Joe and his brother Tom were drag racers in the early 1960s (back-to-back NHRA champions in 1961 and 1962), who got the idea that they could win more races if they could improve the seal between the headers and their engines. Joe hit on a durable gasket recipe and tested it successfully on his own cars. Earliest prototypes were built in his home basement. As it happens in the racing world, word got around to other drivers, and soon Joe was literally “Mr. Gasket,” selling the popular sealers, at first under the Speed Specialties name, then as Mr. Gasket Co. Joe was a SEMA Memorial Scholarship subfund sponsor.