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J.J. Yeley -- DLP HDTV / Hall of Fame Racing -- LifeLock.com 400 Advance and Team Report

Tuesday July 8, 2008

 

J.J. YELEY – Sweet Home Chicago

CORNELIUS, N.C., (July 8, 2008) – J.J. Yeley was born and raised in Phoenix, spent considerable time living in Indianapolis and now resides in Charlotte, N.C.

So how can Chicago – or more specifically Chicagoland Speedway – be considered “Sweet Home Chicago” for Yeley?

The driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry for Hall of Fame Racing has made it well-known that the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., is his favorite stop on the Sprint Cup Series circuit. And why shouldn’t it be?

The track has been good to him over the years, as he started 10th and finished 10th in the 2006 Sprint Cup Series race and has three finishes of 11th or better in four Nationwide Series starts in Joliet. In six total races in both series at Chicagoland, Yeley has qualified in the top-15 four times.

One could even make the case that Yeley has five top-15 qualifying efforts considering that, in 2005, he subbed admirably for Tony Stewart, who was sidelined for qualifying after crashing his No. 20 Home Depot car in the opening minutes of practice. On very short notice, Yeley practiced Stewart’s backup car and then qualified it a respectable 13th.

The friendly confines of Chicagoland Speedway might be just what the doctor ordered for Yeley, as he has endured a roller-coaster ride over the last three weeks. He failed to qualify at the road course in Sonoma (Calif.) three weeks ago, rallied back two weeks ago at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by finishing a season-best third, then failed to qualify for last Saturday’s event at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

However, Yeley relieved Stewart in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing on lap 72 at Daytona as Stewart became ill. Yeley was in the top-10 late in the race, but two separate accidents not of his making caused him to finish a disappointing 20th.

J.J. YELEY, driver of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry:

You’ve often said that Chicagoland Speedway is your favorite track. Why is that?

“From the very first time I was there in a Nationwide Series car my rookie season, I’ve enjoyed the race track. It’s a place where you can really stand on the gas. In our first race there (2004 Nationwide Series race), we qualified well, had an opportunity to win the race, led a lot of laps, we pitted – we probably shouldn’t have – and we gave the race away. It’s just a fun race track. It’s very similar to Kansas Speedway and I also really enjoy going there. I don’t know if it’s the fact that it doesn’t have as much banking as the other 1.5-mile tracks, or the fact that you can run any groove you want to. It’s just a real fun track.”

The backstreach at Chicagoland is different than many other tracks because there is a slight arc to it. What do you think about that?

“I guess that’s what makes it more unique than most places. There is a difference between turns one and two and turns three and four. Generally, you can run anywhere you want to in turns one and two. If you can run the bottom in three and four, you’re generally a lot faster, but you don’t have to run that low groove. It’s just a little bit different of a race track. For me, it was always close to home since I lived in Indianapolis for so long. I race a lot at the dirt track adjacent to the big track, so I guess I just have a fondness for the place.”

Is this a fun part of the schedule for you since there are races at Chicagoland Speedway and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, being that you lived in Indianapolis for so long?

“It is a fun part of the schedule. This is also one of the tougher parts of the schedule because it gets really hot and the tracks get pretty slippery. To me, it makes the racing a little more fun. It makes it more challenging.”

J.J. YELEY CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY PERFORMANCE PROFILE
YearDateEventStartFinishStatus/LapsLedEarnings
20077/15USG Sheetrock 400 (NSCS)3635Accident 243/2670$107,258 7/14USG Durock 300 (NNS)2711Running 200/2000$25,500
20067/9×USG Sheetrock 400 (NSCS)1010Running 270/2700$138,475 7/8USG Durock 300 (NNS)1510Running 200/2000$27,625
20057/9USG Durock 300 (NNS)418Running 200/2001$30,050
20047/10Twister 300 (NNS)99Running 200/20025$29,125

× Race length extended due to green-white-checker finish.

J.J. YELEY DLP®HDTV Racing Team Report Round 19 of 36 – LifeLock.com 400 – Chicagoland Car No.: 96 – Hall of Fame Racing DLP® HDTV Toyota Camry
Primary Team Members:Driver: J.J. Yeley Crew Chief: Steve Boyer Car Chief: Todd Brewer Engine Builder: Mark Cronquist (Gibbs) Engine Specialist: Kevin Grubb (Gibbs) Spotter: Kyle Chapman Over-The-Wall Crew Members:Gas Man: Jason Rogers Front Tire Changer: Steve Poniatowski Catch Can: John Fuller Front Tire Carrier: Alex Smith Windshield: Andy Morgan Rear Tire Changer: David MayoJackman: Kevin Wing Rear Tire Carrier: Ben Surface Other Crew Members:Truck Drivers: Gary “Turtle” Clem and Bryant “Easy Money” Noggle Tire Specialist: Jim DavisShock Specialist: Brannon EarnestEngineer: Steve Hoegler Front End Mechanic: Don Tarantino Interior Mechanic: Chris MeyersChassis No. 029:This car was built by Joe Gibbs Racing for Hall of Fame Racing. J.J. Yeley tested the car Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2008, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Chassis No. 029 was driven by Yeley in February at the Auto Club 500 at Fontana, where he started 25thand finished 29th, and in March at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he started 37thand finished 37th. Yeley tested the car May 5-6 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway before using it later that month at the Coca-Cola 600, where he started 35thand finished 38thafter being involved in a mid-race accident. J.J. Yeley Chicagoland Speedway Performance Profile: Year Date Event Start Finish Status/Laps Led Earnings 2007 7/15 USG Sheetrock 400 (NSCS)36 35 Accident 243/267 0 $107,258 7/14 USG Durock 300 (NNS)27 11 Running 200/200 0 $25,500 2006 7/9 ×USG Sheetrock 400 (NSCS) 10 10 Running 270/270 0 $138,475 7/8 USG Durock 300 (NNS) 15 10 Running 200/200 0 $27,625 2005 7/9 USG Durock 300 (NNS) 4 18 Running 200/200 1 $30,050 2004 7/10 Twister 300 (NNS) 9 9 Running 200/200 25 $29,125 × Race length extended due to green-white-checker finish Notes of Interest:•Yeley will attempt to make his 93rdcareer NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start in the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. He has two previous Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland with a best finish of 10thin 2006. •Yeley has competed at Chicagoland in Sprint Cup and NASCAR Nationwide Series competition. He has three top-15 finishes in Nationwide Series events with a best finish of ninth in 2004. •After failing to qualify for last Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, Yeley is 38thin Sprint Cup Series driver points. The No. 96 car is 38thin owner points, 205 points behind the 35th-place No. 77 car of Penske Racing. –DLP®HDTV–

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This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Kim DeHaven.

 

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