Joey Gase has had one heck of an off-season. No, there were no big contracts or endorsement deals. But there were headlines. And awards. And significant conversations with sponsors, who will bring dollars to his fledging car owner and race team at Jimmy Means Racing. Gase has had to go through personal hell to get to this point, but as he's told the world so many times, that personal hell has been used to try and make the real world a better place. NASCAR, Comcast and Xfinity saw the work he's done through the Iowa Donor Network and Donate Life,
and recognized him for it as the first Comcast Community Champion award winner in November - and with it came a $60,000 prize. He was thrust in front of NASCAR's elite, and the whole sport once again got to see what the Cedar Rapids native was made of. It wasn't just about hearing his story again. Gase donated all $60,000 of that prize money to the Iowa Donor Network - without really a second thought. He'll be back with Means in the #52 for the Xfinity Series season again in 2016, but with loads more respect. Gase has persevered to this point, both personally and professionally. His career-best finish of fifth at Talladega Superspeedway last spring got him attention for his on-track results, which have been an uphill battle with an underfunded team that's been around for decades. He finished 21st in driver points with an average finish of 27.5, including that fifth-place at Talladega as his only top five and top 10, and an average start position of 32.9. Those numbers show improvement over 2014, though, when Gase had an average start of 34.5, an average finish of 29.4 and was only running at the finish of 22 of 33 races (27 in 2015). It's baby steps, but while he works on putting more names on the recipient list for organ donation - thereby reducing the 120,000-person donation waitlist - he can work to find sponsors that will help fund a team he's trying to help improve. His existing sponsors have been over the moon about the award and its attention, Gase said. More attention can only help, and help means those dollars. It's already paid off in the way of Iowa Donor Network, who is working with Gase right now to secure a possible Camping World Truck Series ride at Iowa Speedway for the June 18 and 19 CWTS/NXS doubleheader.(
The Gazette)
Joey Gase has had one heck of an off-season. No, there were no big contracts or endorsement deals. But there were headlines. And awards. And significant conversations with sponsors, who will bring dollars to his fledging car owner and race team at Jimmy Means Racing. Gase has had to go through personal hell to get to this point, but as he's told the world so many times, that personal hell has been used to try and make the real world a better place. NASCAR, Comcast and Xfinity saw the work he's done through the Iowa Donor Network and Donate Life,
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