Smokey Yunick (left) with Fireball Roberts. Yunick's skill in the garage helped Roberts to a Winston Cup title in 1951.

The great mechanic Smokey Yunick, who died at age 77 in 2001, competed in one NASCAR race as a driver. It was on a half-mile dirt track in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 30, 1952. Yunick, driving a Hudson Hornet, started 19th and finished 18th, completing only seven laps. He never climbed behind the wheel again. Herb Thomas, who also drove a Hudson, won that day.