Following his mother’s sudden death four years ago, NASCAR driver Joey Gase was called upon to consent to donating her organs and tissues, which ultimately touched the lives of 66 people in need of transplants. Since then, Gase has become as passionate about organ donation as he is about racing.
For the AAA Sprint Cup Series, Gase raced the ZAK Products and Donate Life Texas #32 car for Go Green Racing. In a special appearance on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, at Grapevine Ford, Gase unveiled the Ford car which proudly carried the name and photograph of a registered cornea and tissue donor, Mark Gipe. Gipe’s sister, Divina Spies, is an employee at the dealership and was pleased for the chance to honor her beloved brother.
“Because of Mark’s selfless way of living, he had already signed up to be a donor when he passed away from a heart attack,” says Spies of her brother who was known for his quiet strength and dedication to family and community. “He did in death what he did in life – he gave everything. The pain never goes away but it helps to know how much he helped others.”
The unveiling of the ZAK Products AAA Sprint Cup car at Grapevine Ford not only honored Gipe, but also called attention to the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of men, women and children out there who are waiting for the gift of life in the form of an organ transplant.
At the event, guests were given the opportunity to join the Donate Life Texas donor registry for a chance to receive a ZAK Products Car Care Bucket. In addition, those who showed the Hero’s Heart donor symbol on their driver’s license also had an opportunity to receive car care packages, as well.
“ZAK Products and the employees at Grapevine Ford wanted to honor Joey's deep commitment to organ and tissue donation by offering fans the chance to join the Donate Life Texas donor registry at this appearance," says Vic Keller, founder of ZAK Products, an Irving, Texas-based company. “Fans' allegiance to motorsport lifestyle often helps open their minds to causes they may not have thought about before.”
