UPDATE (July 17th) – Additional changes have been made to Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports lineups in regards to Sunday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Rick Ware Racing / Spire Motorsports Lineup (As of Friday, July 17th):
No. 15 – Brennan Poole
No. 27 – Gray Gaulding
No. 51 – Joey Gase
No. 53 – Josh Bilicki
No. 77 – JJ Yeley
Joey Gase will be working with a new race team when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, as the Rick Ware Racing driver will be moving over to the team’s alliance partner Spire Motorsports, to pilot the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro.
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-native has run all 17 NASCAR Cup Series races for Rick Ware Racing this season, splitting time between the team’s No. 51 and No. 53 entries, with a best finish of 23rd in the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway. In his decade-long NASCAR career, Gase has never worked with Peter Sospenzo, the crew chief for Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 entry in Sunday’s event at Texas Motor Speedway.
As a result of the shuffling between teams, JJ Yeley will pilot Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, joining teammates Gray Gaulding – who will drive the Panini American No. 27 — and Garrett Smithley, who will retain his usual driving duties in the No. 53 Sunday at Texas.
Gase has run four prior NASCAR Cup Series events at Texas Motor Speedway, driving for multiple teams including GoFas Racing and Rick Ware Racing, earning a best finish of 32nd in 2017, driving the No. 7 for Tommy Baldwin Racing. Gase also has 15 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Texas Motor Speedway, earning a best finish of 20th in 2017, driving for Go Green Racing, one of the three Top 25’s Gase has earned in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Texas.
