Local Star Suffers Big Losses In Fire

Local NASCAR driver, Joey Gase, has had numerous ups and downs on his road to success in professional racing.  A fire inside his racing trailer this past weekend has dealt it's latest blow, destroying so much of their equipment and supplies. While devastating, it's certainly not the end of the road for this strong willed driver.  We've been fans of Joey for quite some time.  The 22yr old Xavier grad has been racing since he was 14, and broke onto the NASCAR Nationwide scene in 2011, and has been making a name for himself all the way.  Joey has made national headlines for both his racing, and the reason he races.

In 2011, Joey came home to find his mom unresponsive, from which she would never wake up.  At the age of 18, he had to make tough decisions, one of which was to decide that mom would want to donate her organs. And now, he races to raise awareness on the importance of organ and tissue donation.  It was the first major hardship in his career, which he has turned into a positive, proving his iron will.

This weekend came yet another blow, as on the way home from a strong 21st place finish, his second best finish of the season, a fire started in the team transporter, which would destroy much of their computers, tools, and other equipment, as well as damage uniforms and more.  The trailer was a total loss as well. However, the car appears to be okay and ready to race this upcoming weekend, according to a post on the Joey Gase Racing Facebook page.

Our hearts go out to this amazing young man, who represents Cedar Rapids and Iowa so well on the course, as he continues to make a name for himself in the racing world. Being a young racer, on a small team, this loss could have shut him down, as it creates a huge financial burden.  But he definitely won't let it.  Fans continue to pour in with support and encouragement, asking where they can donate.  The team has since set up a GoFundMe page if you too would like to help out. In just 12 hours, they've gotten to almost half their goal.

Best of luck to Joey and his team in the recovery, and the upcoming race in Dover.  We'll be cheering you on.