J.J. Yeley aimed to make the 2026 NASCAR season his 22nd season of Cup Series competition and 23rd season of national series competition with NY Racing Team in the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, and while he failed to qualify, he and the team returned the following weekend at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) to make it official.
The 49-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native has not been back behind the wheel of the No. 44 Chevrolet at the Cup level since the Atlanta race, but he has kept busy in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Yeley made the 2026 season his 18th consecutive season of competition at NASCAR's second highest level when he competed at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for Young's Motorsports.
After Brad Perez filled in as his relief driver during that race and brought the No. 42 Chevrolet home in 28th place, Yeley returned this past weekend and placed 25th for Hettinger Racing at Darlington Raceway.
Hettinger Racing, the only team aside from AM Racing classified as a full-time Ford team, have already run four different drivers in the No. 5 Ford this season, including rookie Luke Fenhaus, Tyler Gonzalez, and Chandler Smith. After Yeley made his first start of the year at Darlington, a fifth different driver is set to join that list this weekend.
J.J. Yeley replacement confirmed for Martinsville
Luke Baldwin is set to make his O'Reilly Series debut this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
The 19-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina native has only ever competed in five Craftsman Truck Series races, all in 2025 with ThorSport Racing. He owns a top finish of 12th place at Pocono Raceway, and he also made his Truck Series debut at Martinsville, placing 22nd.
Beyond this weekend, Hettinger Racing have yet to confirm any more drivers for the No. 5 Ford, so although Yeley himself doesn't have any more starts currently lined up in any NASCAR series for 2026, don't be surprised to see him back behind the wheel of the No. 5 entry at some point.
Tune in to the CW Network at 3:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 28 for the live broadcast of the NFPA 250 from Martinsville Speedway. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and catch all of the action from the Ridgeway, Virginia oval!