As Joey Gladstone prepares to compete in his first full season in NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle class in the Mello Yello Series, he received a huge boost Thursday.

Trim-Tex, a drywall bead powerhouse, will be sponsoring Gladstone for the upcoming campaign. The season-opening NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race is the Gatornationals, March 16-19 in Gainesville, Fla.

This season, Gladstone will be aboard Joe Riccardi’s San Marino Excavating Suzuki.

“I’m extremely excited to have the Trim-Tex name and a great person like Joe (Koenig) on board,” said Gladstone in a press release. “To have them invest in me personally is such a great feeling. I’m honored and hope to represent Joe and Trim-Tex in a real positive manner this year and get them as much exposure as possible.”

Gladstone, 25, will be showcasing a custom Trim-Tex helmet at all 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events in 2017. A year ago, Gladstone competed in four NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle events – Indianapolis, Reading, Pa., Dallas and Las Vegas. He finished 22nd in the points standings.

“I first met Joey at the beginning of the 2016 motorcycle drag racing season,” said Trim-Tex owner Joe Koenig in a press release. “It wasn’t long before I realized his personality, work ethic, and obvious ability to flat-out win races would make him an excellent addition to the team of athletes we help support at Trim-Tex.”

Koenig is no stranger to the Pro Stock Motorcycle scene. He used to race motorcycles himself, earning the nickname “7.0 Joe” following a record-setting pass in 2002 during AMA/Prostar’s “Mountain Motor” days. Koenig has also maintained a successful career as a sports car driver, racing in IMSA, SCCA, and NASA endurance events.

As a team owner, Koenig also has had some lofty accomplishments. Trim-Tex was a sponsor for Pro Stock Motorcycle championship rider Geno Scali in 2003 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway winners’ circle with Brian Sellers and Mark Boden at the wheel of his BMW in the 2013 Brickyard Sports Car Challenge.

Trim-Tex also had been a longtime sponsor of Larry “Spiderman” McBride’s legendary Top Fuel Motorcycle, even more so since McBride debuted his new bike in 2016. Ryan Schnitz rode Rob Muzzy’s Pro Stock Motorcycles (first a Buell, then a Kawasaki ZX14) from 2006-2008 with Trim-Tex livery. And Trim-Tex also adorns the helmet of young sports car star Trent Hindman, the 2014 Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge GS champion and co-driving winner of this year’s four-hour Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race at Daytona.

“Geno, Ryan and Larry are legends with a lot of success in the sport,” said Gladstone. “Larry’s a great friend of mine, and to be included under the Trim-Tex banner with him is breathtaking.”

Koenig is excited to be returning to the Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks.

“I’m really glad to get back involved with NHRA and Pro Stock Motorcycle racing,” added Koenig. “Those days racing with Geno and Ryan were very rewarding but required a lot of passion and a strong work ethic. Hopefully Joey will see that level of success one day.”
Gladstone has made a name for himself in motorcycle racing on DME Racing’s 700 horsepower, turbocharged, Pro Street Suzuki Hayabusa, totaling eight championships in four years.

“It’s crazy thinking back 10 years and wondering what steps I need to take to get to this level,” Gladstone said. “It’s people like Joe that make what I do possible and I’ll do my best to make him proud and prove that he’s made a good choice.”