Article From: Scene Daily .com

By Bob Pockrass - Associate Editor

Friday, November 06, 2009

FORT WORTH, Texas – 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.

“It’s gone very well. … It’s been almost two months since I had the surgery. I’m back to about 90 percent of my usual movement in my neck and my shoulders, which is all good.”

The seriousness of the injury was a little bit of a surprise to Yeley, who didn’t feel much pain after the accident.

“Those cars, when you start to take a barrel roll, you just hold on for dear life and you close your eyes and once it got quiet and everything stopped, I opened my eyes,” Yeley said. “I was knocked out for about 10 seconds. I knew exactly where I was at. My neck was a little bit sore, and because I was knocked out, they took some extra precautions. They took me to the hospital and took the X-rays and that’s when they realized I had a neck injury.

“I’m thankful to all the people in Kansas City. They did a great job taking care of me. It’s a long road to recovery, but it’s getting there pretty fast.”

Yeley said he has had some tenderness and tingling in his neck.

“A lot of it has to do with the process of rebuilding itself,” Yeley said. “I look normal, I feel normal, I just can’t drive yet. The fusion process normally takes three to five months. … With the plates and the screws in there, they tell me that it’s stronger now than it is naturally.

“It’s such an important part of your body, you don’t want to risk anything. I’m going to take it easy until they give me the go-ahead. I’m itching to get back in a race car. Physically, I’m completely ready to go.”

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.

“I  want to be competitive in everything I do and I don’t want to ride in the back. … [You need to be] working your way back up and show people you are capable and worthy of being in top-notch equipment.”