Truex Jr. will return in No. 1 DEI Chevy in 2009

Brad Coleman will replace J.J. Yeley as the driver of the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota starting Aug. 17.

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

Martin Truex Jr. will return to the No. 1 Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet next year.

The specifics of Truex’s contract, which was signed Wednesday, are not known, but he will retain the sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops, which is committed to DEI through the 2010 season.

DEI declined to comment.

Truex, 28, has had a trying season. Much was expected after he made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup last season, but he is 17th in the points standings with two top fives and six top 10s through 21 races.

Truex also has suffered a 150-point penalty and the loss of his crew chief, Kevin Manion, for six weeks because of penalties NASCAR imposed for violations discovered July 3 during initial prequalifying inspection for the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. Specifically, Truex’s Chevrolet failed to meet the templates used to measure the roof of the car.

Truex has spent his entire Cup career at DEI. He has one win -- at Dover in June 2007 -- in 102 races. Before he became a full-time Cup driver in 2006, he won two Nationwide Series title for DEI in 2004 and 2005.

Coleman to replace Yeley

Beginning with the Sprint Cup race Aug. 17 at Michigan International Speedway, Brad Coleman will replace J.J. Yeley as the driver of the No. 96 Hall of Fame Racing Toyota, team officials announced Wednesday.

Yeley, 36th in the Sprint Cup standings, has been released from the team. Coleman, 20, who will attempt to make his Cup debut at Michigan, has served the organization as a test driver since November 2007.

The No. 96 Toyota is 38th in owner points and therefore must qualify on speed for Cup races. The top 35 cars in the owners standings are guaranteed starting spots each week.

Before Wednesday’s announcement, the team already had decided to replace Yeley with road-course ace P.J. Jones for Sunday’s Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen International.

“J.J. is a talented racecar driver and a great person, and this was a difficult decision to make,” said Tom Garfinkel, co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing, in a statement from the team. “We all share responsibility that our performance hasn’t been what it needs to be, but we concluded it was time to make a change.

“This is a performance-based industry, and we need to perform better. We’re confident J.J. will be successful in this sport in whatever his next challenge is.”Coleman has made 42 starts in the Nationwide Series, with a top finish of second in June 2007 at Kentucky while driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, which supplies Hall of Fame with chassis and engines through a lease agreement. Coleman currently drives the No. 27 Ford in the Nationwide Series for Baker Curb Racing and is 16th in the standings. He has started all 23 races and has one top 10.

“I really appreciate [co-owner] Jeff Moorad and Tom for giving me this opportunity,” Coleman said. “I have really enjoyed my time testing with the people on the team, and I’m looking forward to having a successful weekend at Michigan … and helping Hall of Fame Racing finish out the season as strong as possible.”

The No. 96 Toyota is 196 points behind the 35th-place No. 66 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet.

in the owners standings.