Max Reaves Bio
Max Reaves (born January 6, 2010) is an American professional stock car racing driver from Trinity, North Carolina. He competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East, driving the No. 18 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Reaves first drew national attention when he became the first driver born in the 2010s to compete in an ARCA race, and later the first driver born in the 2010s to win one. As a rising teenage talent, he is viewed as one of the most promising young drivers in the NASCAR development pipeline.
Early Life and Background
Max Reaves was born on January 6, 2010, in Trinity, North Carolina, a small community in the Piedmont region of the state. He is the son of Jeremy Reaves, a businessman who serves as the co-owner of the restaurant chain Cook Out, and the grandson of Morris Reaves, the founder of the Cook Out franchise. Growing up in a family with strong business roots, Reaves was introduced to motorsports at a young age and quickly developed a passion for stock car racing.
Reaves is the older brother of Roo Reaves, who is also a competitive racer, suggesting that the family’s interest in motorsports extends across generations. His upbringing in North Carolina, a state with deep ties to stock car racing, gave him convenient access to short tracks, late model programs, and the wider NASCAR grassroots community. This environment helped him move from local karting and entry-level events into the more competitive late model divisions of the Southeast.
Path to NASCAR
Reaves worked his way up through some of the most respected developmental series in the country, including the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, the CARS Pro Late Model Tour, the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, and the INEX Summer Shootout. In 2024, he captured the Carolina Pro Late Model Series championship, a title that confirmed his standing as one of the top young late model drivers in the region. That championship campaign helped him earn a spot in a national team development program.
During the same year, Reaves signed on as a development driver with Joe Gibbs Racing, one of the most decorated organizations in NASCAR. The relationship with Joe Gibbs Racing gave him access to professional-grade equipment, engineering support, and a clear path toward the ARCA Menards Series and, eventually, the national NASCAR tours. His progress through the late model ranks laid the foundation for his transition to the ARCA platform in 2025.
Max Reaves Career
Early Career (2024)
Reaves’ 2024 season was the breakthrough year of his young career. Racing across the Carolina Pro Late Model Series, the CARS Pro Late Model Tour, the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, and the INEX Summer Shootout, he built a reputation as a consistent winner and a polished racer. His championship in the Carolina Pro Late Model Series was the headline result, showing he could handle a season-long points battle as well as race for wins week to week.
That same year, Reaves was added to the Joe Gibbs Racing driver development program. Joining a team that has produced champions like Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin immediately raised his visibility within the sport and gave him a structured route into the ARCA Menards Series. The combination of a regional title and a top-tier development deal set the stage for his national-level debut in 2025.
ARCA Menards Series Breakthrough (2025)
Reaves began his ARCA Menards Series career in 2025 with Joe Gibbs Racing in the No. 18 Toyota Camry. In his very first series start at Berlin Raceway, he finished as the runner-up, an impressive debut against more experienced competition. The following week at Elko Speedway, Reaves captured his first ARCA Menards Series victory, passing Brenden Queen and Lavar Scott on his way to the win. He later added another win at Madison International Speedway, where he led all but one lap from the pole position, showing both race pace and qualifying speed.
His ARCA results made national headlines because of his age. By competing and winning in the series before he was old enough to drive on public highways in most states, Reaves quickly became a talking point among fans and media. His early ARCA performances confirmed that the move from late models to stock cars could translate into immediate results.
ARCA Menards Series East Breakthrough (2025)
Reaves’ debut in the ARCA Menards Series East was equally historic. On March 22, 2025, he won on his East Series debut at Five Flags Speedway after starting from the pole, becoming the first driver born in the 2010s to win an ARCA race. After missing the event at Rockingham, he returned to winning form with consecutive victories at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and Flat Rock Speedway.
That stretch made him the first driver to win in his first three ARCA Menards Series East starts and only the second driver after Will Rodgers to accomplish the feat. The run of form also produced two of the most notable wins of his 2025 campaign, the Shore Lunch 250 and the Owens Corning 200, which stand out as early career highlights. With a perfect blend of qualifying speed, race craft, and consistency, Reaves established himself as the breakout rookie of the ARCA season.
Joe Gibbs Racing Era (2024–Present)
Reaves joined Joe Gibbs Racing as a development driver in 2024 before stepping into the No. 18 Toyota Camry for a partial ARCA schedule in 2025. The team has allowed him to race at a competitive level while still being early in his career, balancing seat time with development. His partnership with the organization gives him a direct line of sight toward higher NASCAR national series opportunities in the coming years.
Through the 2025 season, Reaves has continued to deliver strong results, including multiple wins in the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East. The combination of his youthful energy and the resources of Joe Gibbs Racing has produced immediate momentum. As he gains more experience, the team is expected to expand his schedule and continue moving him up the development ladder.
Driving Style and Strengths
Reaves has shown an unusual mix of qualifying pace and race-day execution for a driver his age. He has demonstrated the ability to lead laps, win from the pole, and fight through traffic to overtake established veterans. His composure under pressure, combined with the engineering support of Joe Gibbs Racing, has allowed him to convert raw speed into consistent finishes and race wins.
Notable Races and Milestones
His most memorable moments to date include his first ARCA Menards Series win at Elko Speedway, his dominant run at Madison International Speedway, and his historic ARCA East debut victory at Five Flags Speedway. Back-to-back wins at Nashville Fairgrounds and Flat Rock cemented his status as a generational young talent, and his championship in the 2024 Carolina Pro Late Model Series remains the foundation of his résumé.
Max Reaves Career Wins
Max Reaves has accumulated an impressive list of victories early in his racing career, with multiple wins coming in the 2025 ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East seasons. His wins include standout performances at Elko Speedway, Madison International Speedway, Five Flags Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and Flat Rock Speedway. These results were headlined by his Shore Lunch 250 and Owens Corning 200 victories, both earned in 2025.
ARCA Menards Series Highlights
In the ARCA Menards Series, Reaves quickly turned his debut season into a winning one. He finished second in his first start at Berlin Raceway before winning at Elko Speedway, a race in which he made a key move to pass Brenden Queen and Lavar Scott. He then won at Madison International Speedway, leading all but one lap from the pole, which underlined his ability to control a race from start to finish.
ARCA Menards Series East Highlights
In the ARCA Menards Series East, Reaves’ 2025 campaign was historic from the opening lap. His pole-to-flag win at Five Flags Speedway on March 22, 2025, made him the first driver born in the 2010s to win an ARCA race, and his wins at Nashville Fairgrounds and Flat Rock made him the first driver to win his first three East Series starts. That run of form is among the strongest rookie stretches in recent ARCA East history.
Other Wins and Performances
Before reaching the ARCA level, Reaves built his résumé with a 2024 Carolina Pro Late Model Series championship, along with starts in the CARS Pro Late Model Tour, the CARS Late Model Stock Tour, and the INEX Summer Shootout. Those series provided the foundation for his development as a driver and prepared him for the national-level competition he now faces.
Max Reaves Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Reaves comes from a high-profile North Carolina family with strong business and motorsports ties. His father, Jeremy Reaves, is the co-owner of Cook Out, a regional fast-food chain that has become a fixture in the Southeast. His grandfather, Morris Reaves, is the founder of the Cook Out franchise. His younger brother, Roo Reaves, is also a competitive racer, giving the family a true racing connection beyond a single generation.
Personal Life
Reaves is a young American driver who balances his racing career with his teenage life in North Carolina. He maintains an active presence on social media, including an Instagram account under the handle @madmaxreaves, where he shares updates from his racing journey. As one of the youngest drivers in the ARCA garage, he represents a new generation of stock car talent emerging from the Southeast.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a defining year in the young career of Max Reaves. Running a partial schedule in both the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East with Joe Gibbs Racing, he has produced wins, poles, and historic milestones. He opened the ARCA season with a runner-up finish at Berlin Raceway and responded with a win the following week at Elko Speedway, showing an early ability to adapt and improve at each new track.
His ARCA East campaign was even more dominant. After becoming the first driver born in the 2010s to win an ARCA race with his debut victory at Five Flags Speedway, he added two more consecutive wins at Nashville Fairgrounds and Flat Rock. That run made him the first driver to win in his first three East Series starts, a remarkable achievement that placed him firmly in the conversation as the top rookie of the year.
With multiple wins already on his résumé, Reaves heads into the remainder of the 2025 schedule with growing momentum and the full backing of Joe Gibbs Racing. His combination of youth, talent, and team support positions him as a driver to watch as he continues his climb toward the NASCAR national series.
