Beyond the Cockpit

_J.J. Yeley has seen it all during his brief Sprint Cup career. In 2006, he was chosen by Joe Gibbs as the successor to the organization’s famed No. 18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet after the team had parted ways with 2000 champion Bobby Labonte. It seemed like Yeley had a bright career ahead of him, yet just three years later, the Arizona native was out of the sport altogether, sidelined with a neck injury suffered in a Sprint Bandits Series race at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas._

_The road back has been a long and winding one for the now 36-year-old, who bounced from one team to another trying to find the right fit. If the start of the 2013 season is any indication, though he may have found it with Tommy Baldwin Racing. Yeley’s 10th-place finish in the Great American Race was his first top 10 since the 2008 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 in New Hampshire, a consistent run that reconfirmed their status as one of the sport’s top “underdog” organizations. The performance has both driver and team brimming with confidence as they head into the desert this weekend._

_For 45-year old Pennsylvanian David Donohue, his career is at a crossroads. After driving full-time in the Rolex Sports Car Series every year since 2003, Donohue came into the 2013 season without a full-time ride after deciding to leave Action Express Racing at the end of 2012. For Daytona, he signed on to drive the No. 16 Porsche Cayman in the new GX-class for Napleton Racing, a team that normally fields cars in Pirelli World Challenge. Napleton Racing also runs the Cayman Interseries, a spec series where teams buy race-prepped cars with directly from Napleton Porsche and race them on various courses with throwback paint schemes._

_After a special Champions’ photo-op in Gatorade Victory Lane at Daytona, Frontstretch’s own Phil Allaway caught up with the veteran driver._