Joey Gase inks deal with BK Racing, to make first Daytona 500 start

Some guys have to make their dreams happen. Cedar Rapids native Joey Gase does that for a living — making his NASCAR dream happen out of both desire and necessity.

Tuesday came with an announcement that explained clearly that the work he's done in hustling for any and all sponsors he can find is paying off.

Gase and BK Racing announced a three-race deal for the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season that will include the Daytona 500, the summer race at Kentucky Speedway and the fall night race at Bristol Motor Speedway in the No. 23 Toyota. The 59th running of NASCAR's biggest race will be the first for Gase — a checklist item only a few people get to cross off.

'It's definitely the best team I can say I've been on in the Cup series,' Gase said. 'It means a lot. I'll be one of 40 drivers on the Daytona 500. That's amazing.

'We're just going to go race by race right now. We'll see what more might happen.'

Gase has 13 career Cup series starts, all with Go Fas Racing. The three-race deal with BK Racing hinged on a new sponsor coming into the fold in Best Home Furnishings, an agreement Gase brought to the table. Gase and the representatives from Best Home Furnishings got together at the end of last year and wanted a team that was 'the best fit for us.' BK Racing, which parted ways with David Ragan, was in search of the same thing.

It's three races to start, but if more sponsorship can be found, Gase said there's an option for more races this season in the No. 23.

He'll be the second Cedar Rapids native to start the Daytona 500, and join his fellow hometown racer, Landon Cassill, to give Cedar Rapids two of the 40 starting spots in the Great American Race. If Casey Mears (he and Kevin Harvick are from Bakersfield, Calif.), currently a free agent, does not start the race, Cedar Rapids will be the only U.S. city represented by two drivers in the Daytona 500.

To add to the connection, BK Racing now will have employed both Gase and Cassill, who drove for the team for the full 2012 season. Cassill's first Daytona 500 start also came driving for BK.

They're all points of pride for Gase. He and Cassill may have taken different paths, but Gase believes both have given their hometown something to be proud of.

'I don't know if everyone (in Cedar Rapids) does understand it, but I hope they do,' Gase said. 'We're two drivers out of 40 in the whole world racing in the Daytona 500. People travel from all over the world to come to this race. It's the biggest race of the whole year. Everyone has heard of the Indy 500 or the Daytona 500. It's really cool.'

Gase's three races with BK supplement his fourth full season in the Xfinity Series with Jimmy Means Racing, the team he's competed for since 2013.

The work Gase had to do to secure the Cup sponsorship was done right alongside the everyday work he has finding and keeping sponsors for his full-time ride in the No. 52 Chevy. It means he's busy, yes, but when a driver is in the position Gase is in — where every sponsor means he still has a job — busy is far better than bored.

'I think next year will be my busiest year yet,' Gase said. 'I think the more races I do, the better it is for my career and the more I get my name out there.

'More time you're in any racecar, the more experience you have, the better you'll be.'

There's still a lot more Gase wants to do, to be certain. Simply starting the Daytona 500 and having another full season in the Xfinity Series aren't the end of his checklist.

The chase for those remaining items is why it's still worth it — why all the phone calls, sponsor proposals and appearances are worth it.

Gase has to make his dream happen.

'It's going in the right direction,' Gase said. 'If I didn't think it was worth it, I wouldn't be doing this anymore. It's definitely very, very hard and as a lot of people know, a lot of it has to do with the finances you have behind you. I've been able to get to where I am today with probably the least amount of finances out of pretty much anyone out there. I think it's worth it and definitely starting to pay off.'

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com