After failing to qualify for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, NY Racing Team made an appearance the following weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
However, J.J. Yeley was involved in a crash, and the No. 44 Chevrolet did not return for races at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Phoenix Raceway, or Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The team was back on the entry list for last weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Yeley finished 35th in the 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval. This result mirrored his 35th-place finish in the 2024 season finale at Phoenix, which was also his best finish since placing 27th at Talladega Superspeedway in October.
In 2024, NY Racing Team entered 10 races and started nine, mostly with Yeley as the driver. They only ran consecutive events once. It was their busiest Cup Series season in terms of race entries since 2014 (11) and their most active ever in terms of actual starts.
A similar schedule is expected for 2025, though no additional starts beyond last Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 have been confirmed.
Since it is uncommon for a Cup Series entry list to exceed 40 cars outside of the Daytona 500, NY Racing Team will likely secure a starting spot whenever they choose to compete, despite being a non-chartered (open) team.
In 2024, they did not make their second start until May’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, meaning they are already ahead of last year’s schedule.
For this Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, two open teams are on the entry list, neither of which has raced in the Cup Series this year.
Burt Myers is set to drive the No. 50 Chevrolet for Team AmeriVet, while Casey Mears will pilot the No. 66 Ford for Garage 66.
Both teams previously attempted but failed to qualify for the preseason Cook Out Clash exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium. Garage 66 also failed to qualify for the Daytona 500.
