Yelly is a racer at heart. His journey is one to appreciate. Not every driver is going to be at one or two teams their whole career, or go on to win 50+ races and 7 championships. You can tell he enjoys doing it, and just wants to make an honest living doing the thing he loves.
If I couldn't be a driver like Kasey Kahne or Jamie McMurray who won few races but won important races, I would be J.J Yeley, I would race in bad teams, I would be a bit of a bust, but the important thing is that I would be doing what I loved most: Racing
The fact that the guy is in his late 40s, labeled a bust by everyone, and STILL outperformed RYAN FREAKING NEWMAN on the same team last year tells me he deserves way better than NY "we've stopped caring about our drivers" Racing.
JJ Yeley is just here for a good time. I know that he is getting to that age and most likely won't happen, but I sincerely hope he somehow snags a win before he hangs it up.
I hope he snags a win in the cup series also. I think the only way that will happen is if he can stay out of trouble (wrecks) and have a decent motor that doesn't blow on him, and he is in the top 6-7 on the last lap or 2 at a superspeedway track (Daytona, Talladega, and now that Atlanta races like one).
it's crazy that he's still been able to find rides after so long. he hasn't raced in a few weeks so hopefully he will return to the SS Green light 14 car and do well there for the rest of this season
Well, the guy loves racing, that's for sure! He's got 806 starts in the top 3 national series, which of course is a lot. It's also difficult to find someone who's driven this many different cars for so many different teams in Nascar!
To take every opportunity and push through no matter how slow, unprepared or underdeveloped speaks volumes about Yeley's character in my eyes. Most of us would just give up after 3-5 years of just middling around like that. Huge props to him
as someone who has raced against JJ, been his teammate and worked on cars he's driven i cannot deny that his is the ultimate bulldog. he grinds and never says no in even the most inopportune circumstances. i'd love to be in his place one day if it never really works out for me but the truth is not many can do what he's done over and over.
This is a really great video, JJ Yeley i wish his career panned out, and don’t consider a bust, he had the misfortune of being rushed to the Cup series by Gibbs, but ever since then JJ Yeley has been a extremely serviceable driver for many teams, and quite frankly showed the ability many times to put cars in the race that didn’t deserve to. Yeley is someone who deserves a lot of credit for never giving up, really appreciate this video.
@@thunderstrikesc1261 Bam that's the tea. Yeah you never exactly could be poor and get into racing, but of late half the "prospects" are the kids of 8-digit-salary families.
@@thunderstrikesc1261He was also a victim of the rush to get open-wheel/sprint car prospects to Cup in the mid/late 2000s. If he’d had more time with Gibbs in the Busch Series I think his career might’ve turned out differently.
Can you imagine if he gets a win at the Daytona 500 or a Dega race somehow?! It would be like McDowell but ramped up to 11. I’ll always remember Yeley in the #18.
Yeley is honestly not that bad of a driver right now. He's done well, and I hope a few teams continue to sign him. Yeah, he didn't do well with JGR, but then again, neither did Michael McDowell. And people see him as a great driver! I think JJ could do some good work in a decent Xfinity series ride.
Yeley also never really got a "second chance". He was with JGR, shoulda coulda woulda won like 3 or 4 Busch races, never excelled in Cup but had some good runs (and with a better career average than drivers that got much longer chances), from my understanding made the decision to go to Hall of Fame Racing over another team he was offered a ride from (don't remember which team), and sadly he tanked with that team and never got another serious shot.
@@iBolt07IIRC Hall of Fame had an alliance with JGR at that point. If memory serves Yeley had a 3 year JGR deal and was bumped to the 96 so Gibbs wouldn’t have to pay him the out clause for releasing him to put Kyle Busch in the 18.
@@gabepollock1641 yeah mb that is correct, hell he even drove the 20 for a sick Tony Stewart later in the season. I feel like some major team had a chance for him though and he turned it down, but I might be misremembering, I think it would be really out of character for him to turn down a top notch ride, he's very passionate about racing and I know he would want to be competitive.
Are there guys that make full careers and are successful on dirt? I know the big races pay a ton, but you gotta do really well for the big money, right?
@@extragoogleaccount6061 He was, and with the High Limit Sprint Car Series now a liable and legit series with unbeatable payouts compared to other sprint car series, I'd like to see JJ make a full-time comeback to dirt.
Banger video. New sub. And dumb personal fact: I got nicknamed "JJ" by my little sister due to Yeley replacing my favorite driver Bobby Labonte and also simply not knowing how to speak yet 😂
Yeley's total number of teams isn't a record. Tiny Lund raced for 49 teams in Cup alone (in only 303 starts!) And between all three series no one is anywhere close to Morgan Shepherd. Counting a couple of Busch one-offs for unknown owners, he's attempted to race for 84 different teams.
it sucks that NASCAR fans wanna talk about how bad his JGR stint was instead of talking about him being one of the best midfield and backmarker drivers and an awesome USAC Sprint Car driver too. I've always respected Yeley's career. My favorite moment was when he finished 6th at the 2nd Iowa Xfinity Race in 2017 after Mark Smith (TriStar Motorsports owner) died 4 days prior. PUT SOME RESPECT IN JJ'S NAME!
Believe it or not, alot of fans/people considered Joey Logano's time at JGR a bust as well. He was hyped up sooo much analysts were expecting him to win a championship in his first couple of years in the cup series along with a ton of wins. His wins didn't come like JGR wanted (2 wins in 4 seasons) and he was probably too young and maybe was "rushed along" to fast. Either way Logano was put in the #20 to replace Tony Stewart and had HUGE shoes to fill immediately and he was under immense pressure. After his first contract, JGR didn't push hard to resign him and Logano moved over to Penske where he has absolutely flourished (something like 26-27 wins and 2 cup championships at Penske). I just wish good, dedicated drivers like Yeley, Sorenson, and Corey Lajoe could be blessed with the "almost perfect circle" on their cup team. The "circle" being top tier cup team with money, good pit crew/crew chief, good engine/R&D department, and an owner that is willing to help the team not just have a goal to be competitive, but have goals like top 3's and wins.
Anyone here after the announcement that Yeley will be running the Atlanta Playoff race in the 44 for Ny Racing Team part-time as he has done this season?
I know nascar hasn’t worked out for him much but hey he never lost a fan from me especially since his dirt days as I’m glad to still see him running all these years later
Hamlin came close to securing a title multiple times since his early years in Cup. But somehow, someway, things go wrong and it usually isn't his fault. 2010: Greg Biffle turned down off of turn 2 at Homestead and caused Hamlin to spin and break his splitter. #11 Finished 12th. 2019: Won his way into Miami via a late race restart at Phoenix. A crew member put a massive piece of tape on the grille on the last pit stop which resulted in overheating and Denny having to pit again. Finished 10th, last car on the lead lap. 2021: Advanced to Phoenix with a win at Vegas and had great pace to challenge Larson for the title until David Starr had an issue resulting in a late caution. The #5 crew cooked on the last pit stop and got Larson ahead of everyone else. #11 ended up finishing 4th behind Elliott and his teammate, Truex. '22 is pretty self-explanatory. 2023: steering failed at Homestead causing the 11 to slam the wall and DNF of the race. Finished 3rd at Martinsville resulting in a R8 elimination when Blaney won.
Been a Yeley fan for awhile ashame his time in nascar hasn’t been too good he was rushed way to quick and when he didn’t perform he got cut and no big team decided to give him another chance unfortunately since he’s had some good runs with random back marker teams in recent years
Most starts in all 3 nascar series without a win. It's always funny when people talk about truex, hamlin, and kyle busch need retiring for a performance decline when there's a driver out there who has raced longer and never done shit lol
J.J was a joke i remember Bobby Labonte left #18 and he was supposed to be the next big thing wasn't long Kyle Busch took his job because J.J kept tearing up racecard 😂😂
Do you also remember Bobby Labonte and the #18 team having an absolutely dreadful final season together in 2005 and finishing 24th in points? Yeley wasn't the only reason that team ran the way it did in 2006-2007. Joe Gibbs was still trying to be loyal to Norm Miller and run the #18 team solely off Interstate Batteries' sponsorship, and the money wasn't stretching nearly as far as it used to. Kyle Busch was obviously a massive upgrade, but the money from M&Ms coming on board was a huge factor too.
Racing isn’t all about winning. Can’t respect JJ Yeley more for the grind, determination and never give up attitude.
Yelly is a racer at heart. His journey is one to appreciate. Not every driver is going to be at one or two teams their whole career, or go on to win 50+ races and 7 championships. You can tell he enjoys doing it, and just wants to make an honest living doing the thing he loves.
I’ve always liked Yeley. He is passionate about racing and he knows it’s not just about winning
Bust?
Nah, he's my GOAT, dude. He's legit one of my favorite drivers of all-time
If I couldn't be a driver like Kasey Kahne or Jamie McMurray who won few races but won important races, I would be J.J Yeley, I would race in bad teams, I would be a bit of a bust, but the important thing is that I would be doing what I loved most: Racing
The fact that the guy is in his late 40s, labeled a bust by everyone, and STILL outperformed RYAN FREAKING NEWMAN on the same team last year tells me he deserves way better than NY "we've stopped caring about our drivers" Racing.
It took him 20 years to finally outperform Newman, and for that he deserves a better ride?! 💀💀💀💀💀💀
In all fairness, Newman was driving a shitbox...
@@SoldiesBC So was JJY... They were on the same team... And JJ was FAR better than Newman in the same equipment.
newman has had lots of really hard impacts, consider that
JJ Yeley is just here for a good time. I know that he is getting to that age and most likely won't happen, but I sincerely hope he somehow snags a win before he hangs it up.
I hope he snags a win in the cup series also. I think the only way that will happen is if he can stay out of trouble (wrecks) and have a decent motor that doesn't blow on him, and he is in the top 6-7 on the last lap or 2 at a superspeedway track (Daytona, Talladega, and now that Atlanta races like one).
J.J. Yeley deserves more respect from fans, and that's a fact!
it's crazy that he's still been able to find rides after so long. he hasn't raced in a few weeks so hopefully he will return to the SS Green light 14 car and do well there for the rest of this season
And he's done pretty well when he races in Rick ware
He dosnt tear up equipment and is a veteran
Well, the guy loves racing, that's for sure! He's got 806 starts in the top 3 national series, which of course is a lot. It's also difficult to find someone who's driven this many different cars for so many different teams in Nascar!
I find it crazy, that he was able to Experience a Petty dodge and a JGR 20 car
To take every opportunity and push through no matter how slow, unprepared or underdeveloped speaks volumes about Yeley's character in my eyes. Most of us would just give up after 3-5 years of just middling around like that. Huge props to him
as someone who has raced against JJ, been his teammate and worked on cars he's driven i cannot deny that his is the ultimate bulldog. he grinds and never says no in even the most inopportune circumstances. i'd love to be in his place one day if it never really works out for me but the truth is not many can do what he's done over and over.
Got to watch JJ at the Corn Belt Clash in Knoxville this year. Guy knows how to wheel a USAC sprint car for sure!
Got hard charger and a top 10 both nights. Dude can still drive the piss out of a nonwing sprint.
This is a really great video, JJ Yeley i wish his career panned out, and don’t consider a bust, he had the misfortune of being rushed to the Cup series by Gibbs, but ever since then JJ Yeley has been a extremely serviceable driver for many teams, and quite frankly showed the ability many times to put cars in the race that didn’t deserve to. Yeley is someone who deserves a lot of credit for never giving up, really appreciate this video.
Been a big jj fan glad to see him still in cup for as long has he’s been.
JJ Yeley is a Legend
Even though he Is a Bust from a Stastistical Standpoint
because he doesn't have daddy money to get good equipment
@@thunderstrikesc1261 Bam that's the tea. Yeah you never exactly could be poor and get into racing, but of late half the "prospects" are the kids of 8-digit-salary families.
@@iBolt07 exactly
@@thunderstrikesc1261He was also a victim of the rush to get open-wheel/sprint car prospects to Cup in the mid/late 2000s. If he’d had more time with Gibbs in the Busch Series I think his career might’ve turned out differently.
Can you imagine if he gets a win at the Daytona 500 or a Dega race somehow?! It would be like McDowell but ramped up to 11. I’ll always remember Yeley in the #18.
Yeley is honestly not that bad of a driver right now. He's done well, and I hope a few teams continue to sign him. Yeah, he didn't do well with JGR, but then again, neither did Michael McDowell. And people see him as a great driver! I think JJ could do some good work in a decent Xfinity series ride.
Yeley also never really got a "second chance". He was with JGR, shoulda coulda woulda won like 3 or 4 Busch races, never excelled in Cup but had some good runs (and with a better career average than drivers that got much longer chances), from my understanding made the decision to go to Hall of Fame Racing over another team he was offered a ride from (don't remember which team), and sadly he tanked with that team and never got another serious shot.
@@iBolt07IIRC Hall of Fame had an alliance with JGR at that point. If memory serves Yeley had a 3 year JGR deal and was bumped to the 96 so Gibbs wouldn’t have to pay him the out clause for releasing him to put Kyle Busch in the 18.
@@gabepollock1641 yeah mb that is correct, hell he even drove the 20 for a sick Tony Stewart later in the season. I feel like some major team had a chance for him though and he turned it down, but I might be misremembering, I think it would be really out of character for him to turn down a top notch ride, he's very passionate about racing and I know he would want to be competitive.
Great Video, been a lifelong JJ Yeley fan
JJ Yeley comeback season let's go 😢
JJ was never a winner, but he has certainly impacted the sport in a positive way! Love seeing some more JJ respect
I really like JJ Yeley, but part of me wonders how amazing he would've been if he had stayed on dirt. Dude was a force in USAC.
Are there guys that make full careers and are successful on dirt? I know the big races pay a ton, but you gotta do really well for the big money, right?
@@extragoogleaccount6061 He was, and with the High Limit Sprint Car Series now a liable and legit series with unbeatable payouts compared to other sprint car series, I'd like to see JJ make a full-time comeback to dirt.
JJ Yeley and Reed Sorenson seemed to be the two go-to drivers for smaller teams.
If Reed was still driving
JJ deserves some respect for how long he’s raced for
Banger video. New sub. And dumb personal fact: I got nicknamed "JJ" by my little sister due to Yeley replacing my favorite driver Bobby Labonte and also simply not knowing how to speak yet 😂
I think the highlight was this year in the duels he showed he can compete if given the chance imagine him with Jgr now
JJ is the only driver I've had the chance to get anything signed by. Always liked him and seeing him do well in that dirt Bristol race had me jumping.
JJ Yelley is one of only two drivers to win the triple crown in USAC. That alone tells how talented he is
Yeley's total number of teams isn't a record. Tiny Lund raced for 49 teams in Cup alone (in only 303 starts!) And between all three series no one is anywhere close to Morgan Shepherd. Counting a couple of Busch one-offs for unknown owners, he's attempted to race for 84 different teams.
What do you mean? he was the 2009 F1 world champion
Oh yeah I can’t believe I forgot about that 😂😂
it sucks that NASCAR fans wanna talk about how bad his JGR stint was instead of talking about him being one of the best midfield and backmarker drivers and an awesome USAC Sprint Car driver too.
I've always respected Yeley's career. My favorite moment was when he finished 6th at the 2nd Iowa Xfinity Race in 2017 after Mark Smith (TriStar Motorsports owner) died 4 days prior.
PUT SOME RESPECT IN JJ'S NAME!
Believe it or not, alot of fans/people considered Joey Logano's time at JGR a bust as well. He was hyped up sooo much analysts were expecting him to win a championship in his first couple of years in the cup series along with a ton of wins. His wins didn't come like JGR wanted (2 wins in 4 seasons) and he was probably too young and maybe was "rushed along" to fast. Either way Logano was put in the #20 to replace Tony Stewart and had HUGE shoes to fill immediately and he was under immense pressure. After his first contract, JGR didn't push hard to resign him and Logano moved over to Penske where he has absolutely flourished (something like 26-27 wins and 2 cup championships at Penske). I just wish good, dedicated drivers like Yeley, Sorenson, and Corey Lajoe could be blessed with the "almost perfect circle" on their cup team. The "circle" being top tier cup team with money, good pit crew/crew chief, good engine/R&D department, and an owner that is willing to help the team not just have a goal to be competitive, but have goals like top 3's and wins.
If it wasn't for his horrible time at JGR, where he was brought up way too soon, most would look at his NASCAR career very differently
I loved watching him run USAC Silver Crown cars.
Think hes the only driver from Nascar 2005 Chase for the Cup thats still racing
Kyle Busch (I know he was on the busch series roster but still)
Denny was a rookie the same year as Yeley
Anyone here after the announcement that Yeley will be running the Atlanta Playoff race in the 44 for Ny Racing Team part-time as he has done this season?
Me. I sincerely hope the 44 can make at least one more race this year
I know nascar hasn’t worked out for him much but hey he never lost a fan from me especially since his dirt days as I’m glad to still see him running all these years later
My favorite USAC driver next to Clauson I always keep my eye out for yeley in the cup car
Your 2009 F1 world champion ❤
Would love to see jgr put him in a car 1 more time
I think after 21 years he deserves it
Give me JJ in the Xfinity all-star car. Load him up at his best track and see what he’s got.
At least Yeley despite being a bust has managed to remained in NASCAR to this day that's impressive in it's own right.
"He never showed the potential to be a cup champion"
*Denny Hamlin has entered the chat*
Hamlin came close to securing a title multiple times since his early years in Cup. But somehow, someway, things go wrong and it usually isn't his fault.
2010: Greg Biffle turned down off of turn 2 at Homestead and caused Hamlin to spin and break his splitter. #11 Finished 12th.
2019: Won his way into Miami via a late race restart at Phoenix. A crew member put a massive piece of tape on the grille on the last pit stop which resulted in overheating and Denny having to pit again. Finished 10th, last car on the lead lap.
2021: Advanced to Phoenix with a win at Vegas and had great pace to challenge Larson for the title until David Starr had an issue resulting in a late caution. The #5 crew cooked on the last pit stop and got Larson ahead of everyone else. #11 ended up finishing 4th behind Elliott and his teammate, Truex.
'22 is pretty self-explanatory.
2023: steering failed at Homestead causing the 11 to slam the wall and DNF of the race. Finished 3rd at Martinsville resulting in a R8 elimination when Blaney won.
@@TheHighRoad1748 that was a really long way to say "Denny has never won a championship".
Christ. I knew he'd been around the block a time or three, but 42! That's insane.
I think JJ Yeley belongs in the history books next to someone like JD McDuffie
I just want him to win a race
Regardless, he still has lived the dream. 🏎️
And remember, he was the 2009 f1 champ 🤷🤷
3:05 wait, Hamlin was rookie of the year in 05 in the Busch Series and Yeley was 11th in points in 05.
That’s true. Yeley has a couple more top 5s and top 10s but Hamlin was more consistent
Don't worry yeley in the nascar heat 5 2022 dlc if you simulate it he will win a few times
I think jj started in cup at the wrong time with a Gibbs team in transition. Seemed to happen to a lot of guys around then.
15:57 do I hear sliding paper? Is that your script? 😂
Really enjoying the video so far; maybe I’ll edit this comment once I’m done
Good video Joe
thank you for this wooooo!!!
The goat
You're only a bust if you give up
Been a Yeley fan for awhile ashame his time in nascar hasn’t been too good he was rushed way to quick and when he didn’t perform he got cut and no big team decided to give him another chance unfortunately since he’s had some good runs with random back marker teams in recent years
The greatest field filler of all time
How many different 🤔 numbers has he raced under in NASCAR, gotta be a lot.
i said Premium, i assume he did a race with them but not sure
24:20 i have the quarter panel of that car in my apartment
Most starts in all 3 nascar series without a win. It's always funny when people talk about truex, hamlin, and kyle busch need retiring for a performance decline when there's a driver out there who has raced longer and never done shit lol
I will say crashing the Israel car is a W
Can you do one in my favorite driver David Ragan?
Heck I have the perfect title for it
*From Roush to Underdog*
Without him, where would Front Row Motorsports be today?
Not a bust guy is a wheel man
He may be a wheel man but he is a nascar bust
Corey LaJoie just like him
Only 2 other drivers I can think race with multiple teams mike bliss and derrike cope
He needs to finally quit.
J.J was a joke i remember Bobby Labonte left #18 and he was supposed to be the next big thing wasn't long Kyle Busch took his job because J.J kept tearing up racecard 😂😂
Do you also remember Bobby Labonte and the #18 team having an absolutely dreadful final season together in 2005 and finishing 24th in points? Yeley wasn't the only reason that team ran the way it did in 2006-2007. Joe Gibbs was still trying to be loyal to Norm Miller and run the #18 team solely off Interstate Batteries' sponsorship, and the money wasn't stretching nearly as far as it used to. Kyle Busch was obviously a massive upgrade, but the money from M&Ms coming on board was a huge factor too.