Yeley initially made a mark for himself in the world of auto racing when he took the Hoosier state by storm during the 1997 edition of Indiana Sprintweek. He won that series and captured the Rookie of the Year Award in the USAC National Sprint Car Series despite starting relatively few races.
His championships in all three of USAC's top divisions in 2003 made him only the second driver, after Tony Stewart in 1995, to achieve the "Triple Crown" in a single season.
Yeley ran full seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing in both the NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series in 2006. Yeley's best NEXTEL Cup finishes of 2006 came at California Speedway and Loudon, where he finished 8th; his best Busch Series finish came on June 17 at Kentucky Speedway. Yeley finished his 2006 season fifth in the Busch Series points standings with three poles, nine top-fives, and 22 top-10s.
At the 2007 Coca-Cola 600, Yeley scored a career high second place finish on a fuel gamble, losing only to Casey Mears. Exactly three weeks later, at Michigan, Yeley took his first career pole at the NEXTEL Cup level, beating Jimmie Johnson.
On August 6, 2008, Yeley was released from his contract to drive for Hall of Fame Racing and in 2009, he moved to the Camping World Truck Series, driving the #73 County Building Centers/Circle M Inspections Chevrolet Silverado for Joey Sonntag and Ron Crosby.