Gase's drive makes history

CEDAR RAPIDS - Joey Gase has the drive of a champion. The determined 16-year-old race car driver proved just that at Hawkeye Downs Speedway this summer.In just his second year in the class, Gase became the youngest late model season points champion in track history, placing fifth in the season finale last Friday and claiming the crown by 24 points.Gase, a third generation racer at Hawkeye Downs, entered the season with high expectations and surpassed them.“It feels really cool,” said Gase, a junior at Cedar Rapids Xavier High School. “I was just hoping to get the top 5 and we ended up doing a lot better than that.“I just hope I can keep on doing good.”It's just an example of his dedication and passion to be the best.“It seems like everything he's been doing he's been accomplishing his goals,” Gase's father, Bob, said. “He sets his mind to it and gives 110 percent.”Gase, who will race in the Oktoberfest Race Weekend Oct. 8-11 at La Crosse, Wis., was a model of consistency this summer. He notched one feature win, but finished in the top-5 in 13 of 15 races, placing no lower than eighth in any feature.“Our main goal was to finish races and then after that to get in the top five every week,” Gase said. “We weren't just going out for wins.“I just try to set realistic goals for myself and try as hard as I can. I do whatever I can to reach them.”The lone win propelled him into the points lead, and added to a confidence boost two weeks earlier.“We gained a lot of points in that race,” he said. “Once we got rolling we just basically kept on going.”Gase spends numerous hours in the garage, preparing and maintaining his own car. He spends just about every night in the off-season, working on it after school. Gase said he enjoys being on the track better, but does like being hands-on with the mechanical aspect.That benefits his performance on the track.“He did a lot of the work himself on the car,” Bob Gase said. “He's learned a lot of the fundamentals about racing from how to build a race car and how to maintain a race car is also a very big step in moving up.”Expect his next challenge to come in the American Speed Association. Gase and his dad both mentioned competing in the North or Midwest Series. He will race at Hawkeye Downs, but not for a points title.“He's looking on to the next step,” Bob Gase said. “Next year he wants to move up and race full time for ASA ... and try to win a championship in one of the higher classes.”