JJ Yeley aiming for more Cup Series races with Rick Ware Racing

With over 354 Cup Series starts under his belt, J.J. Yeley has been competing in NASCAR’s premier series since 2004.

About 20 percent of those races have been run with team owner Rick Ware — 73 to be exact — the equivalent to more than two full-time seasons in the Cup Series.

Yeley has driven in various races for Rick Ware Racing since 2018 and has raced twice this year in the No. 15 for the team. The 46-year-old driver won’t be behind-the-wheel this weekend in Phoenix, but is working on trying to land more sponsorship for the year.

“The main goal to make this sport work is you have to have sponsorship, so we’re getting closer to having a lot of the races we still have left in our schedule for ‘23 closed here soon,” Yeley said to The Racing Experts.

Yeley added the No. 15 already has races taken by Riley Herbst and off the table with the road course races, but that he may race more intermediate tracks for the team.

“Right now we’re getting closer,” Yeley said. “My goal was to have the sponsorship in place to at least lock in the majority of the ovals we have left on the schedule.”

Yeley has earned 1 pole, 2 Top-5 finishes, 8 Top-10 finishes and 79 laps led across his Cup Series career.

Yeley’s highest finish with RWR came at the 2019 July Daytona race where he finished 12th.