FUEL PUMP WOES END YELEY’S BRISTOL RUN EARLY

A faulty fuel pump sidelined driver J.J. Yeley and his #1 Missoukee Gaming & Resort/Northeastern Supply Company Chevrolet after 127 laps of Friday night’s Food City 250 NASCAR Busch Series race at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The end result was a very frustrating 39th place finish and the second race in a row in which the Phoenix Racing entry has experienced a DNF…the team’s first two in 25 races this year.

“It’s frustrating because we had a good race car and were making some headway when the fuel pump broke,” said Yeley. “We tried to replace it but had problems getting that done in enough time to get back out there and pick up some points. We deserved a better fate,” he added.

Yeley started the race in upper half of the 43-car starting field, qualifying 17th. He immediately started to march towards the front once the green flag dropped, moving to as high as 11th by lap 62 of the 250-lap affair around Bristol’s lightening fast, high-banked and recently resurfaced concrete half-mile oval.

Yeley did fall back through the field over the next 20 laps to the 18th position, and following a round of pit stops found himself back in 26th place. Less than 15 laps later, Yeley had forged his way back up to the 16th spot and was running competitively when the fuel pump problems began. He went behind the wall after 127 laps and never returned.

It was Yeley’s worst finish since placing 36th in New Hampshire back in June and only the third time all season in which he finished a race worse than the 26th position.

“We have our hiccups the last few races, with me driving tonight and with Max Papis on the road course at Watkins Glen,” Yeley explained. “But this is a far better race team than that and we will rebound,” he promised.

Yeley and his Miccosukee Gaming & Resort/Northeastern Supply Company race team will try to make that happen next Saturday night at the California Speedway in Fontana, CA outside of Los Angeles. The California 300 is scheduled to take the green flag at 8 p.m. EDT and will be televised by ESPN2.

Kasey Kahne rallied late in the crash-filled Bristol race to take the victory, edging out Jason Leffler. David Reutimann, Kyle Busch and Scott Wimmer rounded out the top five finishers.