Getty Emerling-Gase Motorsports has unveiled big plans for 2023.
Afirst-year NASCAR Xfinity Series team has revealed big plans for the 2023 season. Emerling-Gase Motorsports will switch to two full-time entries after running one of them part-time in 2022.
The team co-owned by Joey Gase and Patrick Emerling announced the news ahead of the Crayon 200 weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The team confirmed that both entries will be full-time while citing its previous performances as a reason. Emerling-Gase Motorsports drivers have made every race they have attempted, and they have combined for six top-20 finishes and only two DNFs.
“I am extremely proud of our Emerling-Gase Motorsports team,” Gase said in a press release. “There are not too many start up teams or small teams this season that can say they have made every race they have entered and only have [two] DNFs, plus be in the top 30 in owner points. I have been racing in the sport since 2011 and can say without a doubt this is the toughest the XFINITY Series field has been in the last 10 years.
“We could not do this without our tremendous employees we have at EGM and of course all our sponsors like Donate Life, Kitty Kat Coin, Eternal Fan, Captain Pips, and many more. With that being said, we have a lot of work to do and a lot of room to grow, and Patrick and I are looking forward to the challenge.”
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The Driver Roster Remains a Question
GettyJoey Gase has made several starts for his Xfinity Series team.
Emerling-Gase Motorsports has featured a rotating cast of drivers. Gase has started the most (six) while Emerling and Shane Lee have each made five starts of their own. The list of drivers also includes Jeffrey Earnhardt (one), Chris Dyson (one), and Parker Kligerman (one).
Kligerman turned in the best performance for the organization in his lone start. He suited up at Circuit of the Americas and raced his way to a 12th-place finish. Lee posted the second-best run by finishing 14th at Talladega Superspeedway.
Emerling-Gase Motorsports provided some information about the lineup for the 2023 season. The team confirmed that Gase, Emerling, Lee, and some other names will rotate starts in one of the entries. The goal is to have one full-time driver in the other entry that could contend for driver points and a possible spot in the playoffs.
“We faced a lot of challenges as a startup team and I am very proud of what we have accomplished so far,” Emerling added in the press release. “I am looking forward to working with Joey and the whole EGM group, and continuing to grow our team into the future.”
The Team Already Expanded Once Before
The expansion to two full-time entries will be the second major change for Emerling-Gase Motorsports. The team already expanded once before, just prior to the 2022 Xfinity Series season.
Gase originally unveiled his team on November 18 after he finished running a schedule in 2021 that featured starts across both the Xfinity and Cup Series. He issued a press release and announced that he would run Joey Gase Racing, which would feature a full-time entry.
The situation changed on December 30. Gase revealed that he had joined forces with Emerling to form Emerling-Gase Racing. The original plan was to run the No. 35 full-time while adding a second entry that would be part-time, and the team has followed it. The No. 35 has started all 18 races while the No. 53 has entered two.
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