Both Joey Gase and Dawson Cram turned their incident in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race last week at Richmond Raceway into tangible business this weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
Gase, who drives for his own underfunded race team, crashed into the wall in Turns 1 and 2 due to contact from Cram behind him. Cram misjudged the corner and Gase paid for it. Gase, furious at the damaged incurred, ripped what remained of his rear bumper cover, and tossed it at Cram as he drove by under caution.
NASCAR fined Gase $5000 for walking down a hot track to toss the bumper cover. Cram, who seemed genuinely remorseful, sold t-shirts that said ‘sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you’re the bumper,’ and gave the proceeds to ‘Donate Life,’ an organ donor awareness program aligned with Gase.
Now, both drivers have sold sponsorship for the weekend at Martinsville that takes a tongue-in-cheek spin on what happened in Richmond. Gase has landed a primary sponsorship from Bumpers That Deliver, a bumper cover delivery entity, while Cram sold space on his car to Xpress Auto Glass, a reference to having a bumper cover dropped on his windshield.
“We don’t know what will happen on the track or on the road,” said Cram in a press release, “that’s why we rely on our great partners at Xpress Auto Glass to be there for us when unexpected things hit our windshields.”
And then there was Gase.
“Joining forces with Bumpers That Deliver is a thrilling new chapter in my career,” Gase said. “This alliance not only underscores the dynamic nature of NASCAR but also fortifies the impactful work of Donate Life and the Go For Real program, steering us toward a safer and more genuine future.”