J.J. Yeley ready for Charlotte 500

Yeley in No. 38 as Team Gains Ground in Its 'Chase'
Front Row Helps Hunger Campaign with Decal and Donations

J.J. Yeley

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

Statesville, N.C. (October 11, 2011) - J.J. Yeley will take the wheel of the No. 38 Long John Silver's Ford this week at the track where he earned his best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish. Yeley will continue the No. 38 team's push to return to the top 35 in owner's points this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he finished second in 2007.

The team closed the gap on the 35th-place TRG Motorsports No. 71 entry last week at Kansas when Travis Kvapil's 27th-place finish brought the team within 28 points of the top-35. Yeley will now lead the team's charge Saturday night under the lights when NASCAR goes racing in its hometown. The Bank of America 500 will be Yeley's ninth start at the high-speed mile-and-a-half oval in Concord, N.C.

Yeley's No. 38 Ford Fusion will carry a decal for World Hunger Relief, the worldwide, annual hunger relief campaign conducted by Yum! Brands. Front Row Motorsports team owner Bob Jenkins is a Yum! Brands restaurant franchisee, operating 132 locations around the Southeast. The effort raises awareness, volunteerism and funds for the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies. Fans can learn more about the campaign or donate at www.fromhungertohope.com.

A local fundraiser to help the cause will be held in Charlotte on October 20. The event will feature a silent auction, to which Front Row has donated three pieces of autographed sheet metal signed by Yeley, Kvapil and fellow teammate David Gilliland. Details on the local event are available on Front Row's Facebook page.

Comments from Long John Silver's team driver J.J. Yeley on the Charlotte race and World Hunger Relief:

"I enjoy racing at Charlotte. It's the racetrack I got my best finish at (2nd, 2007). It's a tough racetrack because the sunlight dramatically changes the track as the race goes on. Because it's one of the faster mile-and-a-half racetracks, track position is as critical as any other track we go to. There's usually not a lot of cautions, so you really have to make sure your car is handling its best when you start the race. You can't afford to give up too much track position because you'll never get it back.

"It's a fun racetrack because the groove usually changes, and you don't see that so much on some of the other mile-and-a-half racetracks. Once we get going, usually the preferred line is on the bottom, but the groove widens out pretty quickly. That helps in trying to manage the handling of the car to where you can change lanes to find a place where you can make your car faster.

"I like night racing, as a driver and as a fan. I know some fans suffer through blistering hot conditions for some of the races on the schedule, sitting on aluminum grandstands in the sun and 80-plus degrees. That can be uncomfortable. So, I think night races can just be more comfortable for the fans as well as drivers in the cars. Plus, the cars just look cooler and they look faster. And the racing is usually a lot better because there's more grip in the racetrack. I'm a huge fan of doing all night racing.

"One of the great things about being involved with Front Row Motorsports is the opportunity to do things with Yum! Brands. With (team owner) Bob Jenkins being a franchisee of Yum! restaurants, we are working with them to promote their World Hunger Relief campaign with a decal on the decklid of the '38' car at Charlotte. It's a worldwide program and this year's campaign just kicked off recently.

"There's also a local restaurant that's doing a charity event on October 20 to help raise money for it. There will be a silent auction that night with some pieces of sheet metal signed by all three of the Front Row drivers, David Gilliland, Travis Kvapil and myself. Anytime we can do something, especially in conjunction with our sponsors, to help a cause, especially something as big as world hunger, it's very special."