After a successful partnership in last Summer’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway, McGruff the Crime Dog is ready to take another ride with Joey Gase and Emerling-Gase Motorsports.
Announced by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) via Facebook on Wednesday, Gase will pilot the No. 53 Go For Real / McGruff the Crime Dog Ford Mustang in the season-opening event at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.
Last season, Gase competed in a total of 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series events – ten for Emerling-Gase Motorsports and one for BJ McLeod Motorsports – picking up a pair of 16th-place results as a season-high at Talladega (Spring) and Daytona (Summer).
The Cedar Rapids, Iowa-native partnered with Patrick Emerling, a winner in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, to form Emerling-Gase Motorsports in 2022 and field a full-time entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, No. 35.
In the team’s maiden season, eight different drivers took a turn behind the wheel of an Emerling-Gase Motorsports entry – which qualified for every event in 2022 – with Parker Kligerman scoring a team-high finish of 12th at Circuit of The Americas.
This season, Emerling-Gase Motorsports has elected to field a pair of full-time entries in the second-tier series, fielding the No. 35 and No. 53 on a full-time basis. While Gase has been confirmed to pilot the No. 53 at Daytona, the driver of the No. 35 has yet to be announced.
Brad Perez and CJ McLaughlin have also been confirmed to join the organization’s driver lineup this season. Perez will contest at least four NASCAR Xfinity Series events, beginning at COTA, while McLaughlin tells TobyChristie.com he’s planning on doing up to 18 events with the team.
Additional announcements regarding the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series driver lineup for Emerling-Gase Motorsports are expected to be forthcoming.
