Joey Gase and Go Green Racing had yet another promising trip ahead of them. After practice on Thursday evening the team got the ProMaster / LifeCenter Chevrolet dialed in to their satisfaction. They put down their fastest lap time of practice with 30 laps on their tires. They took that speed and laid it all out on the pavement during qualifying making second round and ultimately qualifying in the 22nd position.
The sun had set, the green flag was in the air, and the Alsco 300 was under way at Kentucky Speedway. Eight short laps later Gase relayed to CC Patrick Donahue that he was free all the way around. Patrick’s response, “Perfect!” With the track temperatures to get cooler as the night went on the car will naturally get tighter; and that’s exactly what had happened. On lap 32, Joey said he was now really tight up off of turn 4. Joey did what he could for the final 13 laps of the stage but fell a lap down a few laps before the end of the stage. However, he was the first car a lap down earning him the lucky dog putting him back on the lead lap. In between stages Gase said he didn’t want any big adjustments he just wants to be freed up off 4. With that in mind, Donahue called for just half a round out of the left rear.
Stage two was a relatively clean stage and would stay under the green flag for its entirety. Joey fought his way up to the 19th position before the green/white checkered waved. He said he was really good at the beginning of the stage but on the long run he started to get too tight center-off 1 & 2. To help free him up the crew would put a round of wedge in the right rear and put a half a pound of pressure in right rear tire as well.
After the end of the second stage the field would retake the green with 103 laps to go in the Alsco 300. The final stage would bring 5 cautions, and the first coming only two laps after the stage began. On lap 132, Joey said he was starting to get a little tight towards the end of their 23 lap run so he would bring it down pit road for some adjustments to free him up a bit. The crew had a great pit stop under the caution. After taking pit 4 tires, fuel, half a round in the RR, and a pound of pressure out of the RF tire he would restart in 13th.
That’s when Go Green Racing’s excellent run would go sour in a hurry. Joey was battling Michael Annett for position with about 45 laps remaining and passed him cleanly for 15th. A couple laps later the frustrated Annett had a run on Gase entering turn 3 but drove right through Gase putting him into the outside wall ending his night.
It was a tough pill for Gase and GGR to swallow after such a promising night. The guys have worked their tails off to go out and compete like they have the last couple of weeks. The team will put their frustrations behind them and head to New Hampshire next weekend for the Lakes Region 300.
Joey Gase PR
