't really intend to do much about it. BTW, unnecessary contact was part of the accident that killed Dale,Sr. Smokey Yunick unsderstood the competition really began in the shop, building the car. Yes, he took advantage of poorly constructed and in some cases unwritten rules- this is what you get when you write the damn rules to begin with- and most of his competitors may have publicly screamed about it, but most of them blindly followed where Smokey led. If you have any doubts, research the story about Smoky showing up with a Chevelle that had the headers perforated about 4 inches out side the port; nobody knew what the perforations were for, but by race time, something like half the field had "perforated headers". NASCAR is a complicated story, made more so by the egos of Bill France and his family. It cannot be denied, though, that with out France or someone very like him NASCAR might never have existed by any name and National Championship car races might still be a distant thought. Yunick's non entry in the NASCAR HoF has more to do with the above mentioned egos than about any thing else- Bill France claimed and supported NASCAR as the "only authentic form of American car racing". All of this is from old Hot Rod Magazines and Rod & Custom from the day- the archives are there- are you brave enough to go there and have your uninformed comment blown up?

[@keithstudly6071]

At 18:55 there is a picture of Smokey under the hood of his car. Look carefully at the air intake. It goes back to the firewall. That was to bring cool air into the carburetor but Smokey figured out a modification to the clutch and pressure plate to turn it into a blower. He would then take the air being blown out of the bellhousing and duct it into the air intake and, volia! a supercharged engine. It falls under "they didn't say you couldn't!"

[@slabbusterrtr7690]

Genius

[@stinkycheeseman1723]

Nah. The bell housing supercharger thing was done on old Hudson hornets.

[@vilefly]

Welded blades to the flexplate (auto trans) to "cool the converter". Was good for 1 psi of boost @7000 rpm. Not sure what was done to tame the clutch dust on the standard transmissions.

[@v12tommy]

My dad was building an IndyCar with Smokey at one point. They'd go to lunch and get Smokey talking about all his innovations over the years. My dad said that his cheeks would hurt after lunch, from all the grinning and laughing, hearing all the awesome stories and Smokey's ways of reading between the lines.

[@blackwalnutmintyfukkenchew5928]

Seems like one of them dudes, always a good feeling to laugh like that

[@philliplopez8745]

Two of the greatest names in racing " Smokey " and " Grumpy "

[@richardpehtown2412]

And Mickey.

[@billallen4793]

@Z and slamming gears...lol

[@4fanintexas]

The NASCAR Hall of Fame will always be irrelevant until Smokey is in it. Until then, it's just a joke.

[@dannycoker6439]

Well said Chappy 👍

[@JAMplusPAW]

Agree 100%. A master mechanic and engine wizard. He also entered cars at the Indy 500.

[@icebluecuda1]

The NASCAR hall of fame... is for fans. Not mechanics, in the old German sense of mechanic, not the Certified Mechanic sense.

[@joeynelson4091]

Dam right

[@thomasstark5381]

Damn right !

[@woodey028]

"The Sun don't shine on the same dogs ass all the time" I love it. Smokey was a Man's man R.I.P Somkey.

[@fw1421]

You don’t hear much about Smokey Today but he was a real innovator in his day. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@connienania486]

Man was a genius far ahead of his time a real innovator

[@fishhuntadventure]

You don’t have much for truly innovative people today. They’re all staring at computer models and pit strategy simulations

[@sergeantmasson3669]

@@connienania486 Constant cheater.

[@dougauzene8389]

"Best Damn Garage ln Town!" Miss You, Smokey...

[@IronReece13]

could you imagine if Smokey, Junior Johnson, and Carol Shelby would have worked together on a LeMans car, they would have won by miles

[@darrellsomers5427]

Talk about the unfair advantage

[@jsofords6885]

Carroll would have been the business front. Would have also needed Phil Remington from Shelby.

[@Bob-ub4gl]

@@jsofords6885 And a guy named Joe Mondello, (RIP) doing the heads...

[@bobthompson4319]

And A WHOLE BUNCH of very pissed off losing race teams. Yelling yelling they cheated. And some talking confused officials when smokey tells them to show him where in the rule book it says they can't do what they did. LMAO

[@adamweston4152]

Thanks for introducing me to Smokey, I'm from the UK and I have never known much about US racing history and US cars but now that I'm 50 I have started appreciating American cars and racing.this guy was a seriously dedicated man and I respect his way of doing things.

[@cleaterose5914]

Smokey was my hero as a teenager. I'm disappointed they didn't mention his adiabatic engine which got 50+MPG in the 1980's.

[@rustedratchetgarage6788]

Hot air fiero lol luved it

[@JAMplusPAW]

The Pontiac. GM closed the project for some reason. They got the car back, but Smoky kept the engine. No telling where it is now.

[@sswcustomsewing4276]

Im not 100% sure I could be wrong. I think NASA has that project they had a pickup with a hot air engine that you never hear about at all. Smokey will always be one of my heroes his books and his biography box set are just amazing I encourage anybody to read about him.

[@V8Lenny]

That car was also 100% cheating.

[@fishhuntadventure]

@@V8Lenny cheating? nope. Exploring the margins of the most you could do with the BTUs available in a gallon of gasoline. Are there actually rules against innovation LOL

[@Tommy_Mac]

I would strongly suggest that you get his autobiography. They only focused on mostly NASCAR racing in this video. Smokey did a lot of other things-mining in Ecuador, inventing many things, test equipment like the Smoketron,consulting work for the automakers, gas mileage runs, piloting his own aircraft, including helicopters. You name it. He was the best in the world on engines for quite a long time. He has been shunned by NASCAR'S HOF for no good reason , which really needs to change. He came up with a lot of safety equipment, such as a safety wall, long before NASCAR would allow it. Interesting guy. I miss his influence.

[@ExternalInputs]

It was his early life as a WW2 bomber pilot that surprised me the most. I can't recall a more straight shooting, warts and all account of the air war. It's a great read and the rest of the book is equally good. What a life he had.

[@terranceanderson7715]

​@@ExternalInputs0u 6thI 8.30 8😅

[@Gaspipenicklioni]

My dad was a lot like smokey, he could build anything, fix anything, drive anything, lost him February 23, 2022, had him over 51 years.

[@karltite128]

The man! Recently acquired autographed poster of the 13 car at Daytona Speedway. It was autographed to my childhood hero Jeff Hawkins, 5 time track champion at the Greenville Pickens Speedway! Rip Jeff. Mrs. Hawkins was downsizing and was fortunate enough to meet her. After some conversation she had worked where my father worked. She knew some of my kin. Bless her heart, she gave me a bunch a stuff free after the purchase of poster and one of Jeff and her's tackle boxes. The racing community are great people! Loved the video.

[@AlanRoehrich9651]

Smoky Yunick, a brilliant man, and a great racer. I really enjoyed his seminars, and just talking to him was a blast, had a lot of fun, and learned a great deal. Sorry that I wasn't able to make it down to his place for a visit before he passed. The invitation was a great honor.

[@robthornton9129]

My father always told me that Smokey Yunick was a genius. He was one of my father’s heroes.

[@dennisholst4322]

When he built the 302

[@joshbarth9469]

Thank you for posting this one! My favorite episode for a lot of reasons. Him and my dad are why I'm a tech today, and have a race car in my shed. Smokey is one of the coolest humans in history, the more you read his writings, hear him talk, hear the real stories, etc.

[@tacobreather]

I was lucky enough to meet Smokey, spend a little time with him at his shop.

[@victoryfirst2878]

I am just amazed to why no movie has been made about the legendary mechanic.

[@RyanGallager]

I just knew there was one of these on Smokey Yunick! Thanks for uploading!

[@HODIUSDUDE]

Yeah, I actually stumbled across this one. It did not fit on DVD with all the others I had recently UL'd. Apparently, I used it to fill out the space on another DVD before I finalized it.

[@noviranger239]

Smokey Yunick was motor racing's MacGyver.

[@extramile150]

My buddy Smokey Yunick...maybe the best experience of my motorsports career was being a friend of this man. He belongs in the NASCAR Hall of Fame NOW. (We both wrote for Circle Track Magazine in the 1980s).

[@HODIUSDUDE]

I've still have a few old Circle Track zines on my bookshelf. Thanks for watching.

[@coalbranch]

How was he as co worker?

[@extramile150]

@@coalbranch wonderful...and funny. I did all types of features, Smokey had his Q&A column. When I needed mechanical answers and expertise, I called Smokey.

[@austintollison808]

Anyone else miss SPEED channel?

[@jameslezak8179]

Yes!!! I tried to get satellite company to give me a deal on just Speed Channel! Didn't need anything else! Mamby Pansies said it was not possible! Lol! Yea right!!!

[@shannontreadway]

It's the bird lady lol it's pretty cool to see his daughter on here I always remember her as the bird lady because she owned a bird shop next to Smokey shop next to the river and down by where Publix used to be and even before that Aloha Marina where my grandpa had his boat which was in the same parking lot as smokey shop so cool to see the past still being talked about these are stories that should never ever end this is part of our life this is part of NASCAR this is part of vehicles in particular it's so cool to see Smokey tell some of these stories some of these stories I've heard in person

[@scottbrown2352]

Being an English nascar fan it’s always bothered me why this man isn’t in the hof it seems to work like the rock n roll hall of fame it’s random and doesn’t make sence. This guy is a legend 💯

[@davebrown7772]

For an ol' boy named Yunick, he sure wasn't lacking in the balls department.

[@richb419]

This man was an amazing engineer, held back by the big 3 when he tried to introduce his hot vapor engine in a magazine "Car Craft" I think. the big boys would have no part of it so it finally died. too bad he was a great self made engineer. Rich

[@SwineBrothers]

i've been looking for this for as long as youtube has existed, thanks so much!

[@HODIUSDUDE]

Glad I could help! Thanks for watching.

[@sceneanuerebelrebel9244]

One time he built a motor in front of the tech inspection crew .They specifically checked the parts he washed them and installed them ,the questionable parts already in the wash tank slight of hand and they went into the motor and he won. Nobody could figure it out !!!

[@sexyfacenation]

So that's cheating isn't it?

[@brettspaulding5855]

Smokey built a "turbo" engine that relied on preignition as much as spark. It was a carbureted fiero engine. The patent was bought out by an oil company. I believe it was standard oil. It made more power had next to zero emissions and made better power.

[@robinarrington5498]

It wasn't preignition.it was a hot vapor engine.also called axiomatic engine.the intake air and fuel were preheated until the fuel became a vapor/ perfect mixture.one of the problems they ran into was that the only oil that would stand up to the heat was a very expensive mil spec oil.i have a friend that cut some blocks in half at crane cams in s.Fl.it was for one of smokeys hot vapor projects.he did a Buick v6. A V.W. rabbit where they made it a 2 cyl if I'm not mistaken.Def a brilliant guy.

[@philliplopez8745]

Smoky designed an " adiabatic engine " he used some very strange science with turbo chargers acting as check valves and charge heat exchangers to keep all of the heat in the engine . Amazing stuff for the late 70s

[@krb5292]

I remember one of the magazines did a piece on him and this engine. They said during the interviews, he had his lawyer with him and they would occasionally have to consult before he answered a question. Some he could not or would not answer, because of "secrets".

[@billallen4793]

@@krb5292 G.M. was using ANYTHING to kill the project so he was trying to be careful....didn't work... General motors and the oil companies killed the project and tried to seize anything related to the project....

[@dehoedisc7247]

Maybe Bill France saw Smokey Yunick as a straight out enemy, as well as a very competitive engineering genius. And he felt he needed to see Smokey and deal with him as a personal enemy.

[@briannotafan3368]

BACK WHEN RACING WAS REAL NOT THE BULLSHIT OF TODAY

[@FayeHadley]

exactly!!!

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Corporations run the show, regulations as to how you smile & what you say are another form of SOCIALISM! Nascar is the biggest "turd" of racing. Back to the old days when drivers had problems, they talked with their fist, then got a beer together & laughed.

[@dylanbrod429]

However "Real racing" in the 60s and 70s was boring as hell. Only the leader finished on the lead lap. Sure they were real cars, but at least nowadays the top 20 cars are constantly racing each rhe for position.

[@jerryforeman4543]

Nice job to memorize him! Thanks for sharing!

[@briannotafan3368]

smokeys knowledge heleped me build my first SBC in 1973 & my dad worked at tonawanda engine plant helped with some discount parts i saved for a long time to get smokeys dual intake manifold i even had a single top plate for it the day got it all together in my fresh 350 camaro my dad thought it was pretty funny when i couldn't close the frickin hood back to the drawing board he smerked

[@feeneysmechanical6215]

That engine plant is down the street from my house

[@acemobile9806]

Interesting that there's no mention of the hot vapor engine, arguably his crowning achievement. Almost like the conspiracy to keep it in the shadows still lives on...

[@d.t.4523]

Other people did work on it. The "hot vapor" did not work for production, so they made "cold vapor" engines. That's why you can run propane or natural gas. The true hot vapor system would be a jet engine.

[@andyhamilton8940]

Its in a Fiero in Big Daddys museum in Ocala. Ive seen it.

[@3wolfsdown702]

@@d.t.4523 bulshit, that's what oil developers want you to think

[@d.t.4523]

@@3wolfsdown702 No point in cussing at me about it. Dust off your engineering degree and prove the math. Then get back to me. Thanks in advance! I look forward to your solution to get me out from under my fuel bills! 👍

[@gregorygolden1296]

From the time Smokey showed up in NASCAR to the time he left, the rulebook got a LOT thicker. He was probably 25 years ahead of about everybody else. Junior was super smart also as well as a couple others, but Smokey was in a class by himself. He came up with "soft walls" but NASCAR didn't want to hear it. Could of saved a lot of lives.....

[@MrGaryGG48]

There seems to be quite a crowd who wants to accuse Smokey of being at or at least near the top of the "Cheater's List." To me, that's awfully short sighted. It has always been the responsibility of the competitor to know their rule book as well or better than the tech inspection crew. Neither Smokey nor any other racer/builder was cheating if he exploited an unaddressed opportunity and beat his competitors. The rule books are very specific but often not specific enough to cover every facet of the car. Smokey was an incredibly skilled builder/engineer and studied every rule book to find those "legal limits" and he embraced every opportunity he found open. Unfortunately, I never met him but I certainly appreciated his genius!

[@ryanstuckey8677]

@@MrGaryGG48 he never did anything that the book said you could not do. france just labeled him a cheater because he did not like smokey

[@Mercmad]

A genuine example of the greatest generation, Flying a B17 at 19...... How many 19 year olds out there can pilot a bomber let alone fly 50 missions through anti aircraft and fighter attacks.?

[@neale.kaufman5168]

My Father did the same thing..👍👍👍

[@billylittleton3395]

The inventor Henry Smokey Yunick needs be in Hall Of Fame

[@MrDejast]

Still a Smokey yunick fan, Nascar not since 01.

[@robertdickson2319]

"Seat Gap." I love that. I like speed and though have never raced I can, say Mr. Yunick, you so right about that suh.

[@jordanwiley4582]

"I liked Lee. I don't have to say I liked his driving habits do I?" Legend.

[@es7614]

Ah, you read my mind!! THANK YOU

[@thedolt9215]

Everyone watching this should read his book best damn garage in town. It is very expensive to find, but this guy’s life was amazing. Did you know he was a bomber pilot in World War II? Get the book!

[@frederickwise5238]

I used a couple of Smokey's ideas to great advantage in several cars. THANKS SMOKEY!!!!!! RIP!

[@stevoschannel4127]

Why the stupid music playing continuously through the piece?

[@acemobile9806]

Extremely distracting, found myself backing it up several times for Smokey to repeat himself

[@bobthompson4319]

Seat gap is extremely true. Whenever I start doing exactly that I know I'm getting in my head and calm down sit back and relax and start again. Very important to realize when that happens and to do something about it BEFORE you crash VERY important.

[@dalegroves1918]

What a wife he had, she was definitely by his side though the tough times and kept an eye over his shoulder with the largest Thermos of coffee you have ever seen.

[@denohall9863]

Smokey wrote ask Smokey in Hot Rod magazine in the 60s and 70s I built several Ford engines and called him to ask his thoughts I offered to pay. For his advice ,he laughed and said he liked people with gumption

[@turbo1438]

Closed captioning had his name as 'smoking unit' I bet there was a group of ladies back in the day that would agree.

[@TheMrmmkkpro]

Cool stuff , as a mechanic and drag racer , I can appreciate this man's talent.

[@greggolden2242]

SMOKEY WAS AT LEAST 30 YEARS AHEAD OF EVERYBODY ELSE. IF NASCAR WOULD OF ONLY LISTENED TO WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. NASCAR WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER OFF....TODAY AND YESTERDAY. GOD BLESS SMOKEY.

[@robinrouter2059]

Rip:Smokey Yunick~Jack of all HiPo Automotive Trades!!

[@OneAceracer]

I got to meet him when he gave a talk at a PRI show. MAN that guy could tell some stories !!!!!!

[@williamlesh109]

I was there too. Met him too.

[@kerrymcdonagh1327]

I was there too and again a year or so later when he got up and saved Fred Lorenzon (who had early memory loss). Fred remembered the old times but usually forgot the question, I loved the way Smokey got up and prompted Fred so he could remember. The sign of a great man.

[@TSi99999]

Good show. I highly recommend his autobiography book Best Damn Garage in Town. A great read! He advocated for safer walls 20 years before Safer Barrier was created. His solution used tires and plywood if l remember correctly.

[@bobyoung1698]

I may have missed it but I don't recall any mention of one of Smokey's greatest contributions to driver safety - the energy absorbing tire wall.

[@NotSteveCook]

That's because we're supposed to believe that NASCAR invented it. But in 1958, John Hugenholtz first built such a barrier at Zandvoort, using several layers of chain-link fencing. Fair to say that Smokey took this concept a grand step further.

[@rposton919]

Music is way too loud. Why is there music in the first place....

[@HODIUSDUDE]

Agreed...The only thing necessary is the song of the engines. Thanks for watching.

[@k.kristianjonsson4814]

Not always easy to hear what people are saying because of the irritating and unnecessary background music. To Bad.

[@toyman81]

The music is just to damn loud.

[@martinleavitt6094]

Agreed,dump the music...

[@joeynelson4091]

@@toyman81 🤣too dam old

[@zippyt.libertine3787]

I grew up in Daytona and Smokey was a legend, all you had to do was ask him.

[@erwinrommel7008]

Can't we just bring back the old school way with controlled happiness. Come on man. Good old beach race.

[@toddnash7194]

A young man who himself is a sbc guru. Named quince hitt. In athens TX. He is part owner / driver of hitt-nash racing front engine dragster called. " the big show"

[@Hitman-ds1ei]

He was and still is my idle, he held himself to his standard not some one else's and most don't measure up but I am still trying

[@barath4545]

Yunick was for Nascar what WJ was for Pro Stock.

[@tphvictims5101]

Smokey was a GENIUS. NUFF SAID 👍🏻🇺🇸

[@machdaddy6451]

a VERY FINE TRIBUTE!

[@jimideez9829]

Miss the SPEED channel...

[@kurtiswa-k-8346]

True...Bad Ass, Legend... Godspeed

[@peterwilson7340]

Another Great American Hero. We salute you.

[@fastone3207]

My Hero!

[@ferdterguson124]

Rules say what you can't do.. dont say what you can do

[@MrDippy-nm7xp]

Like it or not Smokey, Earnhardt, and Petty made the sport and I’m sure more contributed also

[@RATTL3R186]

The Man.

[@thestinkycheeseman2208]

My daddy built and drove race cars. He was this same kinda cat. I will miss these type of guys going forward, and can only pray that those of us who know some of it, are able to carry it forward. God help us.

[@kl0wnkiller912]

There was a time in racing when the guy who could figure out things like Smokey did were able to get an edge that let them win. All that is gone today where every car is cookie cutter and the rules are so strict that creative thought is not allowed. That is why I quit watching racing. Might as well just race slot cars...

[@ExternalInputs]

It had to change though. Smokey was an inovator in so many things in an era where so much wasn't understood. Inevitably though, everyone had a flow bench and dyno, not just Smokey. Those "stock" V8s cost a lot of money and were considered junk after a 500 mile race. Production cars doing 200 mph plus with rudimentary safety equipment resulted in many terrible accidents and calls to slow them down, so the "innovation" that got them to that point had to be blunted. Production cars have been unsuitable for NASCAR for many years now, so the racing is solely driver focused. There just isn't any production car racing of any type apart from rallying. The era that was the 50s and 60s is gone forever, for so many things

[@allmopar1771]

It would be nice to be able to hear what they are saying without that damn racket. What's wrong with every body now.

[@ronbros]

we dont hear much about Smokeys man Friday,, RALPH JOHNSON, he worked with smokey and did a lot of making his ideas to a reality!

[@robertwoodward4525]

Ralph was a inavator as well. They were quite the team. I don't think ralph received enough credit for the thing he did.

[@Wrazor100]

Who edited this? They need some training!

[@edwardbocan4298]

He was a Chevy man like myself ✌

[@jimharden4823]

I miss the speed Chanel smokey was the best! !

[@tonyburelle6633]

A great man

[@robertwoodliff2536]

Shame the commentary is downed in rubbish music.

[@madcratebuilder]

The GOAT.

[@joepierce1672]

I get really pissed when I hear people calling this innovator a cheat. That is the same as calling Don Garlets a cheat for devolping the rear engine dragster. It is no wonder that so many of the old time drag racers call the NHRA "No Hot Rods Allowed"!

[@peteharrison9816]

I KNOW HIM WHEN I WAS A KID GOOD MAN

[@jimsomers7182]

Great legend, and great video. The background music doesn't fit, and is too loud.

[@soyouknowme9582]

The MAN!!!!

[@mikeskidmore6754]

Smokey was a True Ledgend and still is.. Yup the Big Three Automakers sure did benefit from his Inventions . They paid him a little to make them then they made Millions on the Patents.. I always wondered why the Hot Vapor Engine never went into use in a Big Scale.. His Engine almost went into the DeLorean .. c ar..

[@robroyce6845]

Smokey Yunick : Automotive Genius

[@denisiwaszczuk1176]

I blew a VW head of my baja bug running nitro when was 14 . Beacause one book and one man . Smokey said Standard fuel for standard engines . And the Best words ..... A Engine dont know what is is written on its rocker cover ................ NASCAR YOU OWE HIM........

[@joqu6971]

I read everything I could that he wrote.

[@billkleinschmidt3908]

The Best that ever was.

[@toyman81]

PUT THIS MAN IN THE HALL OF FAME, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@mikebrown5648]

Smoking should be in the Hall of Fame of NASCAR what he's done this is this is b******* that he's not

[@paulmallery6719]

Had to quit at 15 min cause of noise. Music. Bs is in everything. Why don't they listen to feedback

[@icebluecuda1]

Smokey was probably an amazing pilot. He had the odd combination of understanding right/left brain that probably made him awesome. As a combat pilot and car guy, I would love to know what his war experience was.

[@ExternalInputs]

His book contains a section on his WW2 experiences as a bomber pilot. It's well worth a read as it's delivered in his typical straight talking, no bullshit style. It contains some home truths I've never read anywhere else. There's also sex, quite a lot of sex. Apparently not knowing if you're going to live another day makes this a priority.

[@Suprahampton]

Imagine what he could've done in F1!

[@keithstudly6071]

Smokey ran the pits for Jim Rathmann in 1960 but Takeo “Chickie” Hirashima built the engine and was the Chief Mechanic of the winner. He also built the engine in second place Rodger Ward's car. Smokey did not build the engine, assemble the car or get it ready for qualifying. He was in the pits calling the stops and during the race and may have done some prep on the car. Why Smokey wanted to argue about this for so long is a true mystery. Maybe he just wanted to be sure people remembered he was a part of an Indy 500 victory.

[@neilpuckett359]

I lasted till 1:33 the music is ridiculous.

[@ZChevyZ]

The MAN