LOL, funny you should ask that. My dad raced and crewed in the beginning days of Nascar, was at the Central Cafe when Bill France told all the drivers of his plan to create Nascar. They went on to race in the new stock car divison, after being Dixie League modified champs. They raced Hudson Hornets, with Leonard Tippett as a driver, won a few Nascar stock car races in 1950-51. My dad complained about Smokey's and Teagues factory backed Hornets have a special factory twin carb set up, that was deemed legal, but always backordered at the dealership. finally the Hudson race director handed them one of those twin carb set ups at the track one night, and inked out a factory support deal with Tippett. Back then it didn't matter what car you started in, it was what car you finished in. Part of the support deal was if Smokey's cars quit and Tippett was still on track, Smokey would wave Tippett in and let one of Smokey's drivers take over the car for the finish for points sake, and Tippet would get paid by Hudson whatever the winning purse was that night. So Smokey and dad became friends.
Dad later on became sucessful in the lease car business, and had several car carriers on the road , many times making trip thru Florida, Smokey's Garage worked on everything, big trucks, helicopter, race cars, you name it, so if one of dads truck broke down in central Florida, Smokey would send after it and get it fixed for him, he had a ton of folks working for them back then. When we go to Daytona speedweeks when I was just a pup of 6-7 years old we go by and visit Smokey, I remember his own shop, (there were several buldings on the prmises then) being like a maze, and running around that place with Smokey dogs like a wild Indian, lord knows what my young eyes was gandering at. I last saw Smokey in the early mid 90s, at a trade show during Speedweeks, he was sitting at a Champion Spark Plug vendor area, signing pictures. Now in my 30s, I waited my turn to get to him, belive it or not, it was not big line, I think most folks sadly didn't know who he was. When I got to him, I told him who I was and who my dad was, he grinned from ear to ear, he said I got something for you to take back to Fat (Fat was my dad's nickname), he grabbed one of the pictures of him with the Champion logos on it and signed it, " Hey Fat man, kiss my XXX, Smokey
When my dad passed, we could never find that photo, I would give anything to have it back.
So to answer your question I was way too young to be able to ever get to talk to Smokey about tech, not that he would have been too interested in my Brit car love affair, but like you, I read all his columns in Stock Car Racing and absolutely loved his common sense approach to stuff. He definately is a legend in my book, and consider what you said as the highest of compliments, thank you ! I'm just a knuckle head who loves these silly cars, but I try to make them better.
Curious, ever heard the Smokey and Fireball goat, junkyard story, probably BS, but what a great story.
Hi Guest!
but were afraid to ask: 
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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
