The 41-year-old, winner of four BTCC races over two spells in the series, has bowed out of the West Surrey Racing BMW line-up after three seasons at the Sunbury squad.
Jelley is closing in on a return to Team Parker Racing, the Leicester man’s local team, with which he took seven race wins in the Carrera Cup across 2010-11 and then raced again in 2015-16.
He also competed in the BTCC with the Stuart Parker-run squad from 2017-20, before his move to WSR. But now a depression in the house-building market, in which he is heavily involved running the family business, has forced a readjustment of his racing programme.
The likely move comes hard on the heels of fellow BTCC race winner Dan Lloyd confirming his own Carrera Cup GB programme with Toro Verde.
Jelley looks set to race the car owned and previously campaigned by fellow East Midlander Justin Sherwood – the multiple Amateur class champion is prioritising the career of his son, Formula 4 racer Jack.
“It’s not quite done yet,” Jelley told Autosport. “But if it does happen, I’m going to use Justin’s car which he’s not put a scratch on, probably put a scratch on it and just keep going!
“The BTCC [budget] figures are just so crazy these days at a time when the building industry, where a lot of my sponsors come from, is on its knees.
“I just have to keep responsible with my racing and offer the best value for money.
“Having seen the level WSR go to in order to keep the cars reliable, and the updates they’ve got coming for the new season and the package they will have, they’re going to be super-strong.
“But NAPA Racing will be super-strong too, and from the outset it’s a lot of money to be there.
“I thought about whether stopping motorsport at this level was the thing for me, but I decided I’m a bit sad really and didn’t want to! And I really wanted to drive again for a team that I’ve got such a long relationship with.”
Jelley has not raced the current 992-spec Carrera Cup car, and a run at the series’ taster day at Silverstone last November did not offer many clues.
“I had a quick spin for a bit, but it was biblical rain,” he said.
“But we’ve got a lot of testing lined up – it’s a luxury compared to the BTCC.
“Team Parker Racing have won the last two championships [with Kiern Jewiss in 2022, and Adam Smalley in 2023] so they’ve got a lot of info. And it’s rear-wheel drive – these Carrera Cup cars are such good race cars.”
WSR is known to be still seeking a driver to replace Jelley for 2024, although it does have names in the frame.
Jake Hill is already confirmed, while four-time champion Colin Turkington has yet to be officially announced, but did talk publicly at the recent Autosport International show about the coming season while wearing BMW regalia, and Adam Morgan is also strongly tipped to remain.
