JJ Yeley Finishes Race In Kasey Kahne’s Car; Team Says Kahne Was Sick

Though Kasey Kahne didn’t finish Saturday night’s race at Charlotte, his No. 9 car did – with JJ Yeley behind the wheel.

Kahne was “sick,” according to team officials, and left the garage area following a crash on Lap 124 that may have resulted from a brake problem.

Prior to the crash, Kahne had sounded furious with the condition of his car over the team radio and was livid in some of the communications with his team.

“Kasey wasn’t feeling good, and we’re trying to keep the car in the top 20 in owner points, so we put Yeley in there,” said Robbie Loomis, the competition director for Richard Petty Motorsports. “We’re thankful to JJ for doing that.”

Yeley got six points for the No. 9 team, which Loomis reiterated was helpful to the owner points battle – a key goal for his organization, he said. Yeley began the race driving Tommy Baldwin Racing’s No. 36 car but parked it after 73 laps.

Loomis, asked if Kahne could have been angry instead of sick, said: “Anytime you’re a competitor and you just spin out and end up getting damage and the car tore up, you don’t like that. I just hope he gets feeling better. He’s got a fundraiser in the morning – he’s got a 5(k) run, so I hope he’s feeling better in the morning.”

Kahne, who is leaving RPM after this season, is scheduled to participate in a charity run for his foundation early Sunday morning in uptown Charlotte.

Crew chief Kenny Francis was not made available to comment for this story, per a team spokeswoman.

The story recalled shades of the Kyle Busch situation at Texas in 2007 – the year Busch ultimately left Hendrick Motorsports for Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch was nowhere to be found when the team repaired his car after a wreck, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished the race for him in the No. 5 car that day.