After Winning Pole at Daytona, J.J. Yeley Finished Fourth and Scored His Third Straight Top-five Finish

Event: Winn-Dixie 250
Date: June 30, 2006
Start: 1st
Finish: 4th

Race Review

Daytona Beach, FL (July 1, 2006) – After winning his third pole for the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series season, J.J. Yeley and his Vigoro / Home Depot race team finished fourth and scored their third straight top-five finish (second at Kentucky, third at Milwaukee). Ironically, all three of Yeley’s poles have come on restrictor-plate tracks, as Yeley took the pole position at Daytona in February and at Talladega in April. “I am very proud of the way our team performed at Daytona and Talladega this year,” said Yeley. “As a driver, it’s not hard to put down a qualifying lap at these places, and for us to sweep the poles at Daytona and Talladega is remarkable.”

Yeley’s fourth-place finish kept him fifth in the overall standings, but the gap from fifth to second place is now only 64 points. “If we keep knocking out finishes like this, we will be a threat for this championship,” said Yeley. “I know we have the race team to do it, and we can’t wait for next week’s race.”

Once the green flag was displayed on Friday night at Daytona, Yeley led the first eight laps and showed that he definitely had a top-five car. But once the No. 8 car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got out front, everyone realized they were racing for second place. “I don’t know what that 8 Car had figured out, but whatever it was, it was phenomenal,” said Yeley. “It looked like his car shifted into overdrive coming off the corner.”

The race had one very close call for Yeley. With only 40 laps to go, Carl Edwards and Michael Waltrip tangled near the end of the backstretch and triggered a multi-car crash. Yeley took evasive action and took his Vigoro / Home Depot machine to the apron of the track, just narrowing avoiding Waltrip and the No. 90 car of Stephen Leicht.

In the closing laps, Yeley and Edwards worked very well together as they stormed from eighth and ninth place, respectively, to finish fourth and fifth. “Carl and I worked very well together at the end of the race, and that’s what it takes at Daytona. You can’t go out and make a pass on your own. You have to have help. Well, unless you were driving the 8 Car tonight, then maybe you wouldn’t need any help. But the rest of us did.”

Yeley and his Vigoro / Home Depot teammates will travel to Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, for next week’s running of the USG Durock 300. The race will be televised on Saturday at 4:00 PM EST on TNT.