CUP: Throwback race at Darlington sees Yeley score third-most last-place finishes in NASCAR history
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: NY Racing Team, @NYRacingTeam
J.J. Yeley picked up the 24th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series history in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at the Darlington Raceway when his #44 Wawa Chevrolet fell out with brake issues after 30 of 297 laps.
The finish, which came in Yeley’s 389th series start, was his first of the season and first in a Cup Series race since October 27, 2024 at Homestead, 10 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 33rd for the #44, the 81st from brakes, and the 868th for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 75th for the #44, 174th from brake issues, and the 1,983rd for Chevrolet.
Yeley rejoins team owner Johnathan Cohen for another part-time campaign with the NY Racing Team in 2025, a program which often runs dazzling paint schemes on its #44 Chevrolets. After coming up just short of a spot in last year’s Daytona 500, Yeley arrived in Florida this February with new backing from Green River Whiskey. He was again just short of racing his way in that Thursday, but brought the same backing to Atlanta – only to be collected in a grinding late-race wreck that left him 37th. The team managed to piece this car back together and bring it to Homestead, adding new chrome door numbers for sponsor PCNY’s first big race, and this time finished under power in 35th, four laps down.
For the NY Racing Team’s first-ever start at Darlington, they presented a “throwback” scheme honoring Bill Elliott’s iconic #9 Coors Ford, winner of the 1985 Southern 500 and the first “Winston Million.” According to the team, the reason for the tribute was the #44 operated out of Elliott’s Dawsonville shop a decade ago. The red, gold, and white #44 carried sponsorship from Wawa, and even picked up gold-painted rims from Rick Ware Racing to complete the look. Yeley ran slowest in practice with a 30.714 second lap (160.109mph), and remained last despite a near half-second pickup in qualifying for a 30.314 (162.222mph). Yeley also picked up a small “Darlington Stripe” after brushing the wall with the right-rear fender.
When the green flag dropped, Yeley remained in the 38th spot, showing 3.534 seconds back of the lead to XFINITY Series regular Austin Hill’s 3.488 in the #33 United Rentals Chevrolet. By the exit of Turn 2, Yeley was running the low lane in Hill’s tire tracks. By Lap 3, Yeley was 6.887 back of the lead with 37th now held by Cody Ware in the #51 Jacob Companies Ford, 6.449 behind the leader in a throwback to Ward Burton’s #22 Caterpillar Dodge from 2001-2002. Yeley remained in the last spot, some distance back of Ware, when the first caution fell on Lap 4.
Earlier that morning, Kyle Larson had won “Best In Show” for his #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet honoring Terry Labonte with his paint scheme run in Labonte’s final career victory, the 2003 Southern 500. He looked for a good finish after three straight incidents in the spring Darlington race, including a wreck in Labonte’s 1994-1999 scheme last year. On Lap 4, he was racing to the inside of Joey Logano for the 18th spot when Larson’s left-front wheel clipped the apron at corner exit. The back of Larson’s car came around, sending him careening head-on into the inside wall. As Yeley passed him for last place halfway down the backstretch, Larson tried to get rolling, but made it no further than the entrance to Turn 3.
Larson received a tow back to the garage, where the car was dropped off in the covered stalls behind the Cup haulers that served as the track’s “Damaged Vehicle Policy” workspace. There, Larson’s pit crew – who were just swapped onto the team that week – wrenched open the twisted hood on Lap 13 and set to work. Right away, crew chief Cliff Daniels had Larson test the steering, moving the wheel back and forth. They would repair the car, but it was anyone’s guess how long that would take.
Meanwhile, on Lap 24, Carson Hocevar slapped the Turn 2 wall, cutting down a right-rear tire that spun his #77 Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet on the apron of Turn 3. He lost a lap under the ensuing caution, dropping him behind Yeley into 37th. Then on the Lap 30 restart, Yeley blew a tire midway through Turn 2 and also hit the wall, the cap of his tire nearly breaking loose as he limped down the backstretch. This time, the race stayed green, and Yeley pulled behind the wall on Lap 35. He parked in the stall to the right of Larson, and the crew set to work. Of particular concern were the brakes, and the team needed another brake line. But on Lap 83, they still hadn’t found a replacement, and said they may be done. That time by, Hocevar again brought out the yellow – this time by crossing the nose of Riley Herbst’s #35 Monster Energy Toyota off Turn 4 – but everyone involved stayed on track. The NY Racing Team then decided they were done, and soon bolted on the team’s shop tires. NASCAR declared them out on Lap 89, just as the team’s onboard camera shut off.
But at the time, Yeley was still in 37th, and 26 laps ahead of Larson, whose crew was still hard at work. On Lap 121, the FS1 broadcast showed Larson’s team reattaching the battered nose of their car. But there wasn’t much radio traffic on the main channel until Lap 157, when the team talked about adjusting the ride height. By Lap 160, the crew dropped the hood, lifted it once more, then lowered and taped it in place. Finally, on Lap 165, Larson re-fired the engine and returned to the track, determined to clear minimum speed of 34.48 seconds. This was accomplished on Lap 169, when he was now 160 laps down to the leader, but closing fast on Yeley. On Lap 176, Larson lost his 161st lap on the track, then under the Stage 2 ending caution had two extended stops for further repairs to the left-front of the car’s nose, dropping him 163 laps down. The hard work paid off as Larson passed Yeley on Lap 195. “We are officially ahead of the 44 – gained one spot,” said Daniels, who thanked his crew.
The No. 5 car rejoins the field after undergoing extensive repairs. pic.twitter.com/OpMQhOVd2y
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 6, 2025
Unfortunately, Larson’s misfortunes were not yet over. With just three laps to go, Larson was 168 laps down and coming off the same Turn 2 ahead of Bubba Wallace, whose #23 Columbia Sportswear Company Toyota, as 2nd-place Tyler Reddick’s #45 McDonald’s Toyota bounced off the wall. Larson checked-up as Reddick slowed, only to be bumped into a spin by Wallace, sending Larson head-on into nearly the same spot on the backstretch wall. The caution, which ultimately handed the win from Ryan Blaney to Denny Hamlin, saw Larson pull behind the wall one more time, then stop behind the hauler, done for the afternoon.
Larson was unable to climb any further due to low attrition. Taking 36th was Josh Berry, who on Lap 195 spun off Reddick’s nose coming off Turn 2 and likewise slammed the inside wall, wiping out the #21 Motorcraft Quick Lane Ford painted British Racing Green and Lotus Gold in honor of the late Jim Clark and the Wood Brothers’ pit crew from the 1965 Indianapolis 500. At the time of Larson’s last wreck, he was still more than 70 laps behind Berry with only three laps remaining. Taking 35th was Alex Bowman, whose #48 Ally Chevrolet tumbled from 8th in the closing stage after he bent a right-rear toe link, forcing an extended stay on pit road under green. Riley Herbst, damaged in the early incident with Hocevar, finished two spots behind Hocevar’s car in 34th, two laps down and 15 ahead of Bowman.
Ty Gibbs takes first top-ten finish of the season; Smith and Gibbs get stage points
Taking home 9th was the #54 Monster Energy Toyota of Ty Gibbs, who picked up his first top-ten finish of the season, and his first Top Ten since his most recent top-five finish, a 5th, at Kansas last October. In the 13 races in between, Gibbs had finished no better than 13th, both last fall at Talladega and last week in Martinsville.
There were also some pleasant surprises at the end of both stages. Zane Smith came home 9th in Stage 1, and went on to finish 12th in the #38 Long John Silver’s Ford – Smith’s fourth finish of 16th or better in the last five races. Also notable was Ty Dillon in Kaulig Racing’s tribute to Patty Moise as his #10 Beaver Street Fisheries Chevrolet came home 8th in Stage 2, then took the checkered flag in 16th – his third finish of 16th or better in the last five races.
Terry Labonte’s #44 collides with polesitter Tim Richmond at Darlington on April 10, 1983. (SCREENSHOT: Michael McIntyre on YouTube)
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #44 in a Cup Series race at Darlington since April 10, 1983, when Terry Labonte’s #44 Budweiser Chevrolet crashed out on the opening lap. The incident occurred after polesitter Tim Richmond lost the engine down the backstretch, then spun his #27 Old Milwaukee Pontiac into traffic, causing Labonte to slam into Richmond’s driver’s door. This also happened to be Labonte’s only last-place finish at Darlington.
*Yeley is the first driver to finish last in a Cup race at Darlington due to brake issues since April 12, 2014, when Dave Blaney’s #77 Randy Humphrey Racing Ford fell out after 65 laps.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #44-J.J. Yeley / 30 laps / brakes
37) #5-Kyle Larson / 122 laps / crash
36) #21-Josh Berry / 194 laps / crash
35) #48-Alex Bowman / 280 laps / running
34) #35-Riley Herbst / 295 laps / running
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) 23XI Racing, Kaulig Racing, NY Racing Team, Penske Racing, RFK Racing, Rick Ware Racing, Spire Motorsports, Trackhouse Racing (1)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (4)
2nd) Ford (3)
3rd) Toyota (1)
2025 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER'S CHAMPIONSHIP
