Best Damn Garage is GONE!!

[tripledude2]

Was flipping thru the current Hot Rod and there's a couple photo's of Smokey Yunicks garage in Daytona Beach. Beofre and after being bulldozed. Property sold for $3.2 million and will be replaced by condo's. If THOSE walls coulda talked. As many times as I've been in Daytona since the early 70's I never went to the place. A big regret.

[rock]

I have read a couple of Smokey's books. Quite a guy. He certainly helped write the Nascar rule book.
Rock

[Raceman]

I've never been in it either, but we usually ride by it when we're there for Turkey Rod Run on Thanksgiving weekend.

I feel like just ridin' by slow has actually helped my mechanical ability more than staying at the Holiday Inn Express has, although I know it's hard to believe. I'm just hopin' Smokey hasn't looked down and spied that Ford I just bought. I think he'd be very disappointed.

[ShorePounder]

I have read a couple of Smokey's books. Quite a guy. He certainly helped write the Nascar rule book.
Rock

Great reading!! You certainly come away with a different view of the France family doncha?

Most people say he forgot more than some people will ever know. I don't think ol' Smoke forgot a damned thing.

[tripledude2]

My folks were living in Florida back in the early 90's. Dad went to one of the auctions they had at the garage. He picked me up a rearview mirror of all things. Stuck a piece of masking tape on it and wrote "Yunick Auction." Don't have clue what it's for but I got my little piece of history. Raceman, to make up for that Ford, you need to run out and get a Hudson. That'll square you up.

[velox]

When I was a little boy I lived in Holly Hill, just to the north of Daytona.
Several times a week we would pass by Smokey's Shop.
I remember being shocked, because the word Damn was considered a cuss word. The shop back then was just a typical car repair shop.
This was before he became famous.
The Daytona race was still on the beach and the speedway was just a pipe dream.
One of my classmate's father was in the race, driving a Hudson Hornet.
The Hudson had a straight engine and either 2 or 3 carbs. I just don't remember which it was. It looked like a pregnant hypo on roller skates.
Smoky was a young guy back then.
He was always a step ahead of everyone else and was one of my hero's .

[fyremanbil]

His books taught me how to drive tech inspectors crazy

[tripledude2]

His books taught me how to drive tech inspectors crazy

And as he said," I didn't cheat. It was just a different interpretation of the rulebook." Another legend of that period, Ray Nichols, from up my way, passed away last year. He supposedly had just finished a book before he died. Paul Goldsmith (the only guy to win both the BIG races at Daytona on both bike and car)was his star driver (also drove for Yunick). Goldsmith now owns a bunch of fast food restaurants over in Indy along with an airport in northern Indiana.