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NASCAR Cup Series team, driver out after season-worst finish

NY Racing Team competed at Chicagoland Speedway, but they will not run this weekend's NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
J.J. Yeley, NY Racing Team, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports, NASCAR Cup Series
J.J. Yeley, NY Racing Team, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Hyak Motorsports, NASCAR Cup Series | Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

NY Racing Team made their fifth appearance of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season at Chicagoland Speedway, and it marked their fourth start of the year after J.J. Yeley failed to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway for the third year in a row.

Yeley's third start of the year resulted in a season-worst 35th place, after he placed a season-best 21st, one position shy of the team's all-time best result, four weekends prior at Michigan International Speedway.

Yeley also drove the No. 44 Chevrolet at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) in February, but the team have opted not to enter the No. 44 car for this weekend's race at the same track.

NY Racing Team out at Atlanta

There are two non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list for Sunday night's 260-lap Quaker State 400 around the four-turn, 1.54-mile (2.478-kilometer) high-banked Hampton, Georgia oval, but the No. 44 car isn't one of them. As of now, NY Racing Team have not confirmed any more plans for later in the 2026 season.

Joey Gase is the only other driver to have driven the No. 44 Chevrolet so far this season. He placed 30th at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

This weekend, the two open cars on the entry list include the No. 66 Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports) Ford for Chad Finchum and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet for B.J. McLeod.

The No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota, the other open car that ran the Chicagoland race with Corey Heim behind the wheel, is not being entered this weekend.

EchoPark Speedway is scheduled to host the Quaker State 400 this Sunday, July 12, with live coverage set to be provided by TNT Sports starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Don't miss any of the action from the 2026 season's second NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta!

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