It’s been difficult for Josh Yost to find his place at the racetrack following a pit road accident May 1 at Talladega Superspeedway. A man who’s comfortable being inches away from speeding cars and teammates working at a frantic, yet precise, pace now feels awkward as he inches along with a bulky cast following reconstructive surgery on his ankle. Yost was struck by Rusty Wallace’s #2 car during the race at what most drivers feel is the widest, safest pit road in all of NASCAR. It will take a year of rehabilitation before Yost can return to his work as #31-Jeff Burton’s jackman, but for now, all he can do is sit around and offer moral support to his teammates – sometimes by simply being in the way. “It’s a matter of inches every time you’re out there,” Yost said. “It’s amazing it doesn’t happen more often.” Yost said fans don’t know about most of the problems for the over-the-wall crewmen because they often continue their work after being knocked down. Despite a serious injury that will take a year to heal, Yost said he plans to be back on the jack next year. “It broke my fibia, kind of crushed it. The side skirt cut through the back of my heel, through all the tendons and ligaments and joint capsule and came out through the front of my foot,” he said. “It basically looked like you de-boned a ham.” During his rehabilitation, Yost only comes to the racetrack when NASCAR is close to his home near Welcome, N.C. “I’ll be back,” he said. “I’m not worried, I’m not scared. I like being close to the action.”(Augusta Chronicle)(7-21-2005)
