NASCAR

ARCA Menards Series East Rookie Max Reaves Wins Debut Start At Five Flags Speedway

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Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Published23 Mar 2025

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It didn’t take long for rookie driver Max Reaves to make an impact on the ARCA Menards Series East circuit. 

The 15-year-old Cumming, Georgia, native earned his first in trip to Victory Lane in his debut.  

In a decisive move with 27 laps remaining Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Reaves utilized lapped traffic to his advantage, passing Kole Raz for the lead. When Raz failed to clear Becca Monopoli, Reaves executed an inside move to get to the front. 

En route to the win, the Joe Gibbs Racing prospect displayed his driving promise by narrowly driving between two slower machines. Reaves started from the pole. 

“I’m speechless right now, but I felt like Superman when I passed the leader,” Reaves told FloRacing. “The car was awesome, this is awesome.” 

Tyler Reif, who recorded top-10 finishes in his opening three series starts, placed third after settling into the lead pack for most of the season-opening event.  

Connor Mosack, who has appeared on the NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series this season, rallied to a fourth-place finish after a first-half spin that placed him a lap down. On Lap 63, Mosack and Reaves battled for the lead, resulting in contact and Mosack’s machine suffering a left-rear flat.  

Rookie Isaac Kitzmiller finished P5 in his East debut. 

The East circuit returns April 19 at Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina.