Jimmy Means Shows Us His Historic NASCAR Race Shop! 40+ Years of Racing Under One Roof
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ต.ค. 2024
- Back in the Golden Era of NASCAR there were a handful of "independents" owning and driving their own cars. Jimmy Means was one of these underfunded gladiators competing with the big teams. In 1982 when Jimmy moved out of his hometown Huntsville Alabama, he landed HERE in this very building. This roof has seen NASCAR race cars prepared under it for 40 years now as JMR competes in the Xfinity Series today. Jimmy never threw away any parts and had the ability to do his own engines in house! If you like this video you'd like cheating stories video with Jimmy and his classic hauler video too!
• Jimmy Means' 1975 Chev...
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I had to separate the cheating stories and old hauler into their own videos because the shop video alone was 52 minutes! It's hard to cover 40 years of accumulated history in one building but man are we glad it's there. Jimmy is an awesome dude. The links to the other two videos are below!
You can find the retro hat and hoodie I am wearing in this video at stapletonautoworks.com
Truck Video: th-cam.com/video/j5JzhyDKW1o/w-d-xo.html
Cheating Stories: th-cam.com/video/68NuniCVmhI/w-d-xo.html
The irony of it being a 52 minute video lol
I haul fuel around Texas. Based in Weatherford just E of FTW. Long ones are perfect for loads to Abilene, Greenville, Waco, etc. Hate it when I get into one of your long ones and they give me bunch of short ones around DFW. Lol
Hey guys, After Jimmy said his inspection wasn’t till January 2nd for the Daytona car, and he only has a month till Daytona I got to thinking. He mentioned he had people bring trailers or he provided one. Here’s the what if, how many views do you think you could get if you day by day build vlog of the Jimmy Means xfinity series car build to Daytona, if possible park the newell outside his shop, help him with all the fab and build if he would allow it, film what you can and post once a week on the build of a current car in a legends shop. Just a thought, your pulling a lot of people in with this series, a lot of Jr. fans and you know how much of a fan he is of Jimmy. I know you will be on the download some day for all the history your logging and bringing back into the main stream. Thanks guys! Love from the Houlihan’s in Oregon! Merry Christmas!!
@@paintballbot 👌🏻
@@joehoulihan5305 that would definitely be interesting and I think a lot of people would watch that. I don't know if Jimmy would be down for It
I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I've always known about Jimmy for years,but didn't know much about him. This video is proving he is a legend in the sport. Thanks so much for this video. It's really giving Jimmy the exposure he deserves!
thank you Jason! We do hope he is happy with these!
A true legend of the sport, he doesn’t really get enough credit for just surviving the growth around him.
Jimmy Means is a encyclopedia of early 70s 80s nascar! He has forgot more than most Nascar crew chiefs will ever know. He us the man.
Never stop doing these vids! These guys are living history! From an era that will never be duplicated! You are preserving history in an amazing way!
Thanks man. We will keep doing it!
Gotta respect the old independent drivers / owners / tuners. Jimmy's got himself a small fortune under those roofs whether he realizes it or not. Congrats to him for saving all those items.
Pretty damn cool.
Jimmy has enough old parts to build some vintage stock cars, someone needs to inventory what he has. What a amazing man he is, to what he did as a independent and still doing it. !! Thanks for making another NASCAR HISTORY VIDEO. 💯
Mr Means.
If ya see this comment.
Let me tell ya.
You are part of nascar I remember forever.
Please continue. And bring that trailer with car to the track as you talked about.
Back when it was the Busch Series, we had the pleasure of hanging out with Jimmy and his crew after the race in the lot at Indianapolis Raceway Park. So many cool stories that just grabbed our attention. Jimmy gave my sons some lug nuts (that we still have). My youngest son started wearing #52 on some of his uniforms after that.
Jimmy is a treasure trove of information. I bet you could spend a year with him and still not hear all his stories. What a legend.
I would spend a year in that with Jimmy Means. The dude is so cool
I always remember watching Jimmy Means when I went to the Daytona races. You can never miss that turquoise blue Alka-Seltzer car with the chrome number 52. I always like routing for the independent racers back then. Glad to see that he is still at it.
I remember Jimmy Means as a kid but as a child you just know the drivers and not who is independent. I struggle myself to race my weekly track and for him to do it alone at the highest level is beyond impressive
Great job....really interesting !!!!
This is probably the closest we'll get to mitchell interviewing smokey. This guy gives off seriously Yunick vibes and I love it.
That’s where his nickname came from
@@Stapleton42 "Smut" is a legend.
I was lucky enough to meet Smokey the last he was at Sema. The next year he was gone.
i worked for jimmy back in the 2008 season. i was born and raised there and remember that shop very well. it was good times but a LOT of long hourse. hard work and obviously traveling
Legendary Jimmy Means what a humble, HARD WORKING MAN! I’m sure it was cool getting to talk with him and get to know him! Great video!
Yes it was!
Thank you for showing Jimmy and his life the respect and honor he deserves. You and him have something in common other than racing. Chase your dream because dreams don’t chase you.
Thanks Billy. I did talk to him a little bit about my days sleeping in the truck and living in a trailer before we started filming
Smut is a great guy. He came back home to HSV, AL to speak at my father's funeral earlier this year. Thank you Jimmy Means.
Awesome video. I was able to work in that shop for 3 days in 1999. I had a connection to Kent peckham and was able to have an opportunity to work with the team lear 77 car at 5 races that year. 2 Dover, Nazareth, Michigan and watkins glen. I drove down there on Father's Day of 1999, spent a few days in the shop and then drove to watkins glen to help the team on a volunteer basis hoping to turn it into a full time position. Jimmy was my roommate that weekend, scott gaylord drove the car. The drive back to the cabin with scott driving was amazing. He drove the snot out of that rental. Unfortunately, being canadian, the red tape was too much for me to turn it into full time employment.
But I will forever be thankful for the 5 races I was able to be a part of.
Again, thanks for the awesome videos. Brings back great memories..
That’s awesome
I can identify with having lived on a shoestring budget and now not wanting to throw anything away of value. Another great video.
Awesome! I wish racing was still like it was 40 years ago. Remember, If you ain't cheating you aren't eating! 🤷♂️
His raceshop is located in Forest City, NC, only a 10 minute drive from where I live. I have been wanting for a long time, to go see his shop. Thanks for showing this, and I hope to meet Jimmy Means in person one day. He should be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
When I was 19 years old 26 years ago now, I went to work for Jimmy at Front Row Motorsports. Although I worked at Front Row, Jimmy had me go to this shop to help him get a few cars ready to try to qualify for some races. It was just me and Jimmy pulling parts from 3 or 4 cars trying to make 1 car good enough to qualify. It was an extremely tough time in my life, as I was away from home, making next to nothing, and did not really know much or anyone. But it was definitely an experience. Jimmy had me put a windshield in a car, and complained how terrible a caulker I was, Then when he tried to do it he discovered the caulk had been expired for 10 years! He definitely makes use of what he has.
That’s funny 😂
That was GOLD! I SO want to go to work for Jimmy Means! His mode of operation is exactly what I like and appreciate.
He is every movie where the rich jerks show up in their uniforms to be beaten by knowledge and passion
Great job on this one. Jimmy Means is one of the very few surviving owner/drivers left from the glory days of Nascar. I remember always hearing his name in the lineups during the 80's and 90's and I remember when him and JD crashed at the Glen. That had to devastating for him to lose one of his close friends like that. He's always seemed like a very nice and humble guy. He's got a ton of knowledge and wisdom in that noggin. Very cool to see his old shop and hear his cheatin up story's. An old school innovator for sure. And he was spot on how big money has turned Nascar into the dog and pony show it is today. That's really sad but not at all surprising. You're killin it with these history videos. Keep on you gonna be giving the Vault a run for their money. Wishing you and Logan a very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. Keep up the great work!
thanks man!!
I actually got to walk on the Alabama Fairgrounds track before it all got ripped up for the whole "rebuild America" movement that Obama pushed. You could feel the history in that place so much. The Chevrolet brothers raced there. The Alabama gang raced there. So many people got to race at Birmingham and it was such a wonderful experience to get to see that track before it was totally gone. Thanks again you two for keeping this history alive.
A 52 min video that zoomed by, all this history is amazing. When watching these guys run back in the day, you never really understood what they had to do to survive
I got my Xmas gift early from my Wife. It was your Sticker pack & a t-shirt with your hand written note. Thanks to you & Logan.
That is awesome!
The gray and red strip is how the Toyota shop I work for was done.
If I was 17/18 year old and wanted to get into NASCAR I’d be sleeping at that door to work with those guys. Free loging knowledge etc, just buy my food for 12 months then take it from there wow
I wanna meet Jimmy.
Did the best with what he got has and achieved above the bar 😃
Thank you for going and getting with these iconic racers and getting history lessons. These guys know how to do it all and it's great to hear from them. I think this Jimmy Means series is my new favorite. He's the most relatable to the little guy trying to build stuff in his backyard.
Absolutely!
The world’s a better place because of people like Jimmy. Great tour down memory lane. Stellar video Mitch.
Mr means is one of best
I was 1 when he moved into this shop. What a cool place with so much history. I don’t know how you have managed to get into all these places but it’s awesome. It’s great to get all this documented because these guys won’t be here forever.
I absolutely love these old timers....
Wo do too 💪🏻
I don’t think someone like Jimmy Means understands the appreciation that people like myself have for his devotion and dedication to showing up to the race track. I hate that people like him that made the sport what we love is being phased out every day.
I agree. I hope he does fully comprehend his value one day
Treasure trove of lost history. Will be one hell of an estate sale. This stuff needs to be preserved, to the unknown it is just out dated junk scrap..
Thank you for saving history Jimmy.
So cool to see the old school still around even if just barely
Truly admirable man. Incredible life achievements against the odds of "the big guys/funds". Champ 🏁
And wow.
That’s a treasure trove of history in parts right there.
Maybe booms tubes for the mustang😳
;)
Guys like Jimmy, Dave Marcis, McDuffie, Langley, & several, several, other independent drivers deserve a Wall Of Honor or something in the "Nascar hall of who is popular at the time of voting" these guys a pioneers of the sport as much as the petty or Johnsons
Going to share this w/ a buddy of mine. Think his dad worked for Jimmy back in the late 90s w/ the LEAR car in the Busch Series.
I want to open all the boxes !! Soooo much good old stuff
Still watching.
Dude the paint can.
Crazy way to manage your advantage.
This whole video series was truly amazing! Always loved the grit and passion of Jimmy 'Smut' Means and it's great to see a full walkthrough of his race shop, along with thorough stories on the independent days during the growth of NASCAR. Really cool to see his shop never moved like how all of the other teams around the area did. I like how he was ahead of the curve with innovation as the years went by! Thank you for providing content like this!
Thank you for watching man!!
@@Stapleton42 you're welcome dude!
So cool to see a real man doing his thing just because he loved racing. Great video.
With all those parts Jimmy owns one could build some bad ass cars. Awesome story on how to make do with what you have to survive.
Wow... the trailer looks untouched in time and you were 8 the last time you were in it? Incredible, memories like that stick with us forever and as always, excellent videos :D
This is a great interview with Jimmy. I remember when Jimmy started out in racing at Huntsville,Speedway ( My Home Track ) and he was sponsored by Bell Brothers Auto Parts in Huntsville,Al. Use to run into him quiet a few times when he came to the store. Thanks for the memories!!
Been looking forward to this video.
Great video! I’ve passed his shop many times over the years and always wondered what all he had in there. He’s not lying about never throwing anything away! Wow! What a gold mine of history! Thank you Stapleton42!
I love watching these old stories from old timers. Keeping the history alive. An i bet 100% these old timers like him love telling stories about there time in nascar.
I'm not a nascar fan but have been a gear head all my life, but I gotta say, your stuff keeps me interested. I like hearing old guys tell their stories, and love the history of things.
Thanks man
Jimmy Means is a legend. I live 35 minutes away from his shop.
It's so nice to see an amazing real vintage race shop that's awesome and historical
Thanks Michael! we have made videos like this at several of them you would love watching too
Well this was a great video to say the least. I knew Jimmy and his truck driver hippie when they came to work for bud Moore. Bud Moores shop was 1 tenth the size of Jimmy's shop. Jimmy is a great guy and hippie as well
I have been saying for years on Facebook that Jimmy means, Dave Marcis, McDuffie, & several other independent racers DESERVE a spot of honor in the Nascar hall of fame. Not as inductees but at least a Wall of Honor for guys that raced the circuit week to week, driving old beat up trucks all over the nation, knowing they're probably not going to win, just to be part of the show. True Racers!
Better than anything on tv!
Glad to see some videos on Jimmmy Means. I started working for him in 1994 I was good friends with his son and we both worked there after high school. It was an experience of a lifetime. His son was running Limited Late model at Tri county and Hickory motor speedway I was the crew Cheif and then we started running craftsman super trucks & hooters cup, and then my own business took off that I had been doing at home soon took over my career in racing. It Was pretty awesome. I learned so much knowledge from him. He has been my mentor since I met him decades ago, he is a great guy also. My nephew was in shock when he found out that there was a race shop locally and I use to work there. He could not believe it. I was able to take him on a private tour of the place. I can remember giving some Boy Scouts and tour in the motor room. That’s where I spent most of my time there. I remember showing them the restrictor plate and I told them about the gasket trick which couldn’t be done anymore because of the rules but learning about stuff like that makes you look at things differently.
Jimmy Means Number 52 Alka Seltzer Pontiac From The 80s And Early 90s Thanks For Uploading
I have the Racing Champions Diecast of that car.
Geez you have to admire Jimmy for what he accomplished without much in the way of resources. Sad to hear NASCAR isn't going to allow paint anymore??? No wonder this sport is out of control. I admire these guys that did what they were able to and still stay in racing against the big money. Sure would have liked to hear the story on the number 8 Budweiser car!! Thanks for all these!!!
Thank you Dave!!
While watching I thought of Smokey , best damn garage in town. All the archive parts and pieces are hard to imagine still intact.
Stay humble and the secrets will keep coming.
Thank you for sharing Jimmy’s story. Guys like him are such a big part nascar history and helped make the sport what it is. Could you imagine asking for leniency in passing tech so you can go out and race to pay your bills? Not to mention running with and sometimes beating the big guys on a shoestring budget.
Great show. you are documenting history of racing that the average person will never understand.
Sad to see how Nascar destroyed their own sport. Jimmy Means is a legend and a genuinely stand up guy
Awesome history. The last of a dying breed of do it all guys. Love it
These are the most entertaining videos about the old NASCAR racers how they built everything from nothing.the talent and the sport that i loved is gone it will never come back. Thank god you and logan are keeping it alive if you stop the history of the sport will never be known. Merry Christmas be safe and enjoy artie 😊
Thanks Artie Merry Christmas
Somewhere I have a VHS of Jimmy Means in I think the Alka- Seltzer Ford. Love these videos, thank you from an 83 year old man who remembers Nascar in the late 50's.
6:58
Sounds like Jimmy at least is having thoughts of making a few attempts next season of he is bothering to have the car re-certified, which would be great to see. Really enjoy these videos with guys from NASCAR's past, when even the guys with cars that were slapped together with used/borrowed parts and were less competitive, but still had an outside shot at a good run, unlike today.
Back in the 90’s I was hauling hazardous waste for a company and we had a dig right next door to his shop. Actually stood next to fencing while Jimmy was preparing Daytona car. When the crew started digging up the earth next door they just kept pulling out old Good Year tires lol
😂
This reminds me of Bobby Allen from World of Outlaw dirt Sprint cars. I love seeing underfunded teams be successful.
Great history of the sport of days gone by. Jimmy probably has forgotten more stories than what he could tell. Thank you for showing how real racers worked to make ends meet.
You’re welcome dennis
Wow thanks for doing the history of the names you don't hear that often . As Jimmy said the cost of racing and how they got around it should be put in history books . Carry on.
Thanks man! We will be doing a video with Norm Benning soon!
Maybe the most important recording of the grass roots of stock car racing I have ever seen. Thanks to you and Jimmy for keeping the Golden Era of NASCAR alive. Way more storied than the current failure of NASCAR............
Thanks Bill. NASCAR is going back in the right direction behind the curtain I promise you! For one…they’re going to help us produce videos with unprecedented access to some previously restricted stuff 👀
@@Stapleton42 Awesome! I'll be watching..............From Montana.
I would love to see a piece in the hall of fame about how these guys would use cheated up parts, and do a display with them. I know some people may not like the idea but it would be neat to see the creativity of these guys back then.
I think there is one actually.
Crazy! I didnt know Jimmy was still in operation. Really neat to see that someone with this 3 man garage is competing against a Hendrick complex. Thank you for the time you all take to make this
Jimmy " Smut " Means legend !
Mitchell, the way you observe and the questions you ask is unmatched. I've learned so much since I've been a SAW subscriber, it's insane. You're on another level, man. And I'm glad we're all here to see this stuff, no one else even close to doing what you guys do. I hope you and Logan have an awesome Christmas...can't wait for the next vid, as always. Still rocking my SAW cap in the old RYR livery on a daily basis.
You’re the man Joshua 💪🏻
I remember Jimmy when I was a kid. Jimmy is Kool and have a lot of Kool stuff. I enjoy this video and all your videos I have watched.
Thanks Harry 💪🏻
Loved to watch Smut race at the Huntsville Speedway racing Bobby, Donny, and Red Farmer.
That man right there is a true racer.
Looking through this for the third time, net zero started in motor racing way back😆
Jimmy is the man
This man is a legend!!
Dale Jr loved this video. He was a bug Jimmy means fan back when he was a kid
So happy I found this channel.
Been a fan of the Elliotts since 1981, but I always had the utmost respect for the shoestring budget independent teams for doing so much with so little. I crew on James Hylton's race team part time for 6 years, and the stuff you could learn from James was incredible. And what a hoot he was. We'd jokingly call James "Hot Lips Hylton" because 30 minutes at a racetrack, a bad day saw him getting kissed by no less than 7 women. And the stories he told of the old days were hilarious. I'm sure Jimmy Means has some fond memories of Hylton. I wanted to see Jimmy Means run top equipment. He truly deserved it. I think he'd have given the top drivers a run for their mo ey.
This was the era of NASCAR that was racing. These guys raced because they loved it the money was to.keep racing .Its a shame that those days are gone its just like a lot of things in the past that will never be again. I have seen when you put big money into things it takes the fun and enjoyment out of things not to mention ruins everything
Another great video, I used to always look forward to shots of the Blue Alka-Seltzer car.
Gotta love Jimmy Means absolute gentleman 😎
Man just having your content to listen to at work is an absolute lifesaver! Thanks for the Nascar history!
This guy working with the way his fingers look you know he truly loves racing! Great video!
Jimmy Means was what made the sport great back in the day.
Never be the same again, a bunch of spoiled kids driving because Daddy can write the check. Never had to work a day in their life or be responsible. Jimmy was down to earth and humble. Like most of the drivers back then!
This was one of your best video's and I want to thank you for what you are doing. I lived in Forest City in the early 80's in the same neighborhood as Jimmy. I drove by his shop every day on the way to work and followed his results closely. I always admired Jimmy's efforts and results in the face of long odds.
Wow, thank you!
My home town of Quincy Il. Triple r racing engines....does all our work for our dirt cars....small world.
Have spent many hours in that shop and numerous tracks working on those race cars. Thanks to Jimmy for the opportunity and for being a true friend.
This career fits you like a glove and I’m happy for you! Authenticity at its best. Merry Christmas y’all!
Jimmy Means is a legend. Great interview 42
Awesome video! So glad Jimmy spent the time with you getting his story on record.
I was so disappointed when his "one" run in Tim Richmond's Folgers Chevrolet are Charlotte was short lived. Wanted him to have a top 5 or better, a win!! I was crushed when he was swept up in an early wreck.
Jimmy has some very interesting stories that nobody else will tell you. I remember when he was racing and he was good. So my hat is off to Jimmy and to you for having the questions to ask Jimmy.
Excellent ! Jimmy is a throwback to what made racing great here around Huntsville,Birmingham & Nashville in the 70's. Competitors and fans with a real PASSION for race night. "Balls to the wall "shootout at the ok corral." It was ON ! Jimmy won 3 NASCAR track championshipsin early 70's all in the SAME SEASON running 3 times each week.
Glad I'm here too!
Jimmy means is a great representation of grass roots from the 70s and 80s all the way to current. What an accomplishment just staying open and staying relevant the hard way this is where the respect should go. Great job with the videos keeping history going especially this video. Such a pleasure thank you for sharing.