Triple threat: young J.J. Yeley has the talent, the backing and the crew chief to parlay an outstanding USAC run into success in the Busch Series and beyond

Sporting News, The, May 24, 2004 by Roger Kuznia

Utter the words Triple Crown, and names such as Secretariat and Seattle Slew, or maybe Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams come to mind.

No wonder, then, big things are predicted for J.J. Yeley, who won USAC's Triple Crown in 2003 and used that leverage to boost him into NASCAR. Yeley, who set a USAC single-season record by winning a total of 24 feature events in the national Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown series a year ago, is running 22 races this year for Joe Gibbs Racing, 18 of them in the Busch Series. He'll also compete in the IROC Series.

The only other driver in USAC history to win the Triple Crown is Tony Stewart, who owned Yeley's Sprint team and co-owned his Silver Crown team in the record-breaking season.

"I know that Tony used to brag to the guys that he was the only one who did that," Yeley (pronounced YAY-lee) says with a smile. "Now that I've done the same thing, I've got a little up on him because I won 10 more races doing it. And the guys let him know it, too."

The USAC-to-NASCAR route has produced success for several drivers, most notably Cup champions Stewart and Jeff Gordon and standout Nextel Cup rookie Kasey Kahne.

Yeley, 27, is in virtually the same position Kahne was in two years ago, coming to NASCAR with no stock car experience. It's a feeling-out process Kahne remembers well.

"When I got into the heavier Busch cars, they move around a lot more," Kahne says. "It's a lot different than a sprint car, and it took me a long time to get the feel of the car on fresh tires--just finding a balance, where I want the car to start in a run so it finishes (well) at the end of the run."

Despite running for highly regarded Robert Yates Racing in 2002, Kahne's Busch team wasn't managed effectively. Kahne didn't begin feeling comfortable in a stock car until he worked for Akins Motorsports last year.

Yeley's rookie effort is a lot more organized, though the learning curve is just as steep. Yeley is not yet in the position to suggest precise changes to the car; all he can do now is say whether the car is loose or tight in the corners. It's largely up to veteran crew chief Doug Hewitt to make the changes based on feedback.

In six races this season, Yeley has not finished on the lead lap; his best finish was 16th May 8 at Gateway near St. Louis. It's progress, but it's still tough to swallow. Yeley can't remember the last time he was even lapped before this season.

"The guys are always pumped up, but I get a little discouraged sometimes because I'm used to running up front," Yeley says. "If you go out and struggle a little bit, it works on you. ... We're testing quite a bit and know we have a good program. It's just a matter of everything falling into place."

Yeley is not one to sit around until that happens. A hands-on driver, Yeley seeks out answers from all of the resources within his grasp. When the Busch and Nextel Cup series run at the same track, he'll often stay to observe what he can, listening to Gibbs drivers Stewart and Bobby Labonte and their crews on the scanner to pick up pointers.

"The real good thing about J.J. is that he asks everybody questions," Hewitt says. "... He listens to the guys on our team. He listens to everybody's input, and he sorts out what he needs for himself and uses it."

The ultimate goal is for Yeley to graduate full time to the Cup level. Yeley would like that to happen next year and at the same time run the full Busch schedule. But garage insiders say a full-time Cup ride in 2005 might be a little too ambitious, considering Yeley's limited stock car experience.

FOX Sports analyst Larry McReynolds would like to see Yeley compete for the Busch championship in '05 and make the change in '06.

"Can I sit here and bang the gavel and say J.J. Yeley doesn't need to go to Nextel Cup full time next year, with the talent that's surfaced here lately with very limited or no experience in Busch?" McReynolds says. "I don't think anybody can do that. But as we all know, you can come into Cup, and they will take your tail and hand it back to you and laugh. It can hurt your career."

J.D. Gibbs, president of Gibbs Racing, says there is no timetable to move Yeley up. It all depends on Yeley's progress this season. Yeley will get a taste of the big time when he participates in the fall Nextel Cup races at Charlotte, Atlanta and Homestead, and that might indicate whether he's ready.

"Our goal is not to put any pressure on J.J.," Gibbs says. "We want him to learn at his own pace, and we'll know when he's ready to make the jump."

And when Yeley does make that jump, he won't be satisfied until he wins a championship.

Rookie report

Nine drivers are competing for top rookie honors in the Busch Series, including Yeley. Four others worth watching:

* Kyle Busch. Driving the same car that Brian Vickers drove to last year's Busch championship, Busch, 19, is in position to repeat the feat.

* Clint Bowyer. Bowyer, who will be 25 on May 30, is scheduled to start 14 races in Richard Childress Racing's No. 21 Chevy. His best finish is fourth at Nashville. He has the team and talent to win a race this year.