After what has been a disappointing season, Hall of Fame Racing announced Wednesday that Brad Coleman will replace J.J. Yeley behind the wheel of the No. 96 DLP HDTV Toyota Camry beginning August 17th at Michigan. The move comes one day after it was announced road racing specialist P.J. Jones would step in to pilot the entry at this weekend's event in Watkins Glen.

In what he called a "difficult decision to make," team co-owner Tom Garfinkel explained, "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 - who is a Nationwide Series regular - has been under contract with Hall of Fame Racing since November 2007 as a test driver. The 20-year-old Texas-native is currently 16th is the Nationwide Series standings for Baker Curb Racing.

"I really appreciate Jeff Moorad (co-owner of Hall of Fame Racing) and Tom for giving me this opportunity," Coleman added. "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 in the DLP HDTV Toyota and helping Hall of Fame Racing finish out the season as strong as possible. It is truly an honor to be a part of this organization."

After missing four events so far this year, the No. 96 is currently 38th in owner points, 196-points out of the top-35. In the seventeen races the team was able to qualify, Yeley had sixteen finishes of 24th or worse. The former USAC Triple Crown winner's lone top-5 came in the rain-shortened event at New Hampshire, where pit strategy and a bit of racing luck was to thank.

With this driver change the owners of Hall of Fame Racing are hoping to make the best of a bad situation. Making the top-35 in owner points is going to be near impossible at this point, so making the switch now makes the most sense. If Coleman can learn the ropes and earn his fellow competitor's respect the remainder of the year, perhaps 2009 will turn things around for this single-car operation.