Local organ donor honored during NASCAR Race

Joey Gase, owner and driver for Joey Gase Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, honored a Eureka cornea donor during the race at the Las Vegas Motor SpeedWay (LVMS) March 2.

Joey Gase partnered with the Nevada Donor Network in 2013 to promote the gift of life and health through donation by honoring local donors and their families each time he races at LVMS. His drive to honor local donors was spurred by the passing of his mother in 2011. She helped 66 people as an organ, eye and tissue donor. 

For every race at LVMS, Gase displays the image of five local donors on his racecar along with the donor families’ “Messages of Hope.” This past race, local boy Ezekiel Covarrubias appeared on the side of Gase’s car.

Ezekiel, a three-year-old tissue and cornea donor, passed away in 2022. 

“Seeing Ezekiel honored by the Nevada Donor Network and Joey Gase at the NASCAR race on Saturday was a true honor,” said Judy Covarrubias, Ezekiel’s mother. “It caused multiple mixed feelings of missing him, yet knowing he is in heaven and still lives on through others by giving them a better quality of life here on Earth.”

Next to Ezekiel’s picture on Gase’s racecar were four other Nevada donors: Elizabeth Pineda, Leroy Lebich, Eric Achatz and Sophia Templin.

The Nevada Donor Network coordinates, recovers and allocates lifesaving organs and healing tissues for transplantation and research. They also provide education to hospital staff and community partners about donation and provide a network of support for donor families. More information on the NDN can be found at https://www.nvdonor.org.

“It gave us a sense of pride and joy to have our precious son and brother honored by others and have his legacy live on,” Judy said. “We will never be able to express enough gratitude to Nevada Donor Network and Joey Gase for their kindness and thoughtfulness. May God’s blessing be upon the recipients, Nevada Donor Network, Joey Gase and his team.”