FORGOTTEN LEGENDS: Henry “Smokey” Yunick’s Illustrious Career, Ingenious Tactics, and His Rift With Bill France Sr.

The list of legends in NASCAR is never-ending, but it is difficult to find someone as unique as Henry Yunick. Having experience in different types of motor racing, Smokey had a special relationship with NASCAR. However, it wasn’t all merry between him and the sport’s founder, Bill France Sr.

Yunick’s expertise in stock car racing made him a popular figure among the fans. His ability to be a driver, mechanic, engineer, engine builder, car designer, and whatnot helped him stand out easily among his competitors. Having said that, it is debatable if he got the recognition he deserved.

Henry Yunick deserves more appreciation from the NASCAR community

Back in his day, Henry Yunick had an aura about himself. With his trademark white uniform and battered cowboy hat, he embraced a cool personality using a cigar or corncob pipe. While his looks spoke on his behalf, his technical expertise remained second to none.

In his illustrious career, Yunick twice won the Mechanic of the Year award in NASCAR. In addition to that, he also registered two championship victories as a crew chief for Herb Thomas. Not only that, he won the Daytona 500 as a crew chief in 1961 and 1962 for Marvin Panch and Fireball Roberts, respectively. As an owner, he won 12 poles and eight races.

It is certainly amazing how versatile and effective Yunick was with what he did in NASCAR. For his excellence in motorsports, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1990. If that wasn’t enough, he was also inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2000.

For a man of his stature, Yunick certainly deserved it. This only makes one wonder why Henry Yunick hasn’t yet been inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame. Well, while it is not directly implied, it has something to do with how his relationship was with Bill France Sr and his family.

Given how Yunick used to constantly criticize NASCAR officials in the 1950s and 1960s for their incompetence, he and Bill France Sr struggled to see eye to eye. The duo didn’t get along, even concerning money matters. The legendary mechanic even wrote that France Sr “had to be something special” in his book “Best Damn Garage in Town: The World According to Smokey.”

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While that must not have gone down well, what Yunick said about France Sr’s grandson must have infuriated the NASCAR owner.

Henry Yunick might never get NASCAR Hall of Fame recognition

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It is no secret how Henry “Smokey” Yunick made life difficult for Bill France Sr. However, the matter went out of hand when Yunick commented on France Sr’s grandson, Brian, and his father, France Jr. As reported by Autoweek.com, the Pennsylvania-born driver used some strong words for them in his book.

About Brian, Yunick said, “The son and daughter of Bill Jr., I don’t know them. I’ve heard the daughter (Lesa France Kennedy) is sharp and the son is an asshole. My boy Sam went to high school with Brian, and he seconded his asshole rating.”

If that wasn’t enough, what he said about France Jr would not have gone down well with the France family. In Yunick’s daughter Trish’s words, “My father wrote that Bill Jr. wasn’t smart enough to pour piss out of a boot if there were instructions on the heel.”

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Trish admitted that those words played a key role in her father not receiving the NASCAR Hall of Fame induction. There is no doubt that Henry Yunick favored an unfiltered and opinionated approach. While his expertise helped him build an illustrious career, it is unlikely that he will be seen on the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee list anytime soon.