Video: Smokey Yunick Speaks | Mac's Motor City Garage.com

Posted 15 February 2013 - 23:10
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Posted 15 February 2013 - 23:36
Posted 17 February 2013 - 01:42
Posted 17 February 2013 - 14:24
Is Dewey still alive? There's gotta be some great stories in that guy.
Posted 19 February 2013 - 12:11
Posted 19 February 2013 - 19:59
I must recommend reading, Best Damn Garage in Town, My Life and Adventures. Written By Henry himself.
The first page says it all, "It's not politically correct or grammatically correct, but then again, neither was Smokey.
652 pages it is arranged as a comment on something/someone per each of 45 chapters, and fine print to boot. No doubt many would not like what he wrote but he has high praise for many others.
Might still be available through www.carbonpressonline.com.
I hope it is still available.
Regards
Posted 19 February 2013 - 21:21
Edited by Magoo, 19 February 2013 - 21:22.
Posted 05 March 2013 - 11:16
Posted 06 March 2013 - 02:22
Posted 06 March 2013 - 19:12
I've read his books, and while I would agree that he was very clever at taking advantage of the rules that existed at the time, he also did not seem to have a solid technical understanding of why most of the things he tried worked or didn't work. His efforts were more a trial and error approach, rather than a science-based approach.
Posted 06 March 2013 - 20:44
The OP summed up Smokey Yunick nicely: He was a genuine character.
Smokey Yunick was equal parts showman and racer. He was popular because he knew playing the part of a simple country-boy taking on the big race teams would appeal to the USAC/NASCAR crowds of that era.
I've read his books, and while I would agree that he was very clever at taking advantage of the rules that existed at the time, he also did not seem to have a solid technical understanding of why most of the things he tried worked or didn't work. His efforts were more a trial and error approach, rather than a science-based approach. In most modern forms of auto racing, Smokey would not have anywhere near the same level of success, due to the much higher technical levels that exist. Smokey Yunick is nowhere close to the technical level of a Ross Brawn or Adrien Newey.
Edited by Magoo, 06 March 2013 - 20:57.
Posted 06 March 2013 - 21:04
Posted 07 March 2013 - 16:58
I must recommend reading, Best Damn Garage in Town, My Life and Adventures. Written By Henry himself.
The first page says it all, "It's not politically correct or grammatically correct, but then again, neither was Smokey.
652 pages it is arranged as a comment on something/someone per each of 45 chapters, and fine print to boot. No doubt many would not like what he wrote but he has high praise for many others.
Might still be available through www.carbonpressonline.com.
I hope it is still available.
Regards
Posted 07 March 2013 - 17:36
Yes, time did pass Smokey by in later years, which is when most enthusiasts learned about him. But the generation who passed Smokey by did so by standing on his shoulders, and upon the shoulders of his generation.
Posted 08 March 2013 - 00:33
Smokey worked in a different era. No computers, not nearly as much money. Then you had to do it by trial and error, and you got more understanding of what actully happened than doing it with a computer. Brawn and Newey have both built some monumental cock ups, and some very good cars too. As did Smokey so really this is totally unwarranted.The OP summed up Smokey Yunick nicely: He was a genuine character.
Smokey Yunick was equal parts showman and racer. He was popular because he knew playing the part of a simple country-boy taking on the big race teams would appeal to the USAC/NASCAR crowds of that era.
I've read his books, and while I would agree that he was very clever at taking advantage of the rules that existed at the time, he also did not seem to have a solid technical understanding of why most of the things he tried worked or didn't work. His efforts were more a trial and error approach, rather than a science-based approach. In most modern forms of auto racing, Smokey would not have anywhere near the same level of success, due to the much higher technical levels that exist. Smokey Yunick is nowhere close to the technical level of a Ross Brawn or Adrien Newey.
Posted 08 March 2013 - 04:07
All true but unfair and only a small part of who he was.
Posted 08 March 2013 - 06:37
Posted 08 March 2013 - 08:25
Posted 08 March 2013 - 12:01
I fully appreciate what Smokey achieved in his life, especially in light of his humble origins. I also greatly appreciate the fact that he, and many others of his generation, courageously volunteered to fight for the freedom of others in WWII. But the only intention of my comments were to provide some perspective of the Smokey Yunick "legend" versus reality. The popular legend surrounding Smokey Yunick is mostly the result of how he was portrayed in the media as being a simple, poor, country-boy racer outwitting the big money race teams he competed against. And it made for great press, since everyone loves an underdog, right?
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Posted 08 March 2013 - 17:50
Posted 10 March 2013 - 04:58
I think you have Smokey mixed up with someone else (Harry Hyde maybe?). Smokey did indeed present a blue-collar persona and he did have a salty vocabulary, but he was never "a simple, poor, country-boy racer outwitting the big money race teams." He was never portrayed that way to my knowledge and I know he would never portray himself that way. He was a factory racer and R&D stop for Hudson, Chevrolet, Ford, Pontiac, Chevrolet again, and Ford again. The infamous Chevelle (actually, there were at least two) was built by Chevrolet R&D in Warren.
Posted 10 March 2013 - 16:59
If you take a look at the engine "innovations" attributed to Smokey Yunick, such as his "vapor carburetor" or "adiabatic engine", you'd note that they had serious practical limitations, and that's why they never gained commercial acceptance.
The limitations resulting from Smokey Yunick's lack of formal technical education are made obvious by the instance where Smokey decided to add a wing to the Indy car he was running in 1962 based on other designs he had seen. When the car ended up running slower lap times with the wing, Smokey failed to grasp that the problem was due to the fundamental relationship between lift and drag.
The most obvious example of how Smokey Yunick chose to portray himself as an underdog is that of his book's title, "Best damn garage in town". He imagined himself as being a simple "garage mechanic", fighting against the entrenched big-money racing world establishment. Compare the title of Smokey's book to other classic race engineering texts like those of Carroll Smith, "Engineer to Win" or "Tune to Win". No false humility or self-promotion. Just sound engineering principles.
Posted 10 March 2013 - 17:16
The most obvious example of how Smokey Yunick chose to portray himself as an underdog is that of his book's title, "Best damn garage in town". He imagined himself as being a simple "garage mechanic", fighting against the entrenched big-money racing world establishment.
Posted 10 March 2013 - 18:11
I see where you went wrong. Smokey WAS IN FACT a garage owner -- heavy truck dealership, to be specific. "The Best Damn Garage in Town" was in fact its actual name and it was a GMC, Detroit, Cummins, and International dealer. The race shops were housed within this facility, but HD truck and industrial diesels were always the bread and butter. None of that was an act in any way. That's who he was. Perhaps It only seems incongruous to you that a diesel truck shop operator could also be a racer and an engine R&D contractor for the OEs, but it wasn't incongruous to him. He wasn't imagining himself anything in that regard. That's all you, man.
Posted 11 March 2013 - 00:03
Though it probably would not happen in this day and age as he was not 'corporate' enough.I see where you went wrong. Smokey WAS IN FACT a garage owner -- heavy truck dealership, to be specific. "The Best Damn Garage in Town" was in fact its actual name and it was a GMC, Detroit, Cummins, and International dealer. The race shops were housed within this facility, but HD truck and industrial diesels were always the bread and butter. None of that was an act in any way. That's who he was. Perhaps It only seems incongruous to you that a diesel truck shop operator could also be a racer and an engine R&D contractor for the OEs, but it wasn't incongruous to him. He wasn't imagining himself anything in that regard. That's all you, man.
Posted 11 March 2013 - 14:26
I really hate it when threads seem to get personal.
All I can say is, based on what I hace read, if I had achieved half of what Smokey Yunick did I would be as proud as punch. Seems to me he didn't do too badly at all.
Posted 11 March 2013 - 17:58
Carroll Smith was a clever self-promoter trading on his reputation just like Smokey. His books are written in a clearly identifiable persona which is in part an extension of his own personality. It's schtick, just like Smokey, merely a different schtick.
And it's kinda funny that you don't recognize it in Smith. It's been often commented upon in this forum. The racers one generation newer than Carroll pick up on it instantly and it often rubs them the wrong way, just as Smokey seems to rub you the wrong way. Really, it's only a matter of style, i.e. writing voice.
But again I will caution you about this theory you have developed that Smokey ever considered himself an underdog or little guy or wished to portray himself that way. That's not who he was at all. He preferred to speak in a salty, shop floor manner and that is as far as that goes. In no sense was he dumbing down or abasing himself. In his mind he was the smartest guy in the room and often (but not always) he was right.
Posted 11 March 2013 - 18:15
Posted 13 March 2013 - 05:15
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Smokey for pursuing success by taking full advantage of every opportunity made available to him. The only thing I'm saying is that I don't personally consider Smokey as being the type of "technical wizard" that most people typically portray him as being. In the field of recip engine technology, the genuine geniuses are guys like Otto, Diesel, Ricardo, Buchi, etc.I see where you went wrong. Smokey WAS IN FACT a garage owner -- heavy truck dealership, to be specific. "The Best Damn Garage in Town" was in fact its actual name and it was a GMC, Detroit, Cummins, and International dealer. The race shops were housed within this facility, but HD truck and industrial diesels were always the bread and butter. None of that was an act in any way. That's who he was. Perhaps It only seems incongruous to you that a diesel truck shop operator could also be a racer and an engine R&D contractor for the OEs, but it wasn't incongruous to him. He wasn't imagining himself anything in that regard. That's all you, man.
Posted 13 March 2013 - 10:28
Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing Smokey for pursuing success by taking full advantage of every opportunity made available to him. The only thing I'm saying is that I don't personally consider Smokey as being the type of "technical wizard" that most people typically portray him as being. In the field of recip engine technology, the genuine geniuses are guys like Otto, Diesel, Ricardo, Buchi, etc.
As for garage mechanics, I would put Harry Miller above Smokey.
Posted 13 March 2013 - 12:17
It takes guts to put it all down in writing, which is like chiseling it in stone. From that moment on you're a fixed target and everyone can take shots at you, dissect you, shrink you. It's like painting a bull's eye on your back.
Carroll was one of the first working race engineers to write tech, back in around 1970 for Sports Car Graphic. At that time, nobody did that. One of the smartest things Carroll ever said to me: half the guys didn't want to tell what they knew, and the other half didn't want to tell what they didn't know.
Posted 13 March 2013 - 16:37
Posted 15 March 2013 - 03:53
I don't know about the tech stuff, but I'd recommend Drive to Win to all starting drivers. Unless you or Fat Boy see/know of glaring errors, it seems like a good Race Car Driver 101. My takeway was mainly "Don't just show up, treat this like your profession" which seems obvious but not so much when you're young.
Posted 07 April 2013 - 15:20
Posted 12 April 2013 - 11:08
I must recommend reading, Best Damn Garage in Town, My Life and Adventures. Written By Henry himself.
The first page says it all, "It's not politically correct or grammatically correct, but then again, neither was Smokey.
652 pages it is arranged as a comment on something/someone per each of 45 chapters, and fine print to boot. No doubt many would not like what he wrote but he has high praise for many others.
Might still be available through www.carbonpressonline.com.
I hope it is still available.
Regards
Posted 21 April 2013 - 11:35
Posted 05 May 2013 - 15:57
Posted 05 May 2013 - 16:41
Posted 05 May 2013 - 16:59
A wonderful film - scarey safety though! I was also delighted to see that the best girl won the 'Miss Southern 500' sash - Martha Williams of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina got my vote!
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Posted 06 May 2013 - 08:31
Can't disagree with any of that. I'm sure Smokey would be thrilled to be mentioned in the same sentence as Harry Miller.
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:05
Co-starring Fonty Flock as the inappropriate uncle who makes everyone feel a lit-tle uncomfortable.
Posted 06 May 2013 - 11:45
Very much more than a little, but some of it may have been put on for the camera. I'm trying to be kind. Also, times have changed, off-track as well as on.Or maybe more than a little.
Posted 06 May 2013 - 13:32
Posted 06 May 2013 - 23:44
A total ham up for the cameraVery much more than a little, but some of it may have been put on for the camera. I'm trying to be kind. Also, times have changed, off-track as well as on.
Posted 07 May 2013 - 03:49
.....M/T worked 20 hours a day and slept the other four with a telephone on his stomach for when ideas woke him up. At the time this film was made, he was working three jobs; Night pressman at the LA Times, running his muffler shop, and managing Lions Dragstrip. And building his four-engine streamliner to run at Bonneville. The film, produced by Goodyear, is about the 1960 LSR attempt -- only 12 minutes, well worth the time.......