Yeley has the talent, grit it takes for success in Cup (cont'd)

Few rookie seasons are outstanding. Yeley's was dreadful. He is on a mission to prove he belongs in Nextel Cup, and can be competitive there. In 2007, he is trying to take the next step.

"I think I have a lot better feel for managing the race in the car. I have a better feel for when I need to race and when I need to take it a little bit easier if the car is not there," Yeley said. "I'm learning to work more with [crew chief] Steve [Addington] to make the changes that I'm looking for with the car. I'm learning to keep Steve more abreast of the car's changes as the race goes on versus telling him right before we pit. It might give him more time to think about what changes he wants to make to the racecar to make it better late in the race.

"It all boils down to teamwork. We've got all the right pieces, but we just need to put everything together so we can go out and make it happen."

When we played golf at the Brickyard Crossing, Yeley was pretty open about his season. I actually did a radio interview on my cell phone while our foursome was putting out on one hole. I know that's a no-no but I had promised an Indianapolis radio station I would give them the time and because of a rain delay in the golf outing, the two commitments crossed over.

When the talk-show host heard I was playing with J.J., he asked me to grade his season. It was a little awkward because I was really just getting to know him; we had been enjoying the round of golf and J.J. had promised me some free golf balls with the Fed-Ex logo. He said he was getting his from teammate Denny Hamlin. Maybe that explains why when one, or more, went astray off the club face, we didn't have to go look for them.

"Disappointing. Trying too hard. Tearing-up too much equipment," I told the audience, including J.J. who was standing nearby. "I really expected better results. It's tough to be a rookie in Nextel Cup with the competition being as tough as it is. But I have talked to some guys on his team, they have confidence in him. I think if he stops trying so hard he might do better."

I never got the Fed-Ex golf balls.

At that time J.J. agreed with some of my points and disagreed with others. He pointed out that not everything had been his fault on the track. He had been the victim of some other guys making mistakes, too. And he was right about that. But, he knew the season, to that point, had been less than what was hoped for.

J.J. Yeley is the son of a racer. He started racing quarter-midgets at the age of 10. He worked his way deeper into the sport and in 1998 he was the youngest driver to ever qualify for the Indianapolis 500. He was 21. (A.J. Foyt IV, at the age of 19, now holds the record).

By 2001 he was a full-fledged USAC star, winning the USAC Sprint Car championship. He won the USAC Silver Crown championship in 2002.

In 2003, Yeley really got in the gas with 24 USAC wins, breaking the single-season record of 19 victories, accomplished by none other than A.J. Foyt in 1961.

He also became just the second driver in USAC history to win the Triple Crown by capturing the Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown championships in a single season. Once again, J.J. was right in the tire tracks of a fairly accomplished racer who has enjoyed some success in NASCAR -- teammate Tony Stewart, who turned the "triple" in 1995.

Yeley turned 30 this past October. Next week the series goes to Phoenix, his hometown. This week he races in Texas, the home state of his sponsor, Interstate Batteries.

"There's still a great opportunity with the points and we can't falter at Texas or Phoenix with Texas being the home to Interstate Batteries and then heading back home to Phoenix," Yeley said. (Continued)