Maybe JJ deserves, but doesn't want an IRL ride??

[BSJracing]

Link
Cavins answers

Question: Are any IRL teams serious about hiring J.J. Yeley or A.J. Allmendinger? (Adrian from Ringgold, Ga.)

Answer: A couple of teams are saying all the right things about Yeley, but I'll believe their interest is sincere when I see him in a car. It should be noted that IRL officials feel they have done a lot to get him in rides and he has declined. We'll see how that plays out. As for A.J., well, I expect he'll have a good ride somewhere next season, but where remains to be seen.

If this is true, then I really have no sympathy for Yeley not having a ride in the IRL

[Heath Hamilton]

from what i heard, a lot of it boiled down to the car owners (menard for example) not allowing JJ to keep running USAC cars while under an IRL contract.

for JJ, that dog didnt hunt....

hence, no deal.

[BSJracing]

Well, then we know where JJ's true interests lie.

Thing is, when was the last time you saw Gordon in a USAC car? If you want it, you have to make the sacrifices.

[Martyj]

Oh, goody. ANOTHER thread on JJ Yeley.

[CrewChief]

From what I heard (Thanks TSO) it has more to do with JJ not making the time when opportunites are being presented. If that is the case and JJ really would rather do NASCAR, fine, it is his life, but don't bad mouth that the chances weren't there.

[BSJracing]

Originally posted by CrewChief
From what I heard (Thanks TSO) it has more to do with JJ not making the time when opportunites are being presented. If that is the case and JJ really would rather do NASCAR, fine, it is his life, but don't bad mouth that the chances weren't there.

exactly

[Brent_the_Lazier_fan]

I'd want to know who the IRL "officials" were that were quoted, and what "rides" were involved. Putting anyone in a dog of a car doesn't really offer them much of a chance to impress.

More interestingly, there is this quote from the same article:

"Dixon wants an F-1 test and will probably get at least one during the offseason. But I expect him to return to the IRL to finish out his Ganassi commitment before heading to Europe in 2005."

Huh? I've said it before and I'll say it again--if he wants to do F1 then GET OUT OF HERE already. Why is he running ovals? I'm sure that's impressing the bigs at Ferrari and McLaren and Renault. Well, maybe Minardi.

Best wishes, Scott. Don't let the door hitcha on the way out.

[Racewriter]

Perhaps he's aware of how many of his fellow winning oval drivers have invested significant amounts of time in meaningless "tests" with nary a start for it.

Or maybe he's totalled up the hours he himself has invested over the past five years, and decided that without an actual offer of a RIDE, it's not worth investing more - see Jay Drake, Dave Steele, and Billy Boat - all of whom tested the Panther car before Hornish, and all of whom were mentioned in conjunction with the fabled "second Panther ride" that finally went to Wheldon.

I don't feel sympathy for Yeley, either. JJ will go NASCAR, become a superstar on the order of Stewart, Gordon, and Newman, and be a multimillionaire in a few years. The IRL will be the poorer for it.

Indy car teams are so used to drivers bowing, scraping, and bringing money for rides that they can't handle a winning driver that simply needs to be offered the ride, and nor more bow/scrape requests.

[BSJracing]

Originally posted by Racewriter
Perhaps he's aware of how many of his fellow winning oval drivers have invested significant amounts of time in meaningless "tests" with nary a start for it.

.

The quote says rides not tests

I'd rather the IRL spend their efforts on getting rides for people who have shown the actually want to be there. I think right now I'd rather see them get behind getting Brad Pollard in an IPS deal then waste any more time on Yeley.

[hdolan]

"Well, then we know where JJ's true interests lie. "

Yep...financial security...

"I'd rather the IRL spend their efforts on getting rides for people who have shown the actually want to be there."

Dixon comes to mind...

[mnkywrch]

Originally posted by Racewriter
Perhaps he's aware of how many of his fellow winning oval drivers have invested significant amounts of time in meaningless "tests" with nary a start for it.

Or maybe he's totalled up the hours he himself has invested over the past five years, and decided that without an actual offer of a RIDE, it's not worth investing more - see Jay Drake, Dave Steele, and Billy Boat - all of whom tested the Panther car before Hornish, and all of whom were mentioned in conjunction with the fabled "second Panther ride" that finally went to Wheldon.

I don't feel sympathy for Yeley, either. JJ will go NASCAR, become a superstar on the order of Stewart, Gordon, and Newman, and be a multimillionaire in a few years. The IRL will be the poorer for it.

Indy car teams are so used to drivers bowing, scraping, and bringing money for rides that they can't handle a winning driver that simply needs to be offered the ride, and nor more bow/scrape requests.

Wasn't Yeley rumored to have tested a stock car a while back?

If he did, and didn't get a stock car seat from that test, maybe Yeley should blow off any NASCAR team who doesn't offer him a seat sight unseen, so he doesn't waste his precious time.

I mean, Panther is having guys who have actually won races in the IRL test for their ride - something JJ hasn't done.

If he's not returning Panther's calls, he can't even claim that the test would take him away from actual racing, since they can't even try to schedule to his benefit.

But Yeley's too good to go to the test and compete with everyone else? Maybe Yeley's scared of being outclassed by Barron, or Rice, or Ed Carpenter even.

I hope it's known far & wide the reason JJ Yeley isn't in the IRL is because of JJ Yeley - and not the IRL teams.

And I hope Dave Steele gets the ride instead.

[indyracer56]

So last year it was the end of the world because Donnie Bechler didn't have a ride, and this year it's JJ Yealy????

Same old, same old.

[mds24]

Originally posted by Racewriter
Perhaps he's aware of how many of his fellow winning oval drivers have invested significant amounts of time in meaningless "tests" with nary a start for it.

Or maybe he's totalled up the hours he himself has invested over the past five years, and decided that without an actual offer of a RIDE, it's not worth investing more - see Jay Drake, Dave Steele, and Billy Boat - all of whom tested the Panther car before Hornish, and all of whom were mentioned in conjunction with the fabled "second Panther ride" that finally went to Wheldon.

I don't feel sympathy for Yeley, either. JJ will go NASCAR, become a superstar on the order of Stewart, Gordon, and Newman, and be a multimillionaire in a few years. The IRL will be the poorer for it.

Indy car teams are so used to drivers bowing, scraping, and bringing money for rides that they can't handle a winning driver that simply needs to be offered the ride, and nor more bow/scrape requests.

Or maybe JJ simply already has a deal for next year or played this interest into enhancing that deal?

JJ may have some bad memories from Menard but it is not every year that the 4 car will become available.

If he wasn't interested it shouldn't have said he was.

Of course, we are talking about the same driver who told a Pro Series team he would compete in a race and then never showed and never called. Basically just left them hanging.

I just can't wait until he makes an announcement about next year and then the threads start that Panther never tested him and never even tried.

[IndyIRLman]

Originally posted by mnkywrch

If he's not returning Panther's calls, he can't even claim that the test would take him away from actual racing, since they can't even try to schedule to his benefit.

I hope it's known far & wide the reason JJ Yeley isn't in the IRL is because of JJ Yeley - and not the IRL teams.

absolutely

[MoparsRule]

Originally posted by BSJracing
Thing is, when was the last time you saw Gordon in a USAC car? If you want it, you have to make the sacrifices.

1993 Thunder In The Dome!