CONCORD, N.C. – Ray Evernham’s impact on racing and the motor sports industry is undeniable.
He served as the crew chief of the No. 24 team from Jeff Gordon's very first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in 1992 through the 1999 season, winning three championships in the process. He went on to become a NASCAR team owner, and now serves as a consultant for Hendrick Motorsports.
Thursday afternoon, Charlotte Motor Speedway honored him with the 2015 Smokey Yunick Award for lifetime achievement in auto racing.
“Just to be considered or have your name mentioned in the same sentence as someone like Smokey Yunick is very humbling, because there are two guys in the garage area that I know that I couldn’t hold a candle to mechanically,” Evernham said upon accepting the award. “One of them is Smokey Yunick, and the other is Leonard Wood. Just to be considered is certainly an honor.”
Charlotte Motor Speedway President and General Manager Marcus Smith said it was appropriate that Evernham mentioned both Yunick and Wood – a former winner of the award.
“You are in that company,” Smith said. “That is really special. You’re a special guy on and off the track. You have made such an impact in this sport. I don’t think we all even know it yet. But you’re a certain future Hall of Famer, and we are thrilled to be able to award you with this year’s Smokey Yunick Award.”
The award was first presented in 1997 to recognize individuals who start from the bottom of the sport and rise to the very top, and was named after Yunick, the legendary car owner, crew chief and mechanic.
Previous honorees include names such as Junior Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick.
“I was always a big, big Smokey Yunick fan and knew who he was, so I was little bit intimidated by him. Because if you knew Smokey, he could be moody,” Evernham laughed. “I got to spend a lot of time with Smokey Yunick before he passed. He gave me some great advice, in his own words, about dealing with manufacturers and things like that. But as I said, he was truly, truly a genius and very far ahead of his time in a lot of areas.”
The same could be said of Evernham, who certainly fits the criteria for the award – someone whose lifelong efforts have had a major impact on the motor sports industry.
“Ray, thank you so much for what you do for racing, for what you do in the community and you’re just a fantastic person that has made an awesome mark in the NASCAR world,” Smith said.