Don Yenko race history

[DarrylD]

Is the 69 Sebring race the only race that mentions the ZL-1? If you have a picture of it, maybe you can find pictures of the car at other races where they might not mention the fact that its a ZL-1. Like Joe said, though, there's a good chance it's just a car they stuck a ZL-1 motor in to race. Tom, can you post a picture of the '69 with the Yenko emblem on the back? Even if its black and white, I'm sure everyone would like to see it.

[DarrylD]

By the way, how old would he have been when he started racing in '57?

[JoeC]

Don Yenko was 59 according to his obituary in 1987. So if he began racing in 1957 he would have been 29. Does anyone know Don's birthday? In the early 1980's, when he was over 50 years young, he was labeled by a press person as "the old man of racing". After this at one of the races he attended with Kim Mason (from Yenko Honda) he made a joke of it and walked up to his race car with a cane in his hand. I saw a picture of this but do not recall where. Vic Edlebrock Jr. has a restored ex-Smokey Yunick 1968 Trans-Am Camaro. In an article about this car, the author lists one of the Camaro's previous owner/drivers as Don Yenko. This may have been the same car that Don used to win the Citrus 250.

[Chevy454]

Don was born May 27, 1927 in Mongahela, PA. His was killed in a private plane crash at 1:45pm, Thursday, March 5, 1987 at the Yeager Airport near Charleston, WV at the age of 59.
At the 1969 Nascar Citrus 250 Grand Touring event at the Daytona Int. raceway in Daytona Beach, FL. Friday, February 21, 1969. Don drove a 1969 Camaro, #11, to the pole position and to the win. Don's average speed for the race was 104.036.
I have several pictures of Don's '68 and '69 Camaros. The '68 car was white with blue hood and two narrow stripes on the top, trunk lid and rear panel. The filler cap is located in the trunk lid. The wheels were the 5 spoke Atlas mags. This car was sponsered by Yenko and Best Photo service. In one picture it shows Don as the driver and another as Don and Dick Guldstrand as drivers. This Camaro has the Yenko metal emblem on the front fenders, where side marker lamps would be. The '69 Camaro was white with a blue hood, 2 narrow stripes on the top, hood and rear panel. This car ran the 10 spoke wheels and showed Gulf as the only sponser. It had a metal Yenko emblem at the center of the rear panel. On the top of the car was a strobe light with lettering on the roof that read "Strobe by Grimes". Tom

[Chevy454]

I was just going through some more of my Yenko items and ran across some interesting stuff. In a press release for Don Yenko by Yenko Sportscars, Inc., it states, Yenko won over 85% of his races with four national titles and 7 divisional titles. But here is what I found was VERY interesting. Quote, "Yenko Sportscars went on in 1968 to produce 427-Camaros and in 1969 distributed over 350 special 427 Camaros, Chevelles and Chevy IIs through its network of 70 some hi-po Chevrolet dealers. The 1969 Camaro, campaigned on the NHRA circuit, reached the World Finals." If you add together the numbers for Camaros-198, Chevelles-99- and Novas-37, you reach 334, close to the 350 mark. This total may have included some or all of the 1968 Camaros. This total goes hand in hand with the picture that shows a transporter loaded with Yenkos and a sign that reads, "The 350th unit Sold". This does not support the theory (magazine article) that Yenko built/sold 500 Camaros. Tom

[JoeC]

Tom, this is the 1968 Camaro I thought was the Citrus 250 winner. It looks like it is on a high bank track like Daytona. Do your pictures show both the 68 and 69 Yenko Camaro race cars with the same white with blue stripe paint and wearing the same number "11"? I believe Yenko raced a 1967 L88 Corvette in the 1968 24hr Daytona with co driver Dave Morgan so this picture cannot be the 68 24hr Daytona. Was there a Citrus 250 in 1968 and in 1969?

[Dr. Pete]

As far as Don's racing goes, here are some actual facts: The 1967 L-88 Corvette was a factory L-88 and was raced at Sebring in 1967 and finished 1st in GT. That same car raced at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1968 and placed 1st in GT. Without digging up my info, I believe that in 1967 Don Yenko and Dave Morgan drove the car at Sebring. However, at Daytona, that same 67 L-88 was driven by teamates Jerry Grant and Dave Morgan. Don drove the new 68 Corvette with Peter Revson. The 67 was car #31 and the 68 was car #29. Car number 29 was converted to SCCA racing specs after Daytona and Don won some regional championships with that car in 68 and 69.

As far as the Camaros go, I believe the 68 may have been one of Smokey Yunick's "cheater" Camaros that were outlawed by some organizations. The 69 Camaro was not a factory ZL-1 but if my sources are correct, it was a Z/28 that was a host to both small block and big block powerplants. It also raced up in Watkins Glen and down in Sebring and finished quite well. I'll have to do more research on the Camaros, but the Corvette info is accurate. Don did drive many other Corvettes in competition but there is not enough room here to list.

[JoeC]

Seems like they changed the cars and their numbers for every race. I have an article on the 1968 12 hrs of Sebring were Yenko drove a red white and blue 1968 L88 Corvette wearing the number "2" co-driver was Pedro Rodriquez. Smokey Yunick had a Trans Am Camaro there that had a lot of trouble getting through tech. After finally passing tech it set the 13th fasted overall qualifying time with a 3:01 lap. Mark Donahue had second fastest Camaro time with a 3:02 and Don Yenko was fastest Corvette with a 3:04. The Camaros were quicker because they could fit bigger tires then the Corvettes. This is from Corvette News Vol 11 No.5. The same issue had the article where Don was testing a 68 L88 for LeMans. Pictures from this testing day.

[DarrylD]

Well, since I started this and everybody has contributed so much, I figured I better dig out my books and try to do some of the dirty work. The little information I have just concours with what has already been said though, so I'll just post a pic. The photo says " Don Yenko at Sebring in '65". Check out the truck running lights on the roof!
<img src=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1471938&a=11075850&p=39594715>

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

I don't have much info regarding Don Yenko's racing career. I have researched his Sunray DX days, and have always referred to one article with several pic's in it. The article agrees with several other posts, the pic's are posted below with some explanation. (Credit given to Richard Prince for a fine article and excellent photos, VINTAGE Motorsport, April/May 1997.)
M

These two pics are of the '67 DX Vette that was raced by Don Yenko, Dave Morgan and Peter Revson. The car is the first '67 L88 available to the public, and was driven from the St. Louis plant to Yenko Chev. where it was prepared for the race at Sebring. The second pic is of Morgan, Yenko and Revson respectively.



These two pics are of the Dave Morgan/Hap Sharp DX Vette at Sebring in '68. This car finished 6th overall, and 1st in class some 29 laps down from the overall winners. Yenko did not race with Morgan in '68.



Here is the #2 DX Vette of Pedro Rodriquez at Sebring in '68, mentioned by JoeC. You can barely see the Thompson/Delorenzo #4 Vette behind the Ferrari #39.


Finally, the #29 DX Vette of Thompson/Delorenzo at Daytona in '68, Yenko was racing with Revson and came in 4th.