Smokey Yunick.
And why would I write about a mechanic, crew chief, team owner and owner of The Best Damn Garage in Town (yes, that was his shop) on a real estate blog? Branding.
No, not mine, his. 
Smokey had a brand. His brand was identified by a Cowboy hat, corncob pipe (or cigar) and whites (pants and shirt). Everyone in the pits at Daytona and Indy knew him on site for decades. Aside from the uniform, they knew his reputation.
Smokey had a gift. His gift was his ability to "read between the rules." Many would argue that he developed the rules for both NASCAR and Indy Racing... by exploiting loopholes. I could go over a lot of Smokey stories, but I'll just hit a couple...
NASCAR rules required cars to look stock on the exterior. Smokey's 1966 Chevelle was too fast. Everyone in the pits knew that Yunick was extremely knowledgeable about aerodynamics, so they figured he'd done something to enhance the car's aero.
But they had NO idea that what he had done is built a car that was only 7/8s regular size. Since it had a smaller frontal area, it had less drag. It went faster with the same power. After that, NASCAR made templates that the cars had to fit. The car fit the letter of the rulles... it looked stock.
Another "innovation" that Smokey came up with involved fuel. Those NASCAR tech guys had a tank size rule. He figured that he would just make it up other ways... so he had 11 foot coils of 2" hose coiled on the floor of the car. The fuel line held an additional five gallons of fuel. When the NASCAR techs pulled the fuel tank to inspect it, Smokey gave them the tank, fired up the car and drove it back to his garage space... without the gas tank. NASCAR then limited the amount of fuel line.
My favorite Smokey story also involved a Chevelle. I can't find corroboration about it, but here is how I've heard it:
Smokey took a Chevelle to the track, but the fenders weren't cut out. For qualifying, this provided a hefty aerodynamic advantage. Other teams complained.
Smokey snapped back the the rules stated "fenders may be cut to facilitate tire changes. It doesn't say that they HAVE to be cut."
After qualifying the car on the pole, he cut the fenders out. Other teams complained.
Smokey snapped back the the rules stated "fenders may be cut to facilitate tire changes. It doesn't say WHEN they may be cut."
He followed it up with "besides, what you should be worried about is the new engine we have... we're dumping that tired thing we qualified with..."
His hats, boots and pipes are on display all over the world... even the Smithsonian's History of Racing exhibit. Museums and Halls of Fame have revered him. Most people have NO idea who he is. But, everyone that came in contact with him knew him before they could see his face.
If you walk through the pits at Indy or a NASCAR race in a Cowboy hat, boots, white uniform and corn-cob pipe, racers and team owners will know exactly who you are dressed like. It is powerful branding that 38 years after his last NASCAR race, and 33 years after his last Indy entry, he is still considered one of the most influential people in the sport.
Unless otherwise noted, all content of this blog is the property of Lane Bailey, ©2012 Lane Bailey.
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