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| Josh Reeves at Martinsville Speedway |
I was approached by a member of the Twitter Inanimate Object Family, @DaleJr_Beard, who asked me if I would be interested in writing a piece on a good friend and up and coming driver; Josh Reeves. I jumped at this opportunity, and interviewed Josh by e-mail, and quickly learned; This man wants to race.
#3WIDEBLOG: Josh, tell us about yourself?
JOSH REEVES: My name is Josh Reeves and I am 19 years old. I'm from Martinsville Virgina and I have a deep, intriguing passion for racing. The part about my story that I think is so unique, is that I am a modern day driver making it the “old school” way. I don’t receive funding from my parents, or anyone else in my family. I do it all on my own. I always have since my very first start in 2007 as a driver. Since then, I have totaled around 60 starts, with 12 victories, and two championships.
#3WIDEBLOG: Tell us why you feel its "old school"
JOSH REEVES: The majority of teams today are family owned. The parents fund their kids racing completely. Most even hire crews, professional marketing companies, and photographers. Due to my lack of funding, I have to do all of this on my own. Up until this point, I have built, and maintained my race cars. I do all of my setup, and chassis work, I handle all of my marketing and PR work also. I am literally doing it the “old school” way with the new school twist. I want to make it more than anything. I believe if you want success as bad as you want to breathe, you will be successful. More than anything I want to show all of the other kids out there that are doing it alone as well, that it can be possible.
#3WIDEBLOG: How did you become interested in motorsports?
JOSH REEVES: I started helping a local late model team at the age of 7, and since then I have been hooked. Starting at that young, there is only so much I could do. I did minor things. Washing the car, cleaning the tires off, pushing the brakes to bleed them, things like that. As I got older, I began to gain more experience and knowledge. I began to do more hands on and setup stuff. Now I have just recently built an entire late model from the ground up at the college I attend.
#3WIDEBLOG: Stats Time. Tell us about your career to this point.
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| Josh Reeves at Talladega Superspeedway |
#3WIDEBLOG: Can you tell us about your 2012 schedule and beyond?
JOSH REEVES: Through my persistence, I have found a team owner willing to help me out. Out of the 500+ people I have contacted, he has been the one to help me more than anyone. He grew up the same way I did, squeezing dollars out of dimes. He is now in my opinion one of the most successful ARCA Re/Max series team owners in the country. He has taken my dream and turned it into a very possible reality. I am definitely remaining there for the remainder of the year, and I hope to find funding so that I can actually get out there and give my fans what they all deserve. Now that I have a team, I am in desperate need of a sponsor. In order for this dream to become a reality, I need financial support desperately. So the short answer is, No. I wish I could, but that is something that I am unsure of. Unlike a vast majority of the drivers racing out there, my career actually depends on the funding I am able to get through motorsports partnerships. I am 19 years old, a full time student with a part time job. Since I fund my entire career, I am not able to afford the series I am trying to break through in. I hope to set something in stone soon, but until then, it’s up to my hard work, and the man upstairs.
In closing of this first "Highside Series" piece I had to include this bit that Josh wrote to me.
"Anyone who knows me knows how bad I want this dream to become a reality. They know what I have been sacrificing for this. During the night, while my competitors are sleeping, I am up working on sponsor proposals, or new hero card designs for my fans. I am constantly building my fan base. Through my hard work, and my marketing skills, I have been able to reach over 2,300 followers on twitter, and over 10,000 views on my website. This is just a small portion of what I can offer any sponsor that comes along."
If you would like to learn more about Josh Reeves like I did, you can follow him on Twitter @JoshReeves77 or check out his website www.joshreevesracing.webs.com. Spread this story and help an up and coming driver! Thank You for taking the time to read.
