Full Throttle

Where in the world is JJ Yeley?

Glad you asked. No really!

You won’t find him on the entry list for the Hefty Odor Block (The What!) 200, and you won’t find him among the Checker Auto Parts 500 entries at Phoenix either.

But he is in the area. Just down the road a piece from PIR.

The USAC Triple Crown winner, former IndyCar driver, former Joe Gibbs Racing driver, former Hall of Fame Racing driver and currently unemployed at the NASCAR level driver is going back to his roots this weekend.

Yeley is entered in tonight’s and Saturday night’s races at the NAPA/Budweiser/Parker Store Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway.

Yeley will be driving a 410 sprint car that he co-owns with his father, “Cactus” Jack Yeley. He has never won the Western but has enjoyed plenty of success at Manzanita setting track speed records for 10 and 30 laps in January 1998 that still stand.

Yeley’s best Manzanita performance came in the 2001 World Championships as he broke in the Friday qualifying event and had to work his way through the lower main events. JJ took his GT Racing /ABC Sand & Rock #76 Twister to the C-Main victory. Transferring from the B-Main, Yeley started the 40 lap A-Main from the 10th row and finished 4th.

NOTE: For a taste of the action at Manzanita’s half mile dirt see this video of the 2007 Western World Championships.

JJ Yeley isn’t the only NASCAR driver going back to their roots this weekend.

Ryan Newman qualified his USAC Silver Crown car in fourth place for the 33rd Copper World Classic held last night. Although Newman led 4 of the first five laps Roush Racing driver Bobby East took the checker flag in the event.

East took the pole in each round of afternoon qualifying (both USAC Midget and Silver Crown divisions) and led 121 of 125 possible laps on the evening.