Catchfence

More than three months after suffering a neck injury in a Midget race at Lakeside Speedway, J.J. Yeley isn’t cleared to race a car just yet, but he was walking around without a neck brace talking to people about 2010 in the garage Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

The Aug. 22 accident occurred in the early laps when his Midget flipped several times.

“I had two vertebrae that pulled apart and were perched on each other,” Yeley said. “It was a process I could have let heal naturally and it would have taken six months or I could have done the surgery, which I did, which cuts the recovery time in half and alleviates me having to wear a neck collar.

Still focused on NASCAR, Yeley said he feels he has a good chance to secure a Nationwide Series ride for 2010.

“You almost have to re-prove yourself,” Yeley said. “You can come back in the Cup series and get in a middle-of-the-road ride, all of a sudden you’re running midpack and you’re not doing yourself any favors.

- Scene Daily