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Casey Mears revealed his throwback No. 13 paint scheme for the Bojangles’ Southern 500 (6 p.m. ET Sept. 4, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Darlington Raceway on Tuesday via “NASCAR America.”
Mears joins the likes of Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick, etc., who have all unveiled throwback schemes for the Labor Day weekend event.
The scheme pays tribute to the late Smokey Yunick — a colorful and pivotal mechanic in stock car racing who served as crew chief for No. 13 drivers Curtis Thomas, Johnny Rutherford and Mario Andretti. In his 10-year career, Yunick earned 22 premier series wins as a crew chief and was crew chief to Herb Thomas’ Cup series championships in 1951 and 1953.
Mears said he’s excited to be running the Smokey Yunick tribute scheme on his GEICO Chevrolet.
“Out of all the history of NASCAR I’d have to say he’s probably one of the top five most innovative people in the sport,” Mears said of Yunick. “We feel fortunate to be able to run a paint scheme that has so much meaning and cool history in NASCAR. Hopefully, we can go to Darlington and do a good job with that car in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 and Smokey’s family will be proud.”
Smokey’s daughter Trish is already proud.
“My dad loved racing at Darlington, tire problems and gnats alike,” said Trish Yunick. “It’s so special to us to have him remembered in this way. The Germain Racing car looks great. I look forward to seeing the black-and-gold 13 on the track again. I am thrilled that Smokey’s legacy is getting a chance to be in front of the next generation of NASCAR fans and hope it encourages renewed interest in his story.”
Yunick was crew chief to many drivers with many different numbers — but in line with his bold attitude, the No. 13 was the number he ran to be unconventional and a bit provocative.
“Nobody used number 13, it had no sponsors, and it was gold and black,” said Mario Andretti, who raced the Chevrolet for Yunick in 1966. “It was an attention-grabber. That car, with Curtis Turner driving, was on pole in 1967 when I won the Daytona 500. … The stories behind that car, including stories about Smokey and Curtis Turner are worth revisiting.”
Germain Racing team owner Bob Germain Jr. said Darlington’s throwback weekend is becoming a highlight of the racing season, showcasing NASCAR’s roots.
“Smokey Yunick’s famous number 13 Chevrolets are part of those roots,” Germain added. “He raced many car numbers, but it’s my understanding he enjoyed the mysterious or daring nature of the 13 number. Our fans have really spoken up on Twitter asking us, GEICO, Casey and Bootie to race this paint scheme.”