NASCAR: Joey Gase to Drive Third Front Row Motorsports Entry at Darlington
The No. 23 Front Row Motorsports car was recently purchased from BK Racing.
Joey Gase will be a teammate to Front Row Motorsports drivers David Ragan and Michael McDowell in the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina on Sunday. FRM arrived at Darlington as a three-car crew after its recent purchase of the BK Racing No. 23 team.
"I can't thank BK Racing enough for giving me the opportunity to run the Bojangles' Southern 500 this weekend,” Gase said in a statement, still referring to the No. 23 team as BK Racing. "To race in a classic race like the Southern 500 and on a very tough, slick, legendary Darlington Raceway will be an honor.”
With the addition of Sunday’s Cup Series race, Gase will pull double duty at Darlington, also running the NASCAR Xfinity Series event there on Saturday.
The Southern 500 will be Gase's fourth Cup Series race of 2018, the first since he drove for StarCom Racing at Daytona International Speedway in July. It also will be his first Cup race at Darlington. Gase has a career-best Cup finish of 21st, coming at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama last year. His best finish of 2018, so far, was 25th at Daytona.
Gase has been a full-time driver in the Xfinity Series since 2014. His best finish of 24th in Xfinity came at Darlington two years ago.
The No. 23 transitions from BK Racing to Front Row Motorsports
, The No. 23 Toyota on track at Daytona International Speedway in Florida in February 2018, with the car was driven by Gray Gaulding and raced under the BK Racing banner., Getty Images for NASCARFront Row Motorsports' purchase of BK Racing assets, including cars, other equipment and a charter, for $2.08 million was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge J. Craig Whitley on Aug. 23. Prior to the sale, BK Racing was being run by Matthew Smith, a court-appointed trustee, as a result of owner Ron Devine putting the team in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February.
To maintain the newly-acquired charter, Front Row Motorsports has to enter the former BK Racing team for the remainder of the 2018 Cup Series season. The car remains a Toyota, even though Front Row Motorsports is a Ford team, and continues to carry the No. 23 for the Darlington race, according to NASCAR’s official entry list.
There are 36 charters in use in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Each one guarantees its holder a starting position in each series race.
Details regarding drivers and manufacturer or car number changes beyond the Darlington race have not been released by Front Row Motorsports. After the Southern 500, 11 races remain in the 2018 Cup Series season.
