Over the past three NASCAR Cup Series seasons, NY Racing Team have been one of the part-time teams that have made consistent appearances, fielding the No. 44 Chevrolet on a semi-regular basis.
However, the No. 44 car has made just two starts so far this season, after failing to qualify for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway for the third consecutive year with J.J. Yeley behind the wheel.
It most recently ran at Talladega Superspeedway in late April. Joey Gase, whose 20th place finish at Daytona in August 2024 matched the team's best ever finish (Greg Biffle at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2022), ran the Talladega race and finished 30th.
But this weekend, the No. 44 Chevrolet is the only non-chartered (open) car on the entry list for Sunday's 200-lap FireKeepers Casino 400 around the four-turn, 2.0-mile (3.219-kilometer) Michigan International Speedway, and Yeley is set to return.
J.J. Yeley returning after 12-race NASCAR Cup Series absence
Yeley, who hasn't competed since the February Atlanta race, had not missed 12 consecutive Cup Series races since 2019, when he did not make an appearance until running the season's 14th race at Pocono Raceway for Rick Ware Racing.
No driver has competed in more races for NY Racing Team than Yeley over the past three seasons. He ran eight races in 2024 and 10 more in 2025. The 2026 season is his 22nd season in the Cup Series.
Yeley had been running part-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for Hettinger Racing before they paused their operations. He has also made select starts for RSS Racing and Young's Motorsports, with his RSS starts marking Ford's only active involvement in the series following Hettinger's pause.
Yeley has not competed in a Cup Series race at Michigan since 2023, when he placed 27th for Rick Ware Racing.
Live coverage of the FireKeepers Casino 400 from Michigan International Speedway is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime Video this Sunday, June 7. Catch all of the action from the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season's 15th points race!
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