Josh Reeves – Chasing the Sprint Cup Dream, one lap at a time…
Michelle Hoskin 11/25/2014
This week I had the pleasure of talking to Josh Reeves. Reeves is a 22 year old ARCA racer (#40) who is on his way to stardom. From Martinsville Virginia, Josh is also currently enrolled through Old Dominion University majoring in Mechanical Engineering, while minoring in Motorsports Engineering Technology. Josh has been racing for roughly 10 years and has been a part of racing for 13 years…more than half of his life.
Visit Josh at:
Twitter/Instagram: @JoshReeves77
Facebook.com/JoshReevesRacing
Joshreevesracing.com
ARCA, short for Automobile Racing Club of America, is similar in nature to NASCAR in the fact that most cars used in the ARCA Racing Series were previously used in NASCAR. Kenny Schrader, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Earnhardt, Kyle Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, Darrell Waltrip, Kyle Petty and Bobby Hamilton are just a few of the NASCAR professionals who raced in the ARCA series.
Josh was kind enough to sit down and answer a few questions for us…
What do you do for fun (besides racing): Definitely anything and everything that involves speed! I love riding four-wheelers. I enjoy fishing, working on race cars, and motivational speaking.
What motivates you? There are so many things that motivate me. I can’t really narrow down any specific thing. I love the sport. I want to be racing in NASCAR. Not being able to is enough motivation for me to get in the game.
Tell me more about Carter 2 Motorsports and your affiliation with them: I started out with C2M in January back in 2012. Roger believed in me. I emailed/contacted over 5,000 drivers and teams. 7 of which replied, but only one said yes. Roger. I’ve since tested and raced for Roger, and plan to compete for him and his organization in 2014.
Your favorite track to race: Salem Speedway, In Salem, Indiana. By far one of the coolest tracks I’ve had the opportunity to race at.
Your best racing memory? Definitely has to be testing I did at Talladega Super-Speedway for the first time. Prior to the test, I had only driven on a 3/8 mile short track. I had so much adrenaline running through me that day. I’ll never forget it.
Your racing idol/role model? I have a few. Dale Earnhardt, Roger Carter, and Jimmy Mullins. There are so many stories behind why they’re such huge idols in my racing career, but the fact that all of them came from absolutely nothing, to being some of the best our sport has ever seen is absolutely astonishing to me. It’s a standard they’ve set, that I must meet in order to obtain my dream.
What series do you/will you race in? I’ll be in a few different series in 2015. The main focus for me is the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards. I’ll also be running a touring Vintage modified series, as well as the KOMA Modified Tour. I hope to compete in a few select NASCAR events as well.
Your best finish? Winning, of course! I won in 2013 lapping half the field. One of the most dominating races I’ve ever been in.
Your worst finish? Last. On the initial green one race, I went into turn 1 and immediately broke a front shock mount. Ending our day. Extremely frustrating.
Advice to other young aspiring drivers? Never give up. It’s as simple as that.
Awards you’ve won? Apart from winning races, I’ve been fortunate enough to capture a few titles as well. I’ve won Rookie of the Year in every full season I’ve competed in. In 2010 I won the pole award championship winning 8 poles in 16 races.
Sponsors? I don’t have any sponsors at the moment! I’m currently changing that for the 2015 season! If you’re reading this and you’re interested, please do not hesitate to give me a call!
Your ultimate racing goal? To win everything. To be the driver that changes our sport.
Do you attend many NASCAR Sprint Cup races? Yes! Quite a few! I try to go to as many as possible!
When you’re on a long green-flag run and not around anyone per se, what are you thinking about? Just perfecting my line. Evaluating how well I’m preserving my tires and my equipment. I learn more by myself, than around other cars.
How do you feel about your fans and the notoriety status that comes along with racing? I love my fans! Fans are the ONLY reason our sport exists today. Their support means everything to me!
If you had a day to do anything in the world (BESIDES RACING), what would you do? Travel. Somewhere very unique. I’m fascinated with the world and the places throughout. I hope to see as much of it as possible.
When you’ve had a bad day of racing, do you vent or do you keep it bottled up inside? There’s no such bad thing as a bad day of racing. If you’re racing, you’re automatically having a good day. As a driver, you’re the true leader of your team. You set the tone of the entire crew. So it’s extremely important that I be as positive and informative as possible.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? In the NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series without a doubt.
If you could ask any NASCAR driver a question, who would it be and what is the question? Dale Earnhardt Sr. I would ask him to tell me everything he knew about driving a race car.
What’s your view on the NASCAR Chase system of points? I love it! The intensity has been brought back to our sport through the new format. Racers have to race. They have to hang it out there and drive on the edge of their seat every lap.
What’s your view on the fines doled out for the recent fights involving Driver’s and crews? I personally don’t think there should be any fines involved in what happened. That’s a part of racing. The crews work tirelessly on the cars throughout the week to ensure they have the best product available. I would question the sport even more had they not wanting to confront each other afterwards.
Advice you would give your own ‘younger self’ if you could go back in time? Work harder. Do not waste a second of your time and energy on anything other than the dream you’ve set before yourself. That time is so precious and valuable.
