J.J. Yeley to Perform Triple-Duty at Atlanta
Yeley Will Enter the IROC, Busch and Nextel Cup Series Events This Weekend

Yeley is already at Atlanta Motor Speedway preparing for Saturday's IROC season finale.
Robert McCarty Photo

Huntersville, NC (October 27, 2004) - J.J. Yeley will perform triple-duty this weekend as he enters three events at Atlanta Motor Speedway. On Saturday, Yeley will drive his #18 Vigoro/Home Depot Chevrolet in the Aaron's 312 NASCAR Busch Series race. Later on Saturday, Yeley will start the Crown Royal IROC Series season finale from the pole in his #80 machine. Then on Sunday Yeley will race the #11 MBNA Chevrolet in the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event.

"I am very excited about all of the racing that lies before me this weekend," said Yeley. "We have performed very well on the 1.5-mile race tracks this year with our Joe Gibbs Racing Busch program, so that certainly gives me some added confidence going to Atlanta."

A native of Phoenix, the 28-year-old Yeley joined Joe Gibbs Racing with an impressive list of credentials. In 2003, he became only the second driver in racing history to win the USAC Triple Crown by earning the Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown championships in a single season. En route to that milestone, Yeley earned a total of 24 USAC victories, easily surpassing the mark of 19 set by A.J. Foyt in 1961 and tied in 1988 by Sleepy Tripp and in 2000 by Jay Drake. And while amassing such a large win total, Yeley became the first driver in USAC history to win on pavement and dirt in all three national series in a single season.

In 2004, Yeley has competed in 15 NASCAR Busch Series races and one NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race for Joe Gibbs Racing. His best Busch Series finish came in his last start, where he finished sixth at Kansas Speedway. But his best Busch Series performance thus far came at Chicagoland Speedway, as Yeley led 25 laps and appeared well on his way to his first career victory before late-race pit strategy relegated Yeley to a finish of ninth.

Yeley recently tested a Joe Gibbs Racing NEXTEL Cup Series car at Atlanta, but rain shortened his planned two-day test to just one day. "We were pretty pleased with our test session at Atlanta," explained Yeley. "We were only able to get one day of testing in because rain washed out the second day. There were some other things that we would like to have tried setup-wise, but we've got a good baseline to start with for our MBNA Chevrolet. I know we'll be strong on Saturday in our Vigoro/Home Depot car because we've been so strong at tracks like this throughout the year. And of course, starting on the pole in the IROC race will be very exciting. I plan on making my car as wide as possible and leading every lap in that one."

Yeley will have many followers with a vested interest during the weekend, as The Home Depot's headquarters are in Atlanta, and MBNA is a title sponsor of Sunday's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race, the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500. "Joe Gibbs Racing has enjoyed tremendous support from many great companies over the years, and The Home Depot and MBNA certainly are at the top of that list. I drive these cars with great pride because they represent first-class companies, just like our race team. Without their support and the support from Spectrum Brands and Vigoro, I wouldn't be able to participate in the most competitive form of racing in the world."

Yeley and the rest of the NASCAR family will be racing with heavy hearts at Atlanta after the recent events involving the Hendrick Motorsports aviation tragedy. "All of our thoughts and prayers are with everyone at Hendrick Motorsports and with the friends, family members, and loved ones of all those that were lost in that plane," said Yeley. "We want everyone affected to know that we are here for them, we give them our utmost support, and we're praying for each of them during this very difficult time."