Josh Yost is back working on the No. 31 Chevrolet. Credit: Autostock

Jackman: Josh Yost

Anniversary of accident not slowing down determined crewman

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- It is 2 p.m. on race-day in Phoenix and Josh Yost already has devoted some time to wrapping his ankle for the Subway Fresh 500, which doesn't start for another four hours.

It's 95 degrees outside. Since Phoenix International Raceway is a sea of heat-oozing asphalt, it feels like 950 degrees.

Josh Yost Credit: Courtesy: RCR

And yet, Yost must tape wrap both ankles in a thick, black brace. It will only make the heat worse, but he has no choice. He must wear the brace for the rest of his career as the jackman on the No. 31 Chevy of Jeff Burton.

You may have already read about Yost, who was hit on pit road at Talladega last spring, nearly ripping off his right ankle. He suffered two ruptured tendons, a crushed fibula tip and shredded ligaments. It was one of the more grotesque injuries in recent NASCAR history.

Yost underwent two surgeries and endless rehab and as late as October, he still walked with a pronounced limp. Things improved after that, and he returned to work in the Richard Childress Racing shop in November.

He returned to pit road in the season-opening Daytona 500 and has even started working in Busch races again.

With Talladega on tap for this weekend, Yost says he hasn't thought of the anniversary much.

"It was such a long time ago," said Yost. "I stayed home for six months, I wasn't a part of this at all, getting back in, and I have not been here [Phoenix] in a year. Some places I didn't get to go to at all last year."

The short, stocky Yost has lost a lot of the body fat he accumulated from sitting around for much of 2005. Having to carry around a 20-pound jack in the heat will do that to a man.

The heat may help take off the weight, but it doesn't help the ankle much. Cold weather is an ankle's annoyance, but hot weather is its full-blown enemy.

"It is getting hotter and the foot is starting to swell a little bit," said Yost. "I have to cut my brace to let it expand."

The maintenance on the ankle is constant. He eats sandwiches laced with Advil. Before each race, he must get an ultrasound on the foot to loosen it up. The ankle must be stretched adequately before the race and kept on ice for a long time afterward.

Yost's brace is so thick that he also puts one on his healthy left ankle.

"It's like strapping on an ankle weight on each side," Yost said. "It feels better to have both taped up."