Max Reaves dominates for the ARCA East Sequence win at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway on Saturday evening within the Prepare dinner Out Music Metropolis 150.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With Prepare dinner Out sponsoring Saturday’s ARCA Menards Sequence East race at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, it was solely becoming that Max Reaves ended up visiting Victory Lane.
Max Reaves: Victory at Nashville
Reaves, driving the No. 18 Prepare dinner Out Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, loved a flawless outing within the Prepare dinner Out Music Metropolis 150, main each lap from the pole. The triumph was Reaves’ first on the ARCA Menards Sequence platform in 2026 and his fourth total with the East Sequence.
Having gained at Nashville Fairgrounds simply final yr, Reaves knew how one can navigate the half-mile advanced and keep constant whereas pacing the sector. A late-race warning briefly disrupted Reaves’ cadence across the observe, however he was decided to reward his workforce’s exhausting work by taking house one other checkered flag.
“My crew chief Matt [Ross] gave me such a great automobile, [so] I needed to win with it,” Reaves stated. “I used to be slightly scared on the [final] restart, however after we acquired going, we acquired slightly little bit of a niche. I used to be actually nervous for a warning there on the finish as a result of I do know what these guys do. The one manner they will beat us at a spot like that is to wreck us.”
For the reason that East Sequence returned to Nashville Fairgrounds again in 2021, the No. 18 Toyota has established a gold commonplace for achievement on the historic facility.
Of these 5 earlier occasions, the No. 18 completed first in 4 of them. Reaves continued a practice began by Sammy Smith’s two consecutive victories in 2021 and 2022, whereas William Sawalich nabbed a Nashville Fairgrounds win of his personal in 2024.
The established order at Nashville Fairgrounds didn’t change Saturday. Reaves set the quickest occasions in each follow and qualifying for the Prepare dinner Out Music Metropolis 150 earlier than carrying that pace into the race, executing every restart effectively and staying composed with the lapped site visitors.
As Reaves maintained a cushty tempo up entrance, the battle for second ended up being shut between Landon S. Huffman and East Sequence factors chief Tristan McKee. After relentlessly pressuring McKee throughout the closing run, Huffman lastly labored his manner round him to return house with a runner-up displaying.
Huffman almost prevailed in his East Sequence debut with CR7 Motorsports at his house observe of Hickory Motor Speedway final month earlier than a late spin knocked him again to sixth within the operating order. Realizing he may very well be aggressive with CR7, Huffman eagerly seemed ahead to Nashville Fairgrounds regardless of possessing restricted expertise there.
Whereas the evening was removed from excellent for Huffman, he stated his second-place end was indicative of the chemistry already constructed with CR7 and the workforce’s potential to win races collectively.
“We began the race [with] a stable fifth or sixth-place automobile,” Huffman stated. “We weren’t excellent, however I requested for a softer left-rear spring there on the break, and that’s what they did. I can’t thank these guys sufficient. They stood behind me the entire time even when it wasn’t fairly there in the beginning. I believe the evening was nice, particularly [after the way] it began.”
Huffman’s subsequent outing with CR7 is at Chicagoland Speedway in July, all whereas the remainder of the full-time East Sequence rivals shall be left to cope with Reaves as a menace for the championship.
The begin to Reaves’ 2026 has not been to his liking, with a flat tire at Rockingham Speedway leaving him 15 factors again to McKee within the standings. Regardless of this, pace was by no means as soon as a problem for Reaves throughout all his begins this season; he and Gibbs had been merely ready to place collectively a whole race.
Following his stalwart efficiency within the Prepare dinner Out Music Metropolis 150, Reaves is firmly again within the title hunt, able to ship Joe Gibbs Racing one other accomplishment whereas being a part of the ARCA Menards Sequence platform.
McKee maintained his East Sequence factors lead by ending in third, all whereas reigning Nashville Fairgrounds Professional Late Mannequin champion Hunter Wright got here house in fourth. Rounding out the highest 5 was Isaac Kitzmiller.
Craig Pellegrini Jr., Esteban Rodriguez, Jackson McLerran, Carson Brown, and Ivis Earley made up the remainder of the highest ten.
Subsequent Up
The ARCA Menards Sequence East shall be again in motion on Could 16 for the Owens Corning 200 at Toledo Speedway, the primary of 4 mixture occasions with the nationwide ARCA Menards Sequence. The inexperienced flag waves at 7 p.m. ET, with FS1 carrying reside protection of the on-track motion.
