Folks Of Interest Brock Yates Ain't Doing Well

One of the Mopar Club officials let me know that she spoke to Brock Jr last week & his Dad has Alzheimer's. On top of that, she was told that Brock Sr's health has been failing too. Crap...



I have always thought that Yates was a pretty unconventional role model for all of us hoodlums. He did sh*t that most people just dream about doing. I can only wish the best for him.

The Mopar Club is doing a Christmas card signing for Brock at the Chrysler Museum this weekend, so please sign a card if you stop by there.

 

Bummer... "The Assassin" has been my hero for years. He knows what a supermodified is, too!

 

The last I saw and talked with Brock for quite a while at the 2011 Syracuse Nationals. I use to see him every now & then at the bar he use to have in Warsaw, NY. Cool guy and a cool place, too bad he said he closed it a few years ago.

I wish you well Brock.

 

Fondly remember Brock Yates from his Car and Driver days.........really livened up the place. He had a killer white Dodge Challenger at the time as I recall.

Sorry to hear this, but nobody gets out alive....mourning doesn't help much....better to celebrate the life well lived!

Ray

 

Cannonball Yates !!!!!

 

Still does! The very same car you saw, I think it's a '74 and still all original as when he Cannonballed it.

 

Never met him, as a writer he's always been enjoyable, a bit of a bomb-thrower but he always irritated the right people.

Alzheimer's tough on everyone. My regards to the family.

 

Got to see him run the T Track Roadster at Lime Rock a few years back, Nice guy, I wish him well. Bob

 

I hope I don't die in stages. I'll pray for his family, friends and care givers. I think that is harder on the family than a sudden heart attack.

 

Well stated Tommy.....and I totally agree on all points.


Ray

 

If you love doing the unconventional and swimming against the tide or just get a kick out of stirring shit up Brock Yates is your man. Always enjoyed reading his commentary. Hate to hear of his health issues and will say a prayer on his behalf.

Frank

 

I got his book for Christmas (early). It was a great read.

 

Sorry to hear this. Enjoyed his editorial contributions for many years at C&D.

 

Well said. Tom...

 

You are absolutely right. I speak from a great deal of experience.

All the best to Brock and his family. I saw the Eliminator run at Watkin's Glen many times...

 

I grew up reading Mr. Yates in Car & Driver, his were probably the first magazine editorials I ever looked forward to reading.
Cannonball is one of my favorite books...a must-read if you haven't.


He and his family are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

Loved his sometimes-controversial writings in Car & Driver. Even subscribed to it for awhile in the mid-60's just so as to not miss his creative ideas. Wish both Sr. & Jr. some healthy days.

Jonnie www.legends.thewwbc.net

 

Sorry to hear of his decline. Prayers for him and his family.

 

Brock Yates was the only reason I subscribed to Car & Driver.
His editorial entitled, " I can't drive 55. " had me hooked.
He was a great writer and car guy, all the best in your struggle against a terrible disease.

 

From better days............

 

I remember watching him interview Doug Wolfgang one time on that T.V. show American Sports Cavalcade back in the 80's. Wolfgang had just got out of his sprinter after finishing 2nd or 3rd in his heat race and was complaining about how he had to wait on the car in the corners to "take a set". Brock said to Doug, "are you sure its just that you may not be driving the car hard enough"? To this day I still laugh at the expression on Wolfgang's face when he was asked that. If is wasn't for the fact that he almost shit himself over the fact that he was asked such a stupid question, I think Brock would have gotten a beat down. Priceless!!!!!!!

 

@ Paramount Ranch.

Great American. Loved reading his column. Big prayers.
Slim

 

Read lots of Brock's stuff over the years; Car&Driver, King of the Dragsters about Don Garlits, and my favorite, Sunday Driver, in which he honestly portays his adventures and misadventures on the racetrack, and co-driving the Cannonball with Dan Gurney.

A neat guy and a hell of a writer. I'll thank him now and hope the best for him.

 

Thoughts and prayers.

 

Thoughts and prayers to the family. Cool guy.

 

I also very much enjoyed Brock Yates' writing in Car & Driver and reading about his car related antics. I liked how he was a little offbeat and challenged conventional thinking in a lot of ways. I extend my most respectful best wishes to Brock and his family and wish them strength to help Brock in whatever way they can.

 

When i was running the IMSA firehawk series the shortest race was 4 hours long, Brock would always find our pits during the race as he knew we always had shade and something cold to drink, still have the bent tool box he sat down on when the top was not
all the way closed on account of stuff being piled up.
Great Guy.

 

sad to hear of his failing health, i too remember reading a bunch of his articles
as for dying?
i wanna go in my sleep like grandpa did, not like all the screamin people in his back seat !

 

Sunday Driver was one of the first books I ever read for pleasure. It was given to me by my Dad, who died of complications from many years of suffering from Alzheimer's. He was a long time subscriber of C & D and we would always talk/laugh/argue about Yate's latest column. I'm hoping it doesn't drag out for him and his family, it's a horribly tough and destructive disease.

Ray's son,
Kevin