Gase's Drive for Charity Touches Hearts, Minds This Weekend at Brickyard

Joey Gase’s purpose transcends performance as he races for more than himself or a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

When he climbs into the No. 15 Premium Motorsports Chevrolet for his first Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400, Gase will drive for his late mother, Mary Jo, who died from a brain aneurysm in 2011, with a car sponsor near and dear to his heart.

Gase is representing the Lisa Colagrossi Foundation (www.lisafoundation.org), named after a journalist for WABC-TV in New York who died from a brain aneurysm in 2015. Her husband, Todd Crawford, created the foundation to enhance education and raise awareness about symptoms and help save lives.

Gase also will drive for Konrad Reuland, an NFL tight end who died in December at the age of 29 from a brain aneurysm. Reuland’s parents, Ralf and Mary, are guests of Gase and Crawford at the track in what will be an emotional weekend.

“What we’re going through, it’s gut-wrenching and a struggle each and every day,” Crawford said Friday. “Something like this does help because it brings them back and you feel them with you through this weekend. But it also resurrects a lot of the memories that we can never have again, which is extremely painful.”

Gase, a 24-year-old full-time NASCAR XFINITY Series driver from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will race for others, too. More than 40 painted yellow ribbons honoring those affected by brain aneurysms will be painted on his car.

“We’re driving for anyone that’s affected by brain aneurysm, either themselves or a family member,” Gase said. “Brain aneurysm is a silent disease that unfortunately sneaks up and takes a lot of people’s lives. You can be perfectly healthy, have no issues at all like my mom was, and it just comes out of nowhere.”

Notable names on those ribbons include celebrity chef Mario Batali, a survivor. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Taylor Gabriel lost his mother when he was a teenager. Detroit Lions wide receiver T.J. Jones lost his father, a former star at Notre Dame, the same year Gase’s mother died.

“This is where the unscripted drama of NASCAR converges with the unscripted drama and tragedy of real life on this car this weekend,” Crawford said, “to raise awareness for brain aneurysms and educate the public on warning signs and what to do and try to help save lives.”

Crawford advises that brain aneurysms can affect as many as 15 million people.

“And not everybody knows about it,” he said. “That’s why the Lisa Foundation was founded, based on creating awareness and educating the public on the prevalence and the issue.”

In some instances, a timely procedure can save a life, said Reuland’s father, Ralf, a physician.

“If you ever have that worst headache that you’ve ever had, you better get it checked out,” Ralf Reuland said. “Many of the cases, they are curable. It’s all about time, and people need to be educated on those signs and symptoms.”

Konrad Reuland’s last NFL team was the Indianapolis Colts in the 2016 preseason. After spending time with four teams in six years, he was unemployed but still hopeful of landing another opportunity when a late-November workout resulted in a headache. A two-week ordeal ended with Reuland being declared brain dead.

“Konrad did everything right,” Mary Reuland said. “He did go to the hospital at the first sign. In his case, he just wasn’t going to be saved. In most cases, you can be saved.”

Reuland’s story became national news when his heart and a kidney were donated to save the life of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew. Reuland’s parents met Carew in April.

The understated Gase says he’s hopeful his mother would be proud.

“I think she would say, ‘Just keep up the good work,’ and ‘Thank you for keeping my legacy alive,’” he said, “and doing as much as we can to help others.”

Mary Reuland thanked driver Gase with a big hug. She said Gase will have several guardian angels watching over him on race day in his 17th career Cup Series start.

Crawford and the Reulands anticipate an emotional moment Saturday morning, when they get to see the Lisa Foundation stock car for the first time.

“Yeah, I want to see it, I really do,” Ralf said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing it. I don’t know what sort of emotion I’m going to have, but I guess I’m going to find out.”

Said Mary: “I’m very excited to see it. I might get a little weepy.”

Said Crawford: “That’s going to be a tough one. It kind of brings it all to life and makes it real.”

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series action gets underway Saturday with practice sessions at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Qualifying for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 starts at 6:15 p.m.

The Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. (ET) Sunday. Visit IMS.com to purchase tickets for all 2017 IMS events, including the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250 on July 21-23, and for more information on all events.