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Final Building at Former Smokey Yunick Daytona Complex Burns


Final Building at Former Smokey Yunick Daytona Complex Burns

The last physical vestige of Smokey Yunick’s Daytona, Florida, “Best Damn Garage in Town” burned to the ground on Monday night. The property has been essentially abandoned since Yunick passed away and it was sold to real estate developers, but this stilll strikes us as being a bit sad. The overall site was home to some of the most innovative thinking and doing in both auto racing and OEM development in the 1960s, 70s, and 1980s. 

Smokey was not a sentimental guy. His wishes for the property to be sold for the most cashola as possible upon his death were met. Sitting undeveloped, the five acre property has essentially devolved into an overgrown lot with some junk piled here and there. We can’t say for sure what went on in the exact building that torched on Monday. Was it the infamous “top secret” area with the black spray painted windows where GM, and Ford development projects took place? Was it the dyno building where engines of all shape and size were beaten, often into submission? We may never know, but it is safe to say, some awesome stuff happened in there, event if it was just the stinkin’ broom closet!

(Final Building at Smokey Yunick’s “Best Damn Garage in Town” Burns)

Best Damn Fire in Town 


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One thought on “Final Building at Former Smokey Yunick Daytona Complex Burns

  1. Anonymous

    Sounds like who ever ownes it now didn’t want to pay all the environmental clean up fees to tear it down so they could build the condos. Total loss. Due to the old building being grandfathered in, the fire department couldn’t enter the building to save it. Asbestos, oil, gas etc was inside, therefor they weren’t allowed to go in.

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