Don Yenko race history

[copomusclecars]

Do you recall what edition of Corvette news that was in?

[markus37]

Just noticed this old thread. ..I can clarify a few things. .the 68 Camaro Don won the Citrus 250 in was the Smokey Yunick car which Vic Edelbrock claims to own .Vic's car has been rebodied twice. Smokey said there were only 8 parts on that car that he,made.. the ZL1 CAMARO was a Trans Am car owned by Bob Grossman..was built out of the remains of 67 and 68 purchased from the New Jersey Insurance salvage pool and welded together. later updated with 69 sheetmetal..very fast .much lighter than Corvettes it competed against in the GT class at Daytona, Sebring and Watkins Glen..was originally red.

[JoeC]

There were at least two ex Smokey Yunick 68 Camaros or built from 67-68
both were raced in 1969 racing season both in the same race at least once
Don had one and the other was run by another name driver


Don raced a red ZL1 powered 69 Camaro with Bob Grossman with Best Photo sponsor at Sebring with the ZL1 but also ran in other races with a 302

Don Y and Grossman ran a white/blue hood 69 Camaro with Marlbank sponsor in 1970 Sebring with a ZL1
not sure if it was the same car

it was a very clean looking race car in 1970 Sebring
the red one was pretty beat up looking in some photos so not sure if they rebodied it or built a new car
Don built cars from wrecks, insurance recovery cars, used street cars , used racecars, and some were new such as some of the Corvettes

http://www.sportscardigest.com/1970-...ace-profile/3/

[markus37]

The red car and the Marlbank car are the same car. Grossman provided the,car and Chevrolet, thru Yenko, the ZL1. The second Yunick Camaro was the Gene White car, driven mostly by Tiny Lund. That is, what Smokey told Warren. Fortunately, I was there for much of the history.

[markus37]

Forgot to mention, Warren and I searched for that car for years. ..I talked to the guy who built the car . Last year at PVGP, a guy stopped to visit..told us where the car,went !

[markus37]

Mike Summers , owner of Best Photo, bought the Yunick car..the deal was that Don drove in the pro events, Mike in the,SCCA amateur events.

[JoeC]

Mark do you know Tony Randazzo I believe they are in PA. ?

http://www.tonyrandazzo308.com/aboutme

on his site they show the 1969 Yenko Grossman ZL1 Camaro with Best Photo and Yenko on it

caption says " This was our Randy's Auto Body 427 Aluminum ZL 1 Camaro co-owned with Drivers BoB Grossman and Don Yenko we Finished First in GT at 12 Hrs. of Sebring Fla. 1969"

[markus37]

I tracked him down in Florida a few years ago..had a nice conversation about the car and how he built it...had some special parts from Chevrolet front spindles ,differential and axles..etc. he was trying to find the car like Warren and I were

[cudino]

I can add some info about Don's SCCA racing history.

For the 1968 season Don was A-Production National Champion of the Midwest (MW) division, scoring 51 points in his '68 427 Corvette roadster. He then went to the SCCA National Championship ARRC race at Riverside, where he came in 5th (Car #9). In this race he ran against Tony Delorenzo's '68 Vette (Car #4), who took 2nd. There are several very nice pictures of both of these cars/drivers during this ARRC race within the Dave Friedman collection at the Henry Ford collections website, including these two links, along with a link to this ARRC racing result:
Picture of Don's car:
https://www.thehenryford.org/collect...rtifact/427027
Picture of Tony's car:
https://www.thehenryford.org/collect...rtifact/426996
1968 ARRC Riverside Racing results:
http://www.virhistory.com/cars/arrc/scans/68-res-2.jpg

For the 1969 Season Don was again A-Production National Champion of the MW division in a 427 Corvette, and also went to the National Championship runoff ARRC race in Daytona (Car #91), where he took 2nd place in A-Production class.
1969 ARRC Daytona Racing results:
http://www.virhistory.com/cars/arrc/1969-res.htm

- Wade

[PeteLeathersac]

'
If any help, here's a few old ads w/ some of Don's racing successes I'd posted previously in the old newspaper thread.

~ Pete


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