Reaves, Schuster, Sheppard strike in Historic Night at Flat Rock Dutch Boy 150
Reaves, Schuster, Sheppard strike in Historic Night at Flat Rock Dutch Boy 150
FLAT ROCK, Mich. — Max Reaves etched his name into the history books Saturday night at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway.
Reaves, just 15, secured his third ARCA Menards Series East win in as many starts when he took the checkered flag in the Dutch Boy 150. He joins Will Rodgers as the only two drivers to win their first three East Series starts.
Reaves had his work cut out for him Saturday night at Flat Rock’s tight quarter-mile oval. Starting from the General Tire Pole, he jumped to the lead early but was constantly hounded by Tyler Reif.
In General Tire Pole Qualifying, Reaves set the new track record posting a time of 12.669 seconds, besting Connor Zilisch's lap from 2024.
RELATED: Results from the Dutch Boy 150 at Flat Rock
Reif, driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for team owner Joe Farré, pursued Reaves throughout the entire 150-lap event. Reif briefly muscled his way past Reaves early in the race, only for Reaves to return the favor and muscle his way back to the lead a few laps later.
That wasn’t the end of the battle between the two. Reaves and Reif spent the rest of the race almost nose-to-tail, with Reif occasionally beating on Reaves’ back bumper to remind his rival he was there.
“Every time I felt him, I’d get on the brake a little bit and keep it on the bottom, because the second he got me off the bottom, he was getting around and driving away,” said Reaves, who piloted the No. 18 Cook Out Toyota to Victory Lane for Joe Gibbs Racing. “The second he bumped me he got around me on the bottom, but I gave it back. It was good racing.”
Each time that happened, Reaves responded by slowly inching away from Reif until a caution flag brought the two back together.
The final caution flag flew with just more than 20 laps left, and like the previous restarts, Reaves was able to hold off Reif’s determined charge. In the end, Reaves beat Reif to the finish line by 0.935 seconds.
“We had a little bit right front chatter on the short run,” Reif said. “We really didn’t need that (last) caution. I thought we were pretty good on the long run there. I’m proud of this GMS/SPS team and everybody at Chevrolet.”
With wins at Five Flags Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and now Flat Rock under his belt, Reaves will aim to become the first driver in East Series history to win his first four series starts.
He has every reason to believe he can do it, and why shouldn’t he? After all, no one has been able to stop him yet.
“I’m going to be the first one to win four,” said Reaves. “I’m confident with that and confident in my team.”
Finishing third Saturday night at Flat Rock was Takuma Koga, a career-best finish on the ARCA platform for the native of Nagoya, Japan. Matt Kemp was fourth, and Austin Vaughn was fifth, career bests for both drivers.
ARCA fans can look forward to the final four races of the ARCA Menards Series East coming up with a big clash at Dover Motor Speedway on July 18, just before three final races to the final clash at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 11 with the Zinsser 200.
The ARCA Menards Series will close out their season at Toledo Speedway on October 4th with the Owens Corning 200. You can get your tickets now at ToledoSpeedway.com
It was a historic night for many drivers at Flat Rock Speedway, with track records set in all three divisions competing on Saturday night. Jonathan Rangel broke the longest-standing track record, putting down a lap time of 12.960 seconds for the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock feature, breaking the previous track record set by Dan Ford Jr in 1999.
In the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock feature, Landon Schuster would start in the pole position after the invert and never look back, taking a win over Greg Studt in the 33 car and fast qualifier Jonathan Rangel. Arnold Kirsch came home in fourth, and after a quick spin Steve Smith would round out the top five.
The DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks return to Flat Rock next Saturday on May 31st with the Envirometals Street Stock Double Dash! You can get your tickets NOW for this wild night by clicking the link below.
May 31, 2025 - 07:00 PM EDT
The New EnviroMetals Street Stock Double Dash, Figure 8, Factory Stock 500 Series
In the Churchill Transport Factory Stock 500 Series, Kyle Metdepenningen put down a time of 14.623 seconds on street tires, breaking Troy Brehmer's 14.773 second lap time set in June of 2022.
In the feature, wild moments would encompass the event. 2023 champion Derrick Sheppard would take the green flag in tenth place, but would drive through the field, only leading the final seven laps en route to his first win of the 2025 season. Ayden Bunting would lead the most laps after starting in fourth, driving up to the lead and finishing second after a tough effort. Justin Chamberlin came home third followed by Nolan Padgett in a new-look 311 race car, and Jeff Metdepenningen closed out the top five after a stalwart day in the office.
The second leg of the Churchill Transport Factory Stock 500 Series comes up next next Saturday on May 31st as a part of Envirometals Street Stock Double Dash Night! You can get your tickets NOW for this wild night by clicking the link below.
May 31, 2025 - 07:00 PM EDT
The New EnviroMetals Street Stock Double Dash, Figure 8, Factory Stock 500 Series