JJ Yeley will drive the No. 44 NASCAR Chevy Camaro ZL1 at Daytona International Speedway in an attempt to make the 2024 Daytona 500 field during qualifying on February 14th, 2024. Yeley will compete in place of Greg Biffle, who was initially expected to drive the No. 44 Camaro, but boycotted the race due to a payment dispute with NY Racing Team.
Yeley has extensive experience in the Cup Series, and the 2024 Daytona 500 will be his 10th attempt at the Great American Race. He most recently competed in the Daytona 500 in 2015, where he started 25th and finished 40th, and although he attempted to qualify in 2020 and 2022, he did not make the field in either race. He has a best finish of 10th which he earned in 2013.
Yeley drove for Rick Ware Racing, a Ford-backed motorsports team, during the 2023 season, driving Ford Mustang race cars for the organization. His best finish was seventh at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Yeley’s addition to the initial Daytona 500 entry list makes him the sixth open team vying for a starting position in this year’s running. He will participate in time trials during Wednesday’s qualifying session, and if he performs well enough, he will then race in the Duels on Thursday, February 15th for his official starting position during Sunday’s race. If Yeley fails to qualify on Wednesday, then the No. 44 NASCAR Chevy will not compete in the Daytona 500.
As a reminder, Biffle decided against driving for NY Racing Team this year, citing a payment dispute with the organization. Biffle alleges that he has not yet been paid for five races run during the 2022 Cup Series season and indicated that he is not interested in continuing his relationship with NY Racing Team until the dispute is settled.
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Comments
Dead beat owners in all businesses! I hope JJ got paid up front or maybe put it in escrow?
Unfortunately, JJ DNQ this year. Better luck next year.