Young's Motorsports expanded to two cars for the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season after halting their Craftsman Truck Series program, and while Ryan Ellis is the full-time driver of the No. 02 Chevrolet, the No. 42 Chevrolet is being shared between several drivers.
After Carson Hocevar opened up the year with a 20th place finish at Daytona International Speedway and Nick Leitz finished 18th at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway), J.J. Yeley made his first start of the season this past weekend at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Yeley, who is also running a part-time schedule for NY Racing Team's Cup Series team for the third year in a row, finished 28th, although it was actually Brad Perez who finished the race in the No. 42 car, as he came in to relieve Yeley roughly halfway through the race's third and final stage.
The 49-year-old Phoenix, Arizona has now competed in at least one race at NASCAR's second highest level in 18 consecutive seasons dating back to 2009 and 22 seasons overall dating back to 2004. But Yeley, who has competed in NASCAR on some level for 23 consecutive seasons, does not currently have any more starts lined up for 2026.
J.J. Yeley replacement confirmed for Phoenix race
Yeley will not compete at his home race track this weekend, as it's Nathan Byrd, who also hails from the Copper State, who is set to replace him behind the wheel of the No. 42 Chevrolet.
Byrd has not competed in an O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race since 2024, when he ran two races for DGM Racing and another with SS-Green Light Racing. His best finish is his 21st place effort at Portland International Raceway in his series debut with the former behind the wheel of the No. 91 Chevrolet.
The 26-year-old Litchfield Park, Arizona native ran a total of 18 Truck Series races for Young's Motorsports across the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and his 15th place finish at his home track in the 2025 season finale was one of three top 15 finishes he recorded during the year. His career-best finishes of 14th came at Rockingham Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.
Yeley also won't compete in the Cup Series race at Phoenix this weekend. While NY Racing Team have yet to confirm any more races for 2026, it is expected that they will make occasional appearances, just as they did throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The only non-chartered (open) car on the Straight Talk Wireless 500 entry list belongs to Richard Childress Racing.
Yeley failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 with NY Racing Team for the third consecutive season, but he returned for the season's second race in Atlanta, making the 2026 season his 22nd with at least one Cup Series start as well.
Young's Motorsports have yet to confirm any drivers for the No. 42 Chevrolet beyond this weekend, so don't rule out an O'Reilly Series return later in the year for the 23-year NASCAR veteran.
The GOVX 200 is set to be shown live on the CW Network from Phoenix Raceway beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, March 7. If you have not yet done so, start a free trial of FuboTV now and catch all of the action!