Another Look at Smokey Yunick’s Capsule Car

I met Smokey and BS'd with him for about 15 minutes at SEMA back in the early '90s when he was promoting Prolong engine additive. What a cool guy. My all-time favorite stock car was his 7/8ths scale '66 Chevelle, which was in the same booth, and we talked about it for the entire time. One of the coolest moments in my life, just BS'ing with my hero.

The funniest part is, Linda Vaughn was also promoting Prolong, and her autograph line was HUGE. I walked right up to Smokey, no line at all.

 

Smokey hated concrete retaining walls and developed one of the first "soft wall" systems, using stacks of used racing tires bolted together through the centers, and covered with canvas.

Smoky was asked to inspect newly reinforced concrete walls at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the track owners thought was a considerable improvement in fan safety.

"What about the drivers?" he asked. "All you're gonna do now is kill the poor *******s deader, quicker."

I met Smokey back in the late 70's,,he was a character. HRP

 

His soft wall systems you describe sat on his property for years after he closed the shop.

 

I'm a BIG Smokey fan. Most Likly the only one in Denmark to own and have read his autobiografy. Population ; around 5million.

That is such a great story! For my next birthday I'm thinking about his speed secrets.

But I like the capsule car! It's so awesome and out there! I would race that flat out given the chance.
And the chevelle isen't 7/8th in size. He just made som so Many smal tweeks on the car that, so it became above every one elses car. And thats not in the spirit of the game, according to mr. France, and there by NASCAR.
I find it so cool he build another car with the same tweeks so they could Walk out to the parkinglot, with a templet and confirm it's the same car, as the #13 chevelle.

There is even a story on here about the episode where it did'nt p*** Tech inspection, and he started it up and drove it home.
For many years Smokey denided it ever happend, until a guy comes up to him and claims, as a kid he saw him at an stop light inside the #13 car. And in completly normal smokey fashion, he pushed his har back, removed his pipe and confesed; I was so damn angry, it was the only stoplight it dident ran.
It most have bin an awesome sight as a small kid, not only seing the famed smokey 8feet away, and driving in the soon too be famous #13! And on public road.

 

[Car was not .875 scale! (according to Smokey's three volume set). Also never ran a NASCAR lap...not one!

 

Actually, Smokey ran three Chevelles. Here's the story:

http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2013/08/21/the-truth-about-smokey-yunicks-78-scale-chevelle/