Joey Gase Motorsports Overview
Joey Gase Motorsports is a professional stock car racing team owned by American driver Joseph Robert Gase, who was born on February 8, 1993, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The team fields the No. 35 and No. 53 Chevrolet Camaro SS entries, currently operating in partnership with Scott Osteen, and competes part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. In addition to the team’s Xfinity program, Gase himself drives part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, running the No. 44 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for NY Racing Team. The organization is widely recognized for combining its on-track competition with an active community outreach presence.
The team has built a reputation as a development-oriented operation that helps underfunded drivers and small sponsors gain a foothold in NASCAR’s national touring series. While Joey Gase Motorsports has not captured a major series championship, it continues to play a visible role across multiple seasons of NASCAR competition. The team is also notable for its involvement in organ donation awareness, a cause that has remained closely tied to its identity since 2015.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Joey Gase Motorsports was established by Joseph Robert Gase as an extension of his own racing career, with the founder taking on the dual role of driver and team owner. Before launching the team, Gase built his early résumé on short tracks throughout the Midwest, including Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, where he began racing in the track’s junior classes in 2001. He later captured the track modified B championship at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway in 2007, becoming the youngest driver to claim that title, and followed it up by becoming the youngest late model champion at Hawkeye Downs in 2009. These grassroots accomplishments helped lay the foundation for the team he would eventually field at the national level.
The organization took shape as Gase transitioned from regional and ARCA-level competition into NASCAR’s national touring divisions, where the cost of running competitive equipment required a more structured operation. Gase, a 2011 graduate of Xavier High School in Cedar Rapids, structured the team around a small but adaptable shop model that allowed him to field entries when sponsorship and resources permitted. The team’s identity has remained closely tied to Gase’s personal story, including the loss of his mother, Mary Jo, who died from a brain aneurysm when Gase was eighteen. Her donated organs helped sixty-six recipients, a number that became symbolic for the team’s outreach efforts in the years that followed.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
Joey Gase Motorsports’ arrival in NASCAR competition grew out of Gase’s steady climb through the sport’s lower tiers. After running a limited American Speed Association schedule beginning in 2008 and selected ARCA, USAR Pro Cup, and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East events in 2010 and 2011, Gase made his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Iowa Speedway in August 2011. Driving the No. 39 Ford for Go Green Racing, he logged five starts during the second half of the season, posting a best finish of twentieth and an average finish of twenty-fifth.
Through a series of team changes with Go Green Racing and Jimmy Means Racing, Gase gained the operational knowledge that eventually fueled the creation of his own program. By 2015, he had earned his best career Nationwide Series finish, placing fifth in the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, an important milestone that helped establish his credibility as both a driver and an emerging team owner. In 2018, he was announced as the driver of the No. 35 Chevrolet Camaro owned by Go Green Racing for a full Xfinity Series campaign, and from 2020 onward he continued to field entries under the Joey Gase Motorsports banner. A partnership with Scott Osteen has helped stabilize the team’s day-to-day operations as it fields multiple cars in selected O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events.
Joey Gase Motorsports Competitive Journey
Since stepping into NASCAR’s national touring series, Joey Gase Motorsports has carved out a role as a part-time, owner-driven operation competing primarily in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The team’s progression has been marked by selective scheduling, close collaboration with allied organizations, and a willingness to compete at demanding tracks such as Talladega and Daytona, where superspeedway strategy and survival often shape the outcome. Across multiple seasons, the team has balanced limited resources with consistent on-track presence.
Early Seasons and Development (2011–2014)
The team’s earliest competitive footprint coincided with Gase’s first Nationwide Series starts in 2011, when he piloted the No. 39 Ford for Go Green Racing. Over five races that season, the program produced modest results, with a best finish of twentieth at Iowa Speedway. The following year, sponsorship challenges forced a partial schedule split between Go Green Racing and Jimmy Means Racing, requiring the operation to remain flexible in its lineup and preparation. By 2013, Gase had committed to a full Nationwide Series effort with Jimmy Means Racing, though he continued to run additional races for Go Green Racing when funding allowed.
In 2014, Gase made his Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 32 Ford with Go FAS Racing at Chicagoland Speedway, an appearance that broadened the organization’s visibility beyond the Nationwide garage. That same year, the operation began laying the groundwork for what would become Joey Gase Motorsports, with Gase steadily assuming more ownership responsibilities. The early years were defined by small budgets, frequent team changes, and a focus on gaining experience at the national level rather than chasing immediate victories.
Breakthrough in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2015–2019)
The 2015 season delivered one of the team’s most significant breakthroughs, when Gase finished fifth in the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, the best result of his career to that point. That performance helped elevate the team’s profile and contributed to Gase receiving the inaugural Comcast Community Champion Award at the joint Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series banquet, recognizing his advocacy for organ donation in honor of his mother. The award underscored how the team’s identity was shaped as much by off-track mission as by on-track results.
By 2018, the organization was running the No. 35 Chevrolet Camaro in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a full-time basis through Go Green Racing, marking its most ambitious competitive commitment to date. In 2019, Gase transitioned to MBM Motorsports, piloting the No. 35 Toyota Supra for the full Xfinity schedule, a season that further expanded the team’s operational reach. Throughout this period, the team’s best Xfinity Series finishes remained twentieth, recorded in both 2014 and 2018, but the program consistently posted top-ten runs in select superspeedway events.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2020–Present)
From 2020 onward, Joey Gase Motorsports has settled into a part-time rhythm in the Xfinity Series while Gase simultaneously pursues a limited Cup Series schedule. The team has continued to field entries under the No. 35 and No. 53 banners, with a partnership alongside Scott Osteen helping to manage logistics and preparation. In 2025, the team was ranked thirty-fourth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings, reflecting its selective but consistent presence on the circuit.
The team also made a one-off appearance in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2018, when Gase debuted at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, and later joined Copp Motorsports for a single Truck Series race at Talladega in 2018. More recently, the organization has navigated a busy 2024 campaign that included a memorable incident at the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway, where Gase was fined five thousand dollars for a safety violation. The team continues to field competitive Chevrolet Camaro SS cars and remains focused on providing opportunities for Gase and a rotating group of drivers.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Joey Gase Motorsports operates with a development-first philosophy, prioritizing track time, driver growth, and sponsor exposure over championship contention. The team tends to perform strongest on superspeedways, where pack racing rewards experience and survival, and where Gase’s career-best finishes have historically occurred. Its adaptability and willingness to enter part-time schedules have allowed it to remain an active presence in NASCAR’s national touring series despite limited resources.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Among the team’s most notable achievements are its fifth-place finish at Talladega in 2015, Gase’s selection as the inaugural Comcast Community Champion Award recipient, and its expansion to field two full-time car numbers in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The organization has also fielded entries in three of NASCAR’s national series, a rare accomplishment for a small, owner-driven team. Its sustained advocacy for organ donation awareness, inspired by the loss of Gase’s mother, has remained a defining hallmark of the team’s identity.
Joey Gase Motorsports Achievements and Results
Joey Gase Motorsports has built a record defined by perseverance, selective victories, and meaningful community engagement rather than championship hardware. The team has accumulated four top-ten finishes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series across its history, with its best championship result being a twentieth-place ranking in both 2014 and 2018. While the team has not posted a series win, its presence across multiple NASCAR divisions and its contributions to driver development remain central to its legacy.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Achievements
In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Joey Gase Motorsports has recorded four top-ten finishes and zero poles since making its first start at the 2011 U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway. The team’s best points finishes were twentieth, achieved in both 2014 and 2018, while the 2025 season saw the organization ranked thirty-fourth in the standings. The team’s most competitive performances have traditionally come at superspeedways, with the 2015 Talladega run standing as the operation’s most celebrated result.
Series Achievements
Beyond the Xfinity ranks, Joey Gase Motorsports has represented Gase in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he has competed part-time since his 2014 debut at Chicagoland Speedway. The team’s best Cup Series result with Gase behind the wheel was a twentieth-place finish at the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, tying NY Racing Team’s best mark at Atlanta in 2022. The team has also made limited appearances in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series, demonstrating a willingness to compete across NASCAR’s developmental and national platforms.
