The Richmond Xfinity race saw Joe Gibbs Racing sweep the podium emphatically as Chandler Smith picked up his second victory of the Xfinity season, with teammates Aric Almirola and Taylor Gray finishing behind him in that respective order. On the other side of the 38-car field, Joey Gase ended his race at P34 due to an “unwarranted” wreck, courtesy of former Emerling-Gase Motorsports teammate Dawson Cram. 

This disappointing incident managed to generate a lot of buzz during the race on Saturday, as Gase went one step further with the frustrations at hand and ripped off his bumper under caution, flinging it straight at Cram’s #4 car. Adding to all the appeals after the race, Joey Gase had some scathing comments to make, and a $60,000 loss to claim for his recent regrets in Richmond and potential malfunctions in Martinsville.

Joey Gase fumes amidst apologies for Richmond’s “Bumper” drama

The “accident” in question happened late in the race when JD Motorsports #4 Camaro made contact with Joey Gase Motorsports’ #35 and sent the part-time Xfinity owner/driver into the outer wall. Under caution, Cram made the necessary rotation around the 0.75-mile oval, moving from the back of the pack towards Gase’s initial position. It was at this moment that the “viral interaction” between these teammates-turned-fierce rivals took place between Turns 1 & 2.

Whether the 31-year-old “bumper star” is penalized for his actions is still unclear. However, Gase did not hold back when Noah Lewis of TSJSports1 inquired if this was a “lesson,” albeit at the “unfortunate cost” of the #35 car’s botched Richmond advance. Gase expressed his disappointment, and revealed the reason to Lewis, “Really nothing else you can say besides he needs to get his head outta his a*s… I mean we’re a small, small, small organization and we were gonna take two cars to Martinsville, and now after that hit we don’t know if we can do that.”

Joey Gase Motorsports has fielded two cars, the #53 and the #35, in its last two years of competing in the Xfinity Series. Notably, a partnership agreement with current SS Greenlight-Racing driver Patrick Emerling had the team named Emerling-Gase Motorsports at this time. The “agreement” fell through this season, and Gase seems to be feeling the burn in his pockets, as he also stated between discussions, “That was a minimum 60,000 dollar hit for me today for no reason at all.”

With tensions still fresh off of an impressive second-tier spectacle at Richmond, the two drivers have been in private conversations already, and it is safe to say that Gase has been open about his “frustrations” to Cram as well.

Lack of trust between the former teammates

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When the #35 Chevy was towed back to the garage, the media wanted the #35 driver’s first thoughts, and Gase was game. Complimenting the 22-year-old rookie’s personality, the near double-aged veteran fumed, “He’s a good kid but he loses his head every freaking race. He always has speed but he loses his head literally every race.”

But after changing from his firesuit and dealing with the “heat” of the moment, Gase had some interesting disclosures. He stated, as per Noah Lewis’ aforementioned interview video on Twitter, “His stories kinda kept changing but then at the end, he did admit he did it, but it wasn’t on purpose, I guess…”

The Iowa native then iterated how he “told” Cram that a top National Series driver can “only get so many mistakes in the Series” until his “ride’s gone.” A gentle warning for a “viral mistake.” As Gase continued to reveal the latest updates, Cram, also the “youngest team-owner in NASCAR history,” apparently affirmed to his former teammate that he would “stop making all these mistakes like he’s doing every week.” But with the Richmond “bump and run” already big news, Gase had the apt conclusion. We will “see what next week looks like at Martinsville.”

Frustrated Joey Gase Outclasses Tony Stewart’s Wrath as Wild Rear Bumper Throw Replaces Iconic Helmet Toss