This is one of my favorite 'interview' videos on TH-cam. Smokey Yunick talking about A.J. Foyt - you can't get any better than that. Smokey was an absolute legend, and A.J. was... well ... A.J.
@@plantfeeder6677 He won Le Mans after maybe two test laps or something ridiculous like that. He said he just followed an experienced Le Mans driver in the race for few laps until he got the hang of it......
Men were real men in the day, like my dad. They wouldn't be putting up with this COVID 19 crap, who made it up, and loosened it from where would be taken care of in short order VERY decisively!
@@williamhelms9942 and they could drive and many could wrench on their own stuff, its that gen they had to grow up in tougher times and were not pampered like people today well not without earning it and knew the risks and flew in the face of it to do what they loved.
I believe that was by Smokey's request. In reading his book he didn't want to burden his family with a museum that would cost everyone. He wanted everything he worked on auctioned off so it would be used. He was the best.
Coming from Smokey a driver couldn t get a better compliment. Smokey was known for speaking his mind regardless of where he was, who he was speaking to or whether he was speaking to one person or in front of a crowd. He obviously was a genius when it came to building or dialing in a racecar. Ray Evernham, Junior Johnson, and Robert Yates combined might make a Smokey.
It did seem that AJ did struggle a bit when downforce and improved steering came in. But what he did with some of those earlier cars was amazing. Only one AJ and Smokey.
I grew up in Central Fl. during the 60's/70's and was a car guy so I knew who Smokey was and had driven by his "Best Damn Garage" on a few occasions...when I got out of Engineering College (B.S. Computer Engineering) the first job I took was a 6 month contract helping a company in Orlando move their data center to Houston...I was hired mostly to design their new raised floor computer room and UPS system but as I also knew more about software then anyone they had I helped their programmers do some of the file conversions necessary with the move...Anyway while converting one of their Oil Well leasing payment files we had a print out of everyone with ownership showing their % of every well...I saw Smokey's name on a number of wells....hopefully he made some money...or maybe he didn't...anyway that's my Smokey story.
I talked with Smokey in late 1985 when I was considering switching to Synthetic specifically Amsoil. Smokey said that he had mixed his own Synthetic. When I asked what about Amsoil, he said that he had tested the oil and liked it. While we were on the phone I could hear his false teeth clicking.
and he taught himself thru trial and error. Smokey was the best hands down. There were others that were top notch such as Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and Wadell Willson but they didn't have a damn thing on Smokey!
@diver9313 TWO THUMBS UP!!! WHY? I worked for Smokey in '60 & '61 (in the engine room) when he built the engine(s) that sat on the pole and won the 1961 Daytona 500. (Pole winner, Fireball and 500 winner, Marvin Panch, he took over the lead after Fireball's engine blew with 13 laps to go.) And I built Ford engines that competed with Wadell's Ford engines that won the 500 Pole(s) inside and outside in '69. For Damn sure Jenkins and Wilson were NOT in the same ZIP code if they had to compete with Smokey's engines. (NOTICE: Smokey always called them "engines" NOT "motors." He'd say "You dumb-ass they are not powered by electricity... the rest is XXX rated.)
@@garywilson2579,did you work on the Pontiac slant 4 cylinder engine? It was a 389 cut in half. It was used in the '61 and '62 Pontiac Tempest. I know that Smokey did some of the development work on that. John DeLorean gave him that project when he was the engineer for Pontiac.
Nobody could think out of the box like Smokey could. The greats all had the same ability to build something fast but Smokey was just real good at creative interpretation of the rule book....like all the greats were. Smokey was just better at it and NASCAR hated that. P.S. Smokey is absolutely correct.It's called an Internal Combustion ENGINE..not motor. My autoshop teacher in '71 stressed to us the difference...he was also a fan Smokey Yunick's handiwork. Called him a genius
"A.J. Foyt's car number: 14. Number of comments in this thread: 14. More than just a coincidence?" (Narrator's voice) -- "No -- it's just a coincidence. Besides, now there are 15 comments."
you i swear to the life of my soul.... my dad bought AJ Foyts jet! its a hawker and Foyt has had the plane for 10 YEARS OH! AND FOYTS PILOT ROBERT(HIS NAME) HE FLEW ME AND MY DAD TOO I SWEAR YOU HAVE TOO BELIEVE ME!!!!
They don’t let the likes of Smokey or AJ talk anymore for fear of offending somebody. Those were great days to be a race fan!
Or King Kenny Roberts!
🙌
I saw AJ drive a few times in the USAC stock car series at TriCounty Speedway in Westchester, Ohio. He was great in any kind of car.
You poor little snowflake.
Literally no one is a "offended" as people like you make it out to be. Get off the Internet and go touch some grass
Smokey and AJ are both legends deserving of all the accolades they get. Luckily AJ is still with us, and Smokey is in our memories.
now that is a great compliment about a great driver from a great mechanic.
“Say, Smokey . . . “
The highlight of each issue of “Popular Science” every month during the 1960s.
RIP to the The Best Damn Mechanical Genious/Innovater!!
This is one of my favorite 'interview' videos on TH-cam. Smokey Yunick talking about A.J. Foyt - you can't get any better than that. Smokey was an absolute legend, and A.J. was... well ... A.J.
AJ the only driver to win at Daytona, Indianapolis & the 24 hours @ Le Mans this is absolutely amazing!
And two of the three he did in 1967(Indy and LeMans)
He won the 24hrs. of Daytona too
@@plantfeeder6677 He won Le Mans after maybe two test laps or something ridiculous like that. He said he just followed an experienced Le Mans driver in the race for few laps until he got the hang of it......
It was a sad day when the Best Damn Garage burned to the ground.
AJ Foyt was a bad azz. Soft spoken kind of guy. The quite type that just kicked your azz on the track.
There was Smokey, then there was everybody else. In a league of his own! .
A real American hero and legend, colorful and opinionated and cantankerous but that's what made him my idol, can you imagine him as president!
Men were real men in the day, like my dad.
They wouldn't be putting up with this COVID 19 crap, who made it up, and loosened it from where would be taken care of in short order VERY decisively!
@@williamhelms9942 and they could drive and many could wrench on their own stuff, its that gen they had to grow up in tougher times and were not pampered like people today well not without earning it and knew the risks and flew in the face of it to do what they loved.
@@williamhelms9942 Covid 19 crap? seriously? Over a million Americans died from that “Covid19crap” so you think it was nothing?
I believe that was by Smokey's request. In reading his book he didn't want to burden his family with a museum that would cost everyone. He wanted everything he worked on auctioned off so it would be used. He was the best.
Yes he was!
Love Smokey ! RIP
Coming from Smokey a driver couldn t get a better compliment. Smokey was known for speaking his mind regardless of where he was, who he was speaking to or whether he was speaking to one person or in front of a crowd. He obviously was a genius when it came to building or dialing in a racecar.
Ray Evernham, Junior Johnson, and Robert Yates combined might make a Smokey.
an unqualfied genius and legend..............
From Houston Texas. My buddy Greg worked for AJ Foyt Kawasaki for years.
Amen from 1 of The Best!
Old Smokey told the truth .......... that's why they are legends today
Smokey Yunick was a great innovator in motorsport and beyond motorsport.
He was a NASCAR and Indycar team boss/owner.
It did seem that AJ did struggle a bit when downforce and improved steering came in. But what he did with some of those earlier cars was amazing. Only one AJ and Smokey.
I grew up in Central Fl. during the 60's/70's and was a car guy so I knew who Smokey was and had driven by his "Best Damn Garage" on a few occasions...when I got out of Engineering College (B.S. Computer Engineering) the first job I took was a 6 month contract helping a company in Orlando move their data center to Houston...I was hired mostly to design their new raised floor computer room and UPS system but as I also knew more about software then anyone they had I helped their programmers do some of the file conversions necessary with the move...Anyway while converting one of their Oil Well leasing payment files we had a print out of everyone with ownership showing their % of every well...I saw Smokey's name on a number of wells....hopefully he made some money...or maybe he didn't...anyway that's my Smokey story.
He had his hands on a lot of things. I enjoyed reading his book
He was awesome to talk with, he worked smarter not harder!
i wish smokey would have gotten involved with chrysler back in the day. he's brilliant!
I talked with Smokey in late 1985 when I was considering switching to Synthetic specifically Amsoil. Smokey said that he had mixed his own Synthetic. When I asked what about Amsoil, he said that he had tested the oil and liked it. While we were on the phone I could hear his false teeth clicking.
Smokey was only one of the most brilliant people ever to turn a wrench. Period.
A goat talking about another goat.
@chrijens From what I understand, Smokey TOLD the family to sell it all off and get what you can.
Smokey Yunick is a great man.
Deserves to be in the NASCAR HOF
Smokey deserves his own Hall of fame....from Wyoming USA 🔫🤠🇺🇸p.s stay safe
and he taught himself thru trial and error. Smokey was the best hands down. There were others that were top notch such as Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins and Wadell Willson but they didn't have a damn thing on Smokey!
@diver9313 TWO THUMBS UP!!! WHY? I worked for Smokey in '60 & '61 (in the engine room) when he built the engine(s) that sat on the pole and won the 1961 Daytona 500. (Pole winner, Fireball and 500 winner, Marvin Panch, he took over the lead after Fireball's engine blew with 13 laps to go.) And I built Ford engines that competed with Wadell's Ford engines that won the 500 Pole(s) inside and outside in '69. For Damn sure Jenkins and Wilson were NOT in the same ZIP code if they had to compete with Smokey's engines. (NOTICE: Smokey always called them "engines" NOT "motors." He'd say "You dumb-ass they are not powered by electricity... the rest is XXX rated.)
@@garywilson2579,did you work on the Pontiac slant 4 cylinder engine? It was a 389 cut in half. It was used in the '61 and '62 Pontiac Tempest. I know that Smokey did some of the development work on that. John DeLorean gave him that project when he was the engineer for Pontiac.
Nobody could think out of the box like Smokey could. The greats all had the same ability to build something fast but Smokey was just real good at creative interpretation of the rule book....like all the greats were. Smokey was just better at it and NASCAR hated that.
P.S. Smokey is absolutely correct.It's called an Internal Combustion ENGINE..not motor. My autoshop teacher in '71 stressed to us the difference...he was also a fan Smokey Yunick's handiwork. Called him a genius
Don Garlits is a great innovator also.
Definitely great compliment! I don't think that the fact that a j was number 14 or he even wore the same hat as smokey was just coincidences
Back in the days when top drivers might find themselves racing in four or more series in the same season. Those guys stayed busy!
"A.J. Foyt's car number: 14.
Number of comments in this thread: 14.
More than just a coincidence?"
(Narrator's voice) -- "No -- it's just a coincidence. Besides, now there are 15 comments."
you i swear to the life of my soul.... my dad bought AJ Foyts jet! its a hawker and Foyt has had the plane for 10 YEARS OH! AND FOYTS PILOT ROBERT(HIS NAME) HE FLEW ME AND MY DAD TOO I SWEAR YOU HAVE TOO BELIEVE ME!!!!
He might have been a good driver but he was a total a****** arrogant and very disrespectful two other drivers
Post under your own name, Bobby Unser.
Stick to Tennis
A J Foyt was the greatest all around race car driver of all time.