Undefeated in East Series competition, Max Reaves turns his attention towards ARCA Menards Series debut

Max Reaves has wasted no time adding to the successful history of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in his rookie ARCA Menards Series East campaign.

In all three of his East Series appearances this year, Reaves has visited Victory Lane, leading a combined 383 laps in the process. Now Reaves is putting his perfect record on the line as he prepares for his ARCA Menards Series national debut at Berlin Raceway this Saturday evening.

Reaves competed in Berlin’s Money in the Bank 150 last Wednesday to get an idea of what to expect around the 7/16-mile oval. Although he did not get the outcome he wanted, Reaves is confident the knowledge gained from that evening, combined with his dominance in the East Series, will translate into a stellar first outing.

“There will definitely be more competition,” Reaves said. “I’m not nervous at all, but I think it’ll be a lot tighter of a field. I took a [Super] Late Model [to Berlin] to race and that didn’t end too well, but I think we’ll be fine. We’re going to shoot for another win.”

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In many regards, Reaves finds it fitting he gets to pilot the No. 18 for Gibbs in his first appearance with the ARCA Menards Series.

Reaves has plenty of fond childhood memories watching Kyle Busch dominate in the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series. That same number was also employed by Reaves’ mentor, 2000 Cup Series champion Bobby Labonte, who lived in the same neighborhood as Reaves during his youth.

Labonte remembers watching Reaves’ family push the now 15-year-old around in a stroller during his youth and how his passion for motorsports grew as he got older. With his dad Bob actively working on a quarter-midget at that time, Labonte introduced Reaves to him so he could learn more about how to be successful in racing.

Reaves took the guidance provided by the Labontes to heart. He scored two victories in his first Cook Out Summer Shootout appearance at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023, which he backed up the following year with another strong campaign in the Young Lions class that saw him tally three more wins and a third-place finish in the final standings.

By the end of 2024, Reaves was a winner in both Pro Late Model and Late Model Stock competition, which facilitated his progression to the ARCA platform on a part-time basis.

Labonte has been impressed by how quickly Reaves can adapt to any type of car he climbs into. The goal for Labonte, who is acting as an unofficial guide for Reaves, is to ensure he is consistently challenged while on the developmental ladder. Labonte acknowledged the young driver has remained unfazed through every part of the process so far.

“The kid has more talent than I had when I was that age,” Labonte said. “I had to work on my cars, but as far as him going out there and going fast, that’s easy for him, which is half the battle a lot of times. He definitely gets it in a lot of ways, but we have to make sure we capitalize on it and not let it go to waste.

“We’re trying to make him uncomfortable and he does really well with that.”

Reaves has leaned heavily on Labonte’s tutelage during his transition to the heavier cars utilized in the ARCA Menards Series. The No. 18 Toyota has won the last four East Series titles and Reaves knows he needs every piece of knowledge available from Labonte to meet the high expectations placed upon him by the team.

Despite boasting a flawless East Series record so far, Reaves is still learning about the ARCA platform on a race-by-race basis. Having Labonte as a constant presence is one reason why Reaves believes his first year with Gibbs has started so positively.

“[Labonte] knows everything,” Reaves said. “He’s never really wrong about anything, since he’s a champion. He wants me to keep the car clean, but he’s got knowledge at just about every track [and on] any kind of racing. It’s cool being able to learn from somebody like that and that he even takes the time to teach me.”

Even with Labonte and the expertise of Gibbs’ ARCA program on his side, Berlin is still poised to be one of Reaves’ toughest tests so far. Keeping his undefeated streak intact will require Reaves to fend off many talented national series regulars like current points leader Brenden Queen, who has won three of the six events this year.

The layout of Berlin also surprised Reaves when he turned his first practice laps at the facility last week. It took time for Reaves to acclimate himself to Berlin, but he was happy with the speed his Super Late Model showed during the Money in the Bank 150, which he hopes is an encouraging sign for the weekend.

“[Berlin] is really weird because it’s a lot different than the normal ovals I’m used to in the south,” Reaves said. “A lot of the tracks up [north], you’re always turning, like an egg shape. I’m used to the long straightaways at a place like Caraway [Speedway] and Nashville [Fairgrounds Speedway]. It’s weird getting used to that.

“We were pretty quick in [the Money in the Bank 150] before we wrecked out, so I think we’ll be good [on Saturday].”

Every new challenge Reaves faces always brings about the same mindset for Labonte, which is ensuring Reaves’ expectations are tempered.

Winning every race is an unrealistic reality for any aspiring competitor, and Labonte knows Reaves’ streak of victories will come to an end at some point. When that does happen, Labonte wants Reaves to not let defeat rattle him and instead use the experience to learn and move forward.

As long as Reaves keeps adhering to everything he and Gibbs are teaching him, Labonte knows Berlin will be a positive experience no matter the outcome.

“Dale Earnhardt Sr. only won like 10 percent of his races in the Cup Series, so he lost about 90 percent,” Labonte said. “[Berlin] is a tough race track, but I think we can hold our own in some ways. I want to achieve a win for sure and I know the car is going to be fast, but [Reaves] needs to learn how to race other people and how to be there at the end.

“If we have a first-place car, let’s go for the win. If we have a fifth-place car, let’s not finish 30^th.”

In three races, Reaves has already managed to carve out a winning reputation with the same team and car number he idolized when he was younger. Many talented drivers like Labonte, Busch and others have had the privilege of driving a Gibbs No. 18 in their career, which is why Reaves intends to make the most of his time in that seat.

Although he expects Berlin to test him in numerous aspects, Reaves does not just want to settle for a strong performance on Saturday. Knowing the efficient reputation of the car he is driving, which won at Berlin last year with William Sawalich, Reaves is focused on finding his way to Victory Lane in his maiden ARCA Menards Series national start.

“My expectations are to win,” Reaves said. “If I can’t win, then that’s not too good. Butterbean and them have been doing really good at PRG, but I think we’ll be better. All I think about is winning, no matter the class or how many cars are there.

“I just want to win.”