Joey Gase Bio
Joseph Robert Gase (born February 8, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team, and part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 35/53/55 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen. A longtime independent operator in NASCAR’s national touring divisions, Gase has balanced a driver role with ownership duties for more than a decade.
Early Life and Background
Joseph Robert Gase was born on February 8, 1993, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He grew up in the Cedar Rapids area and attended Xavier High School, graduating in 2011. His mother, Mary Jo, was a central figure in his upbringing and later became a driving force behind one of his most public off-track efforts.
Gase began racing at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in the track’s junior classes in 2001, getting an early start in short-track competition. His mother, Mary Jo, died from a brain aneurysm when Gase was eighteen years old. Her passing became a defining moment in his life, eventually shaping his long-running work to promote organ donation in her memory.
Path to NASCAR
Gase built his resume on short tracks across the Midwest. In 2007, he won the track modified B championship at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway, becoming the youngest driver to claim that title. Two years later, in 2009, he became the youngest driver to win the late model championship at Hawkeye Downs Speedway, cementing his reputation as a promising young talent in regional stock car racing.
After running a limited American Speed Association schedule starting in 2008, Gase branched into selected ARCA Racing Series, USAR Pro Cup Series, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events in 2010 and 2011. He made his first NASCAR national-series start in the Nationwide Series at Iowa Speedway in August 2011, driving the No. 39 Ford for Go Green Racing. That debut opened the door to a long career across NASCAR’s top three national touring series.
Joey Gase Career
Early Career (2007-2011)
Gase’s earliest national-profile results came in the modified and late model ranks around the Midwest. Winning the 2007 track modified B championship at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway and the 2009 Hawkeye Downs late model championship established him as one of the region’s top young drivers. Those short-track titles gave him the credibility to move into NASCAR’s development ladder.
He supplemented his regional program with ARCA Racing Series and K&N Pro Series East starts in 2010 and 2011, gaining exposure to NASCAR-style superspeedways and intermediates. His first ARCA start came in the 2010 Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa, and his first K&N Pro Series East start came in the 2010 Goodyear Dealers of Iowa 200. Those steps laid the groundwork for his 2011 Nationwide Series debut at Iowa Speedway.
Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2011-Present)
After a five-race Nationwide Series debut season with Go Green Racing in 2011, Gase was scheduled to drive the No. 39 Ford full-time in 2012. A lack of sponsorship kept him on a partial schedule, and he ran for multiple teams during the year. In December 2012, he announced a full-time ride with Jimmy Means Racing for 2013, though he continued splitting time with Go Green Racing as sponsorship allowed.
On May 2, 2015, Gase posted his career-best Nationwide/Xfinity Series finish, placing fifth in the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway. In January 2018, he was announced as the full-time driver of the No. 35 Chevrolet Camaro owned by Go Green Racing, the sister team to Go Fas Racing. The following year he joined MBM Motorsports to run the full Xfinity schedule in the team’s No. 35 Toyota Supra. From 2020 on, he has continued to compete part-time in the Xfinity Series while balancing Cup Series starts and ownership duties. His best series points finishes are 20th, recorded in both 2014 and 2018.
Cup Series Debut and Growth (2014-Present)
On August 27, 2014, Gase announced his Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 32 Ford with Go FAS Racing at Chicagoland Speedway. He returned with Go FAS in 2015 at Richmond but finished 43rd after contact from Aric Almirola sent him into the SAFER barrier. In December 2016, he signed with BK Racing to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry in three races beginning with the 2017 Daytona 500.
Gase moved to Premium Motorsports in mid-2017, running the No. 15 at Talladega with Sparks Energy sponsorship, and later added a part-time No. 33 Ford effort that fell through. In 2019, he joined MBM Motorsports’ Cup program, driving the No. 66 Toyota part-time starting with the Daytona 500, and ran a second MBM car, the No. 46, at Kansas. He began racing full-time in the Cup Series in 2020 with Rick Ware Racing, though he did not compete for Cup points.
On August 20, 2024, it was revealed that Gase would return to the Cup Series for the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400, driving the No. 44 Chevrolet for NY Racing Team, his first Cup start since 2021. Despite qualifying 39th, he finished 20th, tying the team’s best Cup finish set at Atlanta in 2022.
Driving Style and Strengths
Gase is best known for his comfort on superspeedways, where pack racing and drafting reward the patience he has honed over years of part-time Cup and Xfinity starts. His work as an owner-driver has sharpened his race craft and strategic awareness, forcing him to balance fuel windows, tire management, and sponsorship obligations in the same weekend. He has formed reliable partnerships with smaller, independent teams that lean on his feedback to develop equipment on lean budgets.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his fifth-place run in the 2015 Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega, his first Cup Series start in the 2014 MyAFibStory.com 400 at Chicagoland, and his top-20 return in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 with NY Racing Team. At the 2024 ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway, Gase was involved in a late-race crash and was fined $5,000 by NASCAR for a safety violation after tearing off his bumper and throwing it at another car. His 2021 South Point 400 crash at Las Vegas, which sent his car airborne, also stands as a defining moment of his career.
Joey Gase Career Wins
Across his time in NASCAR’s three national touring series, Gase has notched zero victories in the Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, ARCA Menards Series, and ARCA Menards Series East. His career has been measured less by wins and more by persistence, team ownership, and his role as a reliable part-time entrant.
Xfinity Series Highlights
In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Gase has recorded zero wins, four top-ten finishes, and zero poles across a career that began at Iowa Speedway in 2011. His top-ten highlights are anchored by his fifth-place run at Talladega in 2015. His best series points finishes are 20th, recorded in both 2014 and 2018.
Other Wins and Performances
Gase has zero wins, zero top-ten finishes, and zero poles in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series. He made his Truck Series debut at Atlanta in a start-and-park entry for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing and later ran a one-off Talladega race with Copp Motorsports in 2018. He has also fielded entries as an owner-driver through Joey Gase Motorsports, where his best result remains a fourth-place Xfinity Series finish at Talladega.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Joey Gase Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Gase’s mother, Mary Jo, died from a brain aneurysm when he was eighteen years old. Her donated organs helped 66 other people after her death, a figure that has become central to Gase’s public advocacy. He attended Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, where he balanced his early racing career with his studies, graduating in 2011.
Personal Life
Gase is married to Caitlin Gase, and the couple has two sons, Carson and Jace. He has continued to honor his mother’s memory through the work that earned him the inaugural 2015 Comcast Community Champion Award at the joint Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series banquet, recognizing his efforts to promote organ donation across the NASCAR community.
2025 Season Performance
In 2025, Gase is racing part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with NY Racing Team’s No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Joey Gase Motorsports and Scott Osteen in the Nos. 35, 53, and 55 Chevrolet Camaro SS. His Cup Series points position is 55th, while his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series position is 34th through the early portion of the schedule.
With no confirmed victories across either series, the season has been defined by steady finishes and selective start-and-park strategy typical of independent teams. The dual program keeps Gase’s name on entry lists at superspeedways and select intermediates, where his drafting experience is most valuable. The combination of ownership and driving duties has remained a hallmark of his 2025 campaign.
Looking ahead, Gase’s most realistic targets remain top-15 finishes on superspeedways and top-20s on intermediates with NY Racing Team and Joey Gase Motorsports. His best Cup Series points result is 44th, recorded in 2020, providing a benchmark for his late-season goals. Continued partnership with Scott Osteen in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is expected to stabilize his part-time program through the remainder of 2025 and into 2026.
