When Max Reaves entered Victory Lane after winning Sunday’s Allen Crowe/Calypso 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds’ Springfield Mile, it was not just the boos from the fans that greeted him. An angry Gavan Boschele was waiting nearby after their late-race clash, and emotions were still running high. What happened on the dirt track had left Boschele furious, setting the stage for a heated reaction once the race was over.

“F*** HIM!” Gavan Boschele did not mince his words about Joe Gibbs Racing protégé Max Reaves.

Boschele had been determined to put himself in position for a memorable finish. Despite leading just three laps, the 16-year-old was still in contention for the victory when the race reached its decisive moment. On Lap 97, Boschele held the lead heading into Turn 1. However, the battle for the top spot quickly turned controversial when Reaves made contact with Boschele’s bumper, appearing to spin him as the two Toyota drivers fought for the win

Boschele somehow managed to save his No. 25 machine from significant damage. He kept the car moving and eventually crossed the finish line in fifth. But while the result was still strong, it did little to ease his frustration over how the battle unfolded.

Boschele made his feelings toward the Joe Gibbs Racing driver unmistakable. During the cooldown lap, he pulled alongside the No. 18 Camry, only to flip Reaves off. The tension followed both drivers into Victory Lane. Boschele attempted to confront Reaves after the race. This forced officials to step in before the situation could escalate further.

Race officials restrained Boschele and prevented him from reaching Reaves. The ARCA officials then escorted Boschele away from the track surface and toward the garage area, bringing an end to the confrontation, which could have turned uglier.

For Reaves, the incident ended with a victory and a trip to Victory Lane for the third time this season. But the fans in attendance were clearly on Boschele’s side, and he was greeted with a wave of jeers and boos. The JGR driver joked about it during his post-race interview, saying, “This is the most boos I’ve got… This is the most sound decibels we’ve got on the boo scale so far.”

The Springfield Mile had delivered exactly the kind of unpredictable finish that dirt-track racing is known for. But as the dust settled, the final moments left one of its young stars visibly frustrated.

With both drivers competing under the Toyota banner, the incident added another layer to an already heated battle. What had started as a straightforward fight for the lead quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the afternoon, overshadowing what had otherwise been a strong run for Boschele.

For the 16-year-old, that made the result all the more frustrating. After putting himself in genuine contention for the win, he was left wondering what might have been.

Boschele keeps the rivalry alive on social media

While Gavan Boschele was still visibly furious after the Springfield finish, Max Reaves offered a much calmer response when asked about the controversial final laps.

“[With Boschele], he got under me off [Turn] 4, and I ran him down the straightaway. I’ve got to see the replay. I don’t know if I hit him going into [Turn] 1. If I did, my bad, but racing’s racing and we’re at a dirt track,” he commented afterward in his post-race interview.

Reaves, however, suggested that he did not believe there was much more to the incident than hard racing. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster felt he was simply fighting Boschele for the win and ultimately came out on top.

Boschele, however, clearly saw things differently. The Toyota driver continued to express his frustration on social media after the race, making it clear that he was far from ready to move past the incident.

“If you can’t beat ’em, wreck ’em, I’ll see everyone at DuQuoin. That’s gonna be some fun, I’ll tell you that,” Boschele wrote on X.

Boschele will not compete in the next race at Madison International Speedway on August 28. Running a 15-race part-time schedule, he will instead return at DuQuoin. That could provide the perfect setting for the two drivers to cross paths again, with their Springfield clash still fresh in mind.

Boschele made his feelings even clearer when he responded directly to an ARCA Menards Series post celebrating Reaves’ Springfield victory. After the series wrote, “Max Reaves takes the checkered flag at Springfield!”, Boschele replied with two clown emojis and tagged Reaves.

The exchange adds some intrigue to what could become an interesting mid-field battle in the championship standings. Reaves currently sits 12th in the ARCA standings, while Boschele occupies 15th.

Neither driver is fighting for the championship lead at this stage. But their positions make every strong finish valuable. And after what happened at Springfield, their next meeting could carry considerably more tension than a normal mid-field battle.