Some Timeless Quotes from NASCAR's Earlier Days

by: PattyKay Lilley

Today I'd like to share some of the more colorful quotes I've collected over the years, all coined by icons of our sport. Most have at one time or another appeared in one of my older columns, from which I've plucked some personal favorites.

Some will bring a smile to the lips of older fans, some will leave you scratching your head a bit and all, hopefully, will impart to our younger and newer fans, a feeling of what it was like back in the days when these quotes were first uttered.

We’ll begin today with a few gems from one of the most quotable men ever in racing, Smokey Yunick. In fact, I suspect this entire column will be heavily weighted in his favor, as he was always my favorite racing personality. As a favor to my gentle readers, and especially with Smokey’s words, I've taken a few liberties with the words you wouldn’t want your ten-year old to read.

*****

"As far as cheating goes, they'll never stop it. There will always be some guy that'll think of something that's a  little smarter than the average cat, but the reason there ain't any more of it on a big scale is that the only way it can be done successfully, only one person can know about it.”