After qualifying in the 32nd position, Yeley and crew chief Joe Lax geared up for the 400 mile race.
Scanner chatter was frequent reminders to Yeley, “stay on his toes” as the racing in front of him was picking up at a frantic pace. “Our goal is to be here at the end.”
After leading two laps under caution, JJ Yeley and the Golden Corral team knew they had another top 10 in them, much to the delight of children everywhere.
On the final restart and first attempt at a G-W-C finish, the pace was frantic as each driver tried to make every pass count. The white flag flew, the next flag being the deciding factor of the race, and then the wrecking began. Spotter Doug Campbell called out the wreck but it was too late, Yeley was involved.
Officially scored with a 13th place finish, the end result coming out of Daytona is a wrecked car and no kids eating free this time.
“Man I didn’t want to come home with a wrecked racecar, but we had a great run there at the end, with a 13th place finish,” Yeley said following the Coke Zero 400. “Unfortunately we didn’t get to feed the kids, but we tried hard, and fought all day in the No. 36 Golden Corral Chevy. Special thanks again to Scott Bates, who designed an awesome patriotic paint scheme for this weekend.”
“Great job boys!” Crew Chief Joe Lax came over the radio after the checkered flag waved. “We had a good night, avoided most of the wrecks out there, right up until the end. We may have a wrecked car, but we’re coming home with a 13th place finish.”
Next weekend, JJ Yeley and the No. 36 team head to Loudon, New Hampshire for the Camping World RV 301.
About Tommy Baldwin Racing
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Crew Chief Tommy Baldwin formed Tommy Baldwin Racing (TBR) in 2009. Baldwin utilized a declining economy to open a NSCS team with a stringent budget. The team worked to build to full-time competition, and by the 2011 season, the team’s third season, TBR competed in every race and locked the No. 36 Chevrolet in the top-35 in NSCS Owner Points. Dave Blaney drove the No. 36 Chevrolet to TBR’s highest finish of third in the October 2011 event at Talladega Superspeedway. In 2012 both cars fielded by TBR finished in the top-35 in points.
Based in Mooresville, N.C., TBR will compete in the NSCS in 2013 with NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney driving the No. 7 Chevy SS and JJ Yeley piloting the No. 36.
For more information on Tommy Baldwin Racing, please visit them on Facebook,Twitter or their website.
