Late Race Pile-up Spoils Joey Gase's Gresham Debut with Spraker Racing
No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet Finishes 20th

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (August 31, 2010) - Joey Gase finished 20th in his second NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) start in the No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet. A late race incident at the front of the field allowed just 12 cars to finish on the lead lap of the American Fence Association 150 at Gresham Motorsports Park.

Rookie Joey Gase was excited to race for the first time in the state of Georgia and celebrated Friday night with his fellow competitors. The Cedar Rapids native joined more than 12 fellow competitors at an appearance at Funopolis Family Fun Center in Commerce, Ga. The NKNPSE drivers signed autographs and played games with their friends, family and fans.

It was straight to work Saturday morning with the first practice. Gase posted the 17th fast time of 18.038 seconds (99.789 mph). One hour later, 17-year-old was back on track maneuvering his No. 37 Spraker Racing Enterprises Chevrolet to the eighth quickest lap of 17.636 seconds (102.064 mph). Focusing on a long-run set-up, Gase qualified 24th with a lap time of 18.105 seconds (99.420 mph).

Gase took the green flag for the American Fence Association 150 from the 24th position, with a goal to finish the race clean and get a solid top-15 finish. The field slowed for the first time on lap six for a single-car incident. Gase continued to get comfortable with the car and the track.

Another caution for a single-car incident on lap 34 allowed some of the field to pit. The next 30 laps found three more yellow flags for single-car incidents. The multiple cautions set up short-runs, not allowing the Spraker Racing Chevrolet to shine on long-runs. By the halfway point, Gase was working his way up into the top-15.

By the sixth caution on lap 90, he worked his way up to the 16th position, and the field was shown the red flag for clean-up in turn two. After 38 minutes of clean-up, the field went back to racing, but not for long. One lap later, a car was stopped in turn four. Unfortunately, the restart on lap 125 found a chain-reaction pile up on the frontstretch. With nowhere to go, the No. 37 Chevrolet was involved and done for the day. Gase finished 20th, 6 laps down.

After another red flag and four more cautions, Richard Childress Racing driver Ty Dillon took the checkers for his first career NKNPSE win.

"The car took a few laps to come in, but once it did, we were fast and passing people," explained Gase. "The race was a bit of a wreck fest, but we got up to the top-15. Unfortunately, someone missed a shift on the restart, and we had nowhere to go. It was a fun, fast track. Thanks to Spraker Racing, we had a great car, and I had a great time."

The American Fence Association 150 will be broadcast on SPEED Channel September 2nd at 6 p.m. EST. Spraker Racing will return to NKNPSE racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 17 for the New Hampshire 125.