Struggles continue for NY Racing Team and JJ Yeley

NY Racing Team’s 2024 NASCAR Cup Series return can be summed up in one word: “Struggling.”

The weekend at Pocono Raceway was their fourth appearance of 2024. They picked up Ollie’s Bargain Outlet as a sponsor and brought J.J. Yeley back. NY Racing Team’s No. 44 Chevrolet was the only open entry on the 37-car entry list.

Pocono was the first real time the Yeley practiced his car as they didn’t practice at Daytona. Then, handling issues hurt them at Las Vegas and tech issues hurt them at Charlotte.

Despite being slowest in practice, Yeley and the team finally gained information on what the car would do in the race. Then, due to a minor mechanical issue, they chose to forgo qualifying and took the 37th and final spot on the grid.

As the race began, Yeley kept up with the field, which they saw as a win. But, he couldn’t pass any of the cars around him.

Yeley reported his car was too loose on long runs. He stayed on the lead lap just until the end of stage 2.

As the final stage began, Yeley said that the motor didn’t sound good, despite the temperatures looking good. As the laps went by, Yeley again voiced complaints about the engine. The team then told Yeley to go to the garage.

They later found a fuel pressure issue that ended their day, finishing 35th.

In four appearances in 2024, the NY Racing Team has 2 DNFs (Pocono, Charlotte – Steering) and 1 DNQ (Daytona). They only ran at the finish once — finishing 34th at Las Vegas, six laps down.

The struggles of being an open team with limited resources show. The team will rebound and plans to be back but their next race isn’t 100% clear yet.