The Best Damn Garage in Town

[Whitetail Addict]

I just finished reading "The Best Damn Garage in Town". I'd highly recommend it if you like reading, or even if you don't, it's very entertaining. I was amazed at the engineering advancements and inventions, that we take for granted today, that came out of that garage. The stories and even automotive history lessons are something else, that guy led an amazing life.

 

[Mike L.]

He is my hero. I meet Smokey back in '64. " They didn't say you couldn't " :thumb:

 

[blackdirtymax]

Absolute good read!!

 

[bluessmax]

Will have to check it out! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[x MadMAX DIESEL]

What is it?

 

[Dozerboy]

I guess its a book? Didn't know people still read those unless your in school.

 

[Sledhead]

I'll guess it's about Smokey Yunick (sp?) I had a subscription to Popular Science for years as a kid and Say Smokey was the monthly highlight.

 

[Whitetail Addict]

Mike, that's great you had the opportunity to meet Smokey. I wish I knew of him sooner because I was in Daytona (at the 500) in his final year. I wish I would have known enough to stop by his garage. That saying is very prominent through the book, with plenty of examples to back it up. Did you read the book Mike?

You're welcome Kory! The book was too good not to pass along to others.

Blackdirtymax, I'm glad I'm not the only one here that read the book.

For those asking, the book is the autobiography of Smokey Yunick. Smokey was most known as a racing mechanic. It's written in a conversational style like he is standing in front of you telling the stories. It goes completely through his early life, his time flying in the Air Force in WWII, his time as a pioneer in NASCAR, his time racing at Indy, his time with the auto industry, and his life outside of racing.

http://www.smokeyyunick.com/pages/book.html Also you can find it on Amazon for a Kindle. It's a lot cheaper.

 

[Fahlin Racing]

Smokey's legend is awsome and reading this book 1 of 3 I believe. He is one man I wish I could have met! He gives Mickey Thompson a run for the money in innovation in motorsports IMO. After reading a few Popular science articles of his, I believe he would be surprised at how clean diesel engines are which he commented diesels won't catch on because they were dirty and loud and heavy at the point in time he wrote the article. The article itself I couldn't tell you though. His Chevelle set the bar for latemodels and above in circle track. His Indy days were pretty wicked with his ideas too from what he wrote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=susdiHJ4Vuo&feature=share&list=PL9A84264048F38B0F

The last of Smokey's Best Damn Garage in Town burned down last spring I believe, it was last or the year before though but there is no more garage unfornately. Not sure how many of you have seen the animated movie 'Cars' but DOC is supposed to be Smokey's fabulous Hudson Hornet :thumb:

Ricky Bobby's dads car in Talladega Nights is his Chevelle he built for Curtis Turner too. The man was a innovative genius.

EDIT: Besides looking up to my father and grandfather, he is I guess you could say my Idol in the motorsports world. I have been told I think too much when it comes to things technical but, how do you even get ahead? Smokey and many others , I guess thought too much.

 

[turbo_bu]

I got Smokey's set of books (it's a 3 book set) for Christmas right after it came out. Definately one of the best set of books for a gear head to read (even if you don't like to read ).

Smokey was WAY ahead of his time. He really "knew" the engines and cars he worked on. And his "interpretation" of the rules were always classic. Excellent read!!!

 

[btfarm]

Smokey was working a booth at the (around '02 I think) PRI show in Indianapolis and I was working the booth next to his for a day to help out a friend. I had the pleasure of spending alot of time just talking with him and listening in on the things he was telling others visiting his booth. An experience I put up there in the top 25 or so best days of my adult life. Wonderful down to earth man to be around.

 

[Sledhead]

Smokey's legend is awsome and reading this book 1 of 3 I believe. He is one man I wish I could have met! He gives Mickey Thompson a run for the money in innovation in motorsports IMO. After reading a few Popular science articles of his, I believe he would be surprised at how clean diesel engines are which he commented diesels won't catch on because they were dirty and loud and heavy at the point in time he wrote the article. The article itself I couldn't tell you though. His Chevelle set the bar for latemodels and above in circle track. His Indy days were pretty wicked with his ideas too from what he wrote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=susdiHJ4Vuo&feature=share&list=PL9A84264048F38B0F

The last of Smokey's Best Damn Garage in Town burned down last spring I believe, it was last or the year before though but there is no more garage unfornately. Not sure how many of you have seen the animated movie 'Cars' but DOC is supposed to be Smokey's fabulous Hudson Hornet :thumb:

Ricky Bobby's dads car in Talladega Nights is his Chevelle he built for Curtis Turner too. The man was a innovative genius.

EDIT: Besides looking up to my father and grandfather, he is I guess you could say my Idol in the motorsports world. I have been told I think too much when it comes to things technical but, how do you even get ahead? Smokey and many others , I guess thought too much.

Great trivia, thanks for sharing :thumb:

 

[Mike L.]

Mike, that's great you had the opportunity to meet Smokey. I wish I knew of him sooner because I was in Daytona (at the 500) in his final year. I wish I would have known enough to stop by his garage. That saying is very prominent through the book, with plenty of examples to back it up. Did you read the book Mike?

You're welcome Kory! The book was too good not to pass along to others.

Blackdirtymax, I'm glad I'm not the only one here that read the book.

For those asking, the book is the autobiography of Smokey Yunick. Smokey was most known as a racing mechanic. It's written in a conversational style like he is standing in front of you telling the stories. It goes completely through his early life, his time flying in the Air Force in WWII, his time as a pioneer in NASCAR, his time racing at Indy, his time with the auto industry, and his life outside of racing.

http://www.smokeyyunick.com/pages/book.html Also you can find it on Amazon for a Kindle. It's a lot cheaper.

I have not read the books yet.
When I was 17 I worked for a Shell gas station and the owner had 2 grand national cars. One was a '64 Merc that was Roger Wards old car and the other was a '64 Ford. Both cars were built by Holman and Moody and Bill Stroppe.
The head mechanic ( Jake ) was an old southern boy that was friends with Smokey. Smokey came into town one day to visit Jake and that's where I meat him.
Smokey was not one of a kind as there were many southern boys down south that were very, very good. Jake was one of them. When I refer to my old friends and mentors as southern boys, I mean no disrespect as that's what they called themselves. Talking to these guys was like talking to engineers. I was so fortunate to know these great men as they are part of history.
I will never forget my favorite driver Glen ( fireball ) Roberts coming down the back stretch at Riverside raceway in his For at about 170 mph, when he took his hands off the wheel and lit his Marlboro with his Zippo lighter. It don't get no better than that. I've been a smoker ever since.:roflmao:

 

[Whitetail Addict]

That's great Mike! Thanks for sharing that!
It had to be one hell of a time to be in racing. I've always thought I was born 50 years too late. It had to be awesome to see Fireball (or "Balls" as Smokey called him) run in person.
Holman, Moody, and Bill Stroppe are all mentioned in Smokey's book. They're mostly in volume 2, the NASCAR book. You mentioned southern boys. It says at the beginning of each book "This book is not grammatically correct or without spelling errors. It is written in southern racing english"

 

[whitetrash21]

Haven't read these yet. Guess ill have to stop at barnes and noble in a bit.