Tough Night for Yeley in Richmond Busch Race

Event: Circuit City 250
Date: May 5, 2006
Start: 31st
Finish: 31st
Laps completed/Total: 249 /250

Race Review

Richmond, VA (May 6, 2006) – J.J. Yeley endured a tough evening of NASCAR Busch Series racing at Richmond International Raceway on Friday night. Entering the event fifth in the overall standings, Yeley started the 250-lap race in 31st, spent most of the evening running in the middle of the pack, then got hit by a spinning car, forcing the team to lose a lap in the pits to fix the damage. Once the night had ended, Yeley had finished 31st and fallen to eighth in the overall standings. “This is definitely one we would like to forget about,” said Yeley. “We came to Richmond and tested for two days with the rest of the Busch Series teams last month, and we had a pretty good car. But we just never really hit the setup we needed for the race. It will be nice to get out of here and get ready for Darlington next week.”

Yeley started in the back of the pack and slowly progressed inside the top 20 by Lap 80. After suffering from a loose condition, the team made several changes throughout the race to remedy the problem. Two major trackbar adjustments, two wedge adjustments and major air pressure adjustments in Yeley’s tires made a minimal amount of difference in the handling of the car. “With as many changes as we made, it is puzzling why the car never responded,” explained Yeley. “We just never got the car comfortable enough for me to get very aggressive.”

While running 14th on Lap 185, the lapped machine of Tim Sauter cut a tire in Turn 3 directly in front of Yeley. As Sauter spun, he slid down the track in Yeley’s path, causing heavy damage to the right-front of the Vigoro / Home Depot Chevrolet. The team went to work on the car, but significant time was needed, and Yeley fell of the lead lap and limped home to a finish of 31st.

Yeley is now eighth in the driver’s standings, 505 points behind series leader Kevin Harvick. The Vigoro / Home Depot team will look to regroup on Friday night at Darlington Raceway for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200. The event will be televised live on FX at 8:00 PM EST.