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The NASCAR fanbase has taken aim at Xfinity Series driver Joey Gase after he threw his damaged bumper on the car of the rival at fault.
The ToyotaCare 250 marked the sixth Xfinity Series run on the 2024 calendar and was hosted by the Richmond Raceway. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Aric Almirola swept both stages but fell shy of converting the Final Stage in his favor as his teammate Chandler Smith sealed the P1 spot and his second win of the season.
The 250-lap run didn't witness many cautions, with the majority arising out of reliability issues with the car. However, an incident on lap 173 sent Joey Gase's #35 Chevrolet into the wall and out of the race.
The nudge from JD Motorsports driver Dawson Cram on turn 1 sent Gase's ride straight into the wall. The heavy crash resulted in the entire rear end of the car getting damaged as the bumper was barely clinging onto the stock car.
Just as the #35 Chevy rammed into the wall, Joey Gase hopped out of the car detached the rear bumper, and held it in his hand, waiting for Cram's #4 Chevrolet to arrive. The moment the JD Motorsports driver came close to the standing 31-year-old driver, he took revenge by tossing the bumper directly onto Dawson's windshield.
The payback act quickly gained traction among the fans, following which they opined on the lap-173 incident. One fan, while replying to the video posted by Fox on X (formerly Twitter) account, cited the act as a "CRIME":
One fan seemingly praised the accuracy of the driver's throw and jokingly suggested Major League Baseball (MLB) offered him a new contract despite the season already starting earlier this month:
"He's a few days late but MLB get him a contract"
One fan pointed out the irony with the act and the paint scheme on Joe Gase's car's bumper, commenting:
"Throwing a race against crime panel at another car 🤣"
Here are a few more reactions to the incident:
Joey Gase vents his frustration after getting released from the infield care center
22-year-old Dawson Cram is observing his maiden Xfinity Series year with JD Motorsports. However, before partnering up with Johnny Davis, Cram used to field the #35 Ford for Joey Gase Motorsports in 2022, and this supposedly led to more anger as Gase probably didn't expect one of his peers to do that to him.
Though Cram chose to remain silent on the issue, the Joey Gase Motorsports owner opted to express his anger, saying (via motorsport.com):
“I think him just not having his head screwed on right. I gave the kid his first opportunity in Xfinity ever. I know (owner) Johnny Davis isn’t in the business of wrecking race cars and we’re definitely not. We’re a small team and racing hard for (the free pass)."
Joey's frustrated act has caught much attention and prompted NASCAR to look into the matter. No official decision is out yet, but a NASCAR spokesperson says the officials will surely pursue the situation.
