Since the only NASCAR Cup Series driver “penalized” was originally scheduled to start the race at the rear, the starting lineup for Sunday afternoon’s Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is expected to be exactly the same as the official starting order determined by Saturday’s qualifying session. J.J. Yeley of the NY Racing Team, who started the 188-lap race 39th out of 39 drivers, will finish “to the rear” after his No. 44 Chevrolet was modified during qualifying. The event will take place on the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked circuit in Lincoln, Alabama. The 48-year-old Phoenix, Arizona native is already scheduled to start at the back of the pack, so his penalty isn’t actually significant, as some knowledgeable NASCAR fans noted.
At Talladega, J.J. Yeley “penalized” by dropping all of his spots. After qualifying, at least a few drivers are usually sent to the back of the field at a superspeedway. Teams won’t hesitate to make adjustments, even if they are not allowed, because starting position is typically significantly less crucial here than it is at other venues because to the egalitarian nature of pack racing at these kinds of courses. Unfortunately, the only “penalty” for today is a zero-place grid drop because the driver who was supposed to start in the 20th and last row of the grid is still scheduled to start there due to modifications made to his vehicle after qualifying. Yeley will be making his fourth start of the season in this race.
Yeley has subsequently participated in Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Darlington Raceway after missing out on the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. His only finish was in 35th position at Homestead, and he has two DNFs. We won’t bother copying and posting the complete order again because there aren’t any real alterations to the starting lineup for this afternoon.
