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| Smokey Yunick | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Henry Yunick May 25, 1923 Neshaminy Falls, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | May 9, 2001 (aged 77) Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Leukemia[1] | ||||||
| Awards | 1990 International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductee[1] | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
| Best finish | 147th (1952) | ||||||
| First race | 1952 Race 34 (Palm Beach) | ||||||
| |||||||
| Military career | |||||||
| Allegiance |  United States of America | ||||||
| Service/ | Army Air Corps | ||||||
| Years of service | 1943–1946 | ||||||
| Rank | 1st LT | ||||||
| Unit | 15th Air Force, 97th Bombardment Group, 341st Bombardment Squadron | ||||||
| Battles/wars | World War II | ||||||
| Awards | Air Medal | ||||||
| Spouse(s) | Margie Yunick[1] | ||||||
Henry "Smokey" Yunick (May 25, 1923 – May 9, 2001) was an American professional stock car racing crew chief, owner, driver, engineer, engine builder, and car designer. He also served as a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II. Yunick was deeply involved in the early years of NASCAR and is probably most associated with that racing genre. He participated in nearly every facet of the sport as a driver, designer, and held other jobs related to the sport, but was best known as a mechanic, engine builder, and crew chief.
Yunick was twice NASCAR mechanic of the year, and his teams would include 50 of the most famous drivers in the sport, winning 57 NASCAR Cup Series races, including two championships in 1951 and 1953.
He was renowned as an opinionated character who "was about as good as there ever was on engines," according to Marvin Panch, who drove stock cars for Yunick and won the 1961 Daytona 500. His trademark white uniform and battered cowboy hat, together with a cigar or corncob pipe, were a familiar sight in the pits of almost every NASCAR or Indianapolis 500 race for over twenty years. During the 1980s, he wrote a technical column, "Track Tech," for Circle Track magazine[2] and wrote an occasional "Say, Smokey..." guest column for Popular Science magazine. In 1990, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.
- ^ a b c Martin, Douglas (May 20, 2001). "Smokey Yunick, 77, Wizard Of the Auto Racing Garage". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ For instance, Circle Track, 9/84, pp.98-106.