JJ Yeley, the 26-year-old USAC national sprint-car champ and Silver Crown champ, has signed a contract to join Joe Gibbs’ team next season, team sources confirmed yesterday, though the announcement isn’t expected for a few weeks. JJ, whose real name is Christopher Beltram Hernandez Yeley, has Tony Stewart as a mentor and now as a teammate. But Yeley may have a long way to go before making it to the Winston/Nextel Cup tour. Jimmy Makar, general manager for Gibbs, says that the new team is still in a formative stage. “We’re trying to develop a program to develop a young driver,” Makar says. “We’ve got some sponsorship irons in the fire, a few small things we’re working on, but nothing major yet. We’re looking at doing some Busch races and some ARCA races next year. We’ll really just take it as it comes. There’s nothing saying we have to run X-amount of races in any one division. We’ll start testing and see how he develops, and add races as he develops.” Who will run the team? “We’ve got six or seven guys on a list to talk to,” Makar says. “We’ve talked to a few already, and we’ll talk to more in the next few weeks, and decide which way to go.”( Winston Salem Journal )(11-17-2003) UPDATE: Open wheel standout JJ Yeley said Tuesday he has signed a two-year contract with the powerful Joe Gibbs Racing team, whose drivers have won two of the past four NASCAR Winston Cup championships. “A lot of different teams were interested, but out of all of the programs, I think this is the best one for a long-term situation,” said Yeley, a Phoenix native now living near Indianapolis. “They’re very well respected, and they have everything it takes to get me to the next level.” No one from the Gibbs team could be reached for comment, but Yeley said a formal announcement is expected today. Yeley recently turned his attention toward NASCAR after being unable to land a full-time Indy Racing League ride, and he immediately landed on the Gibbs’ radar screen in part because Tony Stewart owns or co-owns two of the U.S. Auto Club cars Yeley drives. Stewart won the 2002 NASCAR title for Gibbs, and teammate Bobby Labonte was the 2000 champion. In time, perhaps as early as the 2005 season, Yeley hopes to reach the top NASCAR series, which will become the Nextel Cup in 2004. Until then, Yeley will divide next season between the NASCAR Busch Series and the ARCA circuit. “There’s also a chance I could do a couple of Cup races,” said Yeley, who is testing today and Thursday at Kentucky Speedway.( Arizona Republic )(11-19-2003) UPDATE 2: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) signed United States Auto Club (USAC) standout J.J Yeley to a multi-year contract. Beginning with the 2004 racing season, Yeley will run an A-B-C schedule, consisting of seven to eight ARCA races, 10-12 NASCAR Busch Series races and two to three NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races. MBNA, the world’s largest independent credit card issuer and longtime JGR supporter, will back Yeley’s effort as an associate sponsor. A primary sponsor has yet to be secured. “J.J. Yeley is a very talented racer who everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing is excited to have,” said team owner Joe Gibbs. “He has accomplished a lot in a very short period of time in many different racing disciplines. His track record in USAC mirrors Tony Stewart’s before he came to NASCAR, and Tony’s time spent driving stock cars for JGR has worked out very well for him and for us. We’re hoping the same is true with J.J.” A native of Phoenix, the 27-year-old Yeley comes to JGR with an impressive list of credentials that could become even more impressive in the coming days. Yeley is on track to match Stewart’s record of earning USAC’s Triple Crown – winning the Sprint, Midget and Silver Crown championships in a single season. Yeley has already wrapped up the Sprint and Silver Crown titles, and with only two races remaining – Nov. 22 at Tucson (Ariz.) Raceway Park and Nov. 27 at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway – he leads the Midget standings by 121 points over nearest pursuer Tracy Hines. “This has already been a great year for me,” said Yeley, who in 2002 won the Silver Crown championship and finished second in the Sprint and Midget standings. “There’s still some work for me to do in USAC, but having the opportunity to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing is something any driver would want. It’s a good home, with Tony Stewart and Mike Bliss – guys who came up through the USAC ranks before me – already there. It’s a great challenge and there’s a lot to learn, but I’m ready for it.” “J.J. is the number one candidate from the USAC series to move up,” said Stewart, winner of the Triple Crown in 1995. “What he can do on dirt tracks is awesome, and all year he’s gotten better and better with what he’s been able to do on pavement. It’s just a matter of time before he gets the hang of stock cars. He’s shown his adaptability since he came to USAC in 1997, and his versatility will be an asset in NASCAR.” Yeley has earned a total of 24 wins this year in USAC, 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. Fourteen of Yeley’s wins have come in Sprint Cars, where Stewart is the owner, while four other wins have come in the Silver Crown car, which Stewart co-owns with Bob East. En route to 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.( Joe Gibbs Racing PR/site )(11-20-2003)
