Burton crew member to have surgery on ankle

Josh Yost, the jackman for driver Jeff Burton's No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, will undergo surgery Thursday on his left ankle following a pit road incident in last Sunday's Daytona 500.

Yost will undergo a procedure for his second major ankle injury in the last two years when his ruptured left Achilles tendon is repaired at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Yost, 29, suffered a torn right Achilles tendon at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2005 when he was struck by Rusty Wallace's racecar during a pit stop. That kept Yost, a general mechanic at RCR's shop in Welcome, N.C., from going over the wall for the rest of the 2005 season.

Last Sunday, while performing his regular duties on a green flag pit stop at Lap 127, Yost "popped" the left tendon when he jumped off the wall to service Burton's car.

He pitted the car limping on one good leg and went to the infield care center for treatment after the stop. Curt Bowman, the team's second gas runner, jacked the car for the rest of the race -- as he did at Talladega in 2005 -- and Burton finished third.

A team spokesperson said Yost expects to return to his regular shop duties following rehabilitation and consultation with his doctor. After the 2005 incident, Yost did not return to his duties as jackman until Speedweeks 2006.

This weekend, Adam North, the jackman for RCR's No. 29 Chevrolet in the Busch Series -- which Burton will drive at California Speedway in the first of an 18-race 2007 Busch schedule -- will wield the jack for the No. 31 Monte Carlo as well.

A team spokesperson said that until a permanent replacement was found for Yost, a decision would be made weekly who would serve as Burton's Nextel Cup jackman.

Burton said the tone for his team this weekend will be no different than it is anywhere else they go, despite the pit crew shuffle.

"First and foremost, you have to have a fast car," Burton said. "Then, you can't make mistakes out on the racetrack or in the pits.

"Today's world in NASCAR Cup Series racing is so competitive that there cannot be mistakes made anywhere in order to have a good finish because the competition is just so strong."