J.J. Yeley No. 46 Whitney Motorsports-Red Line Oil Chevrolet Preview Texas
Harrisburg, N.C. — J.J. Yeley will attempt to continue his streak of qualifying for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races this weekend in the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. It's the first ever scheduled night race for the Cup Series at TMS, and Yeley is enthusiastic about his chances to make his ninth consecutive series start dating back to the end of the 2010 season.
How difficult is it to qualify for these races when you aren't locked into the top-35? "It's unbelievably difficult. The pressure is so intense that you can't sleep and it makes your stomach tie up in knots. The competition is so tight that every little thing counts. We're talking thousandths of a second, and you can gain it or lose it in any number of ways. The driver has to be perfect on the track and the team has to have the car as close to perfect as they can get it for those two laps in qualifying."
How does Texas Motor Speedway change between day and night? "Texas Motor Speedway is one of those tracks that gains grip as it gets cooler, because of the heat during the day the track will be significantly different between practice and the race. The teams and drivers will have to work hard to find a set up that has enough adjustability to be fast because of the changing track conditions. Depending on how warm it is during practice and if the sun is beating down on the track that could be a very difficult challenge. If that's the case you might see a lot of good teams struggling and dropping back."
What's more intimidating, going into a corner at Daytona or Talladega at 190 mph or Texas at 200 mph? "The speeds that you carry into the corners at Texas make for a real white knuckle ride! You are entering the corners close to 200 miles per hour and hoping that the crew has made the correct chassis adjustments and that the car will have the grip you need to hold the bottom groove. It is one of the most intimidating tracks that we go to. The first couple of laps of practice, your qualifying run, and then the first few laps of the race are definitely intense. You start to feel a little more comfortable once you know the car is solid underneath you but you're always gripping that wheel as tight as you can."
What's your take on the final few laps at Martinsville last weekend? "What happened in Martinsville can only be described as typical short track racing at its finest. When you're racing for the win almost anything goes, especially on a short track. You can expect that kind of racing when you are racing for the win. If you're back there racing for 30th it would be frowned upon but when you're mixing it up for the checkered flag you do what you need to do."
J.J. the coach: J.J. and his wife Kristen have spent the few off days between Martinsville and Texas coaching his young daughter Faith the ins and the outs of T-ball. Faith's second game of the season is this Saturday, and after several hours of intense training in the Yeley family driveway on Monday and Tuesday the coaches say she's ready to go. "We worked on her defense and her throwing," J.J said. "She's got a rocket for an arm! I just hope she doesn't nail another kid trying to throw her out!"
J.J. at Texas: J.J. has five previous Sprint Cup Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway. His best start was second in his first ever NSCS race at TMS in April 2006, while his best finish was 17th in November 2007. His average start is 23.4 and his average finish is 31.4. He's completed 1,115 of a possible 1,680 competition laps (66.4%) and has led five laps. In seven career Nationwide Series races J.J. has a best finish of sixth in November 2006.
The Historical Fort Worth Blackstone Courtyard by Marriott is taking the checkered flag with TMS: Whitney Motorsports and the Blackstone Downtown Fort Worth Courtyard are partnering for this weekend's events at Texas Motor Speedway. The team will be staying at the hotel, which is located just 25 minutes from DFW International Airport in the heart of downtown. Located in Sundance Square, the Historical Courtyard features 203 rooms on 20 floors, offering 35-blocks of entertainment and shopping at its door step, where both locals and visitors go for food and fun. "The historic Blackstone Courtyard by Marriott is proud to announce the beginning of a long partnership with Linkous Enterprises and Whitney Motorsports," said Jed Wagenknecht, general manager of the Fort Worth Blackstone Courtyard by Marriott. "We wish them the best of luck as they race for the checkered flag at the Texas Motor Speedway this weekend." For additional information, log onto Courtyard Fort Worth/Blackstone.
For onsite interviews with J.J. Yeley at Texas Motor Speedway please contact Ron Linkous at 817-366-3687.
Follow J.J on Twitter @jjyeley1 or at facebook.com/jjyeley.