My favorite driver, builder, and innovator is Smokey Yunick - "The Best Damn Garage in Town". Smokey was a one of a kind character. A survivor of over 50 bombing missions in WWII, he chose Daytona Beach to settle in after the war. It was here that he opened his garage, The Best Damn Garage In Town and immediately became a part of the racing scene, first on the beach and then on the tracks of a then infant NASCAR racing series. Smokey Yunick was more known as the engine builder for Marshall Teagues "Fabulous Hudson Hornet".

I first learned about Smokey when I was building a car as part of my masters thesis. I was connected to Trish Yunick Brown (Smokey's Daughter) down in Daytona from an Autometer representative. Here, I learned about his Hot Vapor engine and learned about some of his controversial vehicle building techniques.

Some people thought that he was a cheat, but he looked for loopholes in the rulebooks. For instance, there is a story that a vehicle he had was supposed to have a gallon fuel tank per the rule book, but there were no regulations as to the size and length of the fuel line. He had enough fuel line to hold an extra few gallons of fuel and could do many laps on an "empty tank".

My compliments to Pixar for the respect they showed to Smokey... in the cartoon Cars3, Smokey is the Hudson Pickup and you can see his slogan up on the sign in the background.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby also did a nod to Smokey with the Black and Gold Chevelle with a number 13.

Many people may not know Smokey Yunick, but he has had an impact on racing, design, and pop culture.

Smokey Yunick, "The Best Damn Garage in Town"