Gavan Boschele had spent the afternoon fighting his way toward the front at the Springfield Mile. After a difficult start, the 18-year-old found the speed he needed and put himself in position to steal the victory with two laps remaining. Instead, a late battle with 16-year-old Max Reaves ended with contact in Turn 1, nearly sending Boschele around and turning a potential breakthrough win into a fifth-place finish. The frustration did not end when the checkered flag fell. And now Boschele shared what exactly he feels about Reaves.

“So yeah, the kid just dumps everybody. He just doesn’t I don’t know what he’s doing. I’m sick and tired of it. So I was pretty hot after the race. But yeah, I’m 18, he’s 16, so can’t really do anything. Get in trouble. So yeah, the kid’s just yeah, he’s a hack.”

Boschele made the comments on the Rubbin Is Racing podcast while discussing the Springfield incident during and after the Allen Crowe/Calypso 100 race.

The frustration stemmed from a race that had been dominated by Reaves until the final few laps. The 16-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing development driver started from the pole and controlled the Springfield Mile for almost the entire afternoon. Reaves led 98 of the 100 laps, including a stretch where he appeared to have the race firmly under control.

Boschele, meanwhile, had needed to work for his opportunity. The 18-year-old acknowledged that his No. 25 Toyota was not particularly strong early in the race. Changes made during the stage break helped transform the car, allowing Boschele to steadily work his way toward Reaves.

The turning point came on Lap 97. Reaves caught slower traffic involving Takuma Koga exiting Turn 4. Boschele saw his chance and made an aggressive move, splitting Reaves and Koga down the middle of the frontstretch.

The move worked. Boschele surged into the lead with only three laps remaining and appeared to have a legitimate chance at his first ARCA Menards Series victory. That opportunity disappeared almost immediately.

As the two Toyota drivers reached Turn 1, Reaves made contact with the rear bumper of Boschele’s car. The No. 25 slid out of control toward the inside retaining wall. Boschele somehow saved the car from heavier damage, but he lost the lead and fell all the way to fifth.

Reaves regained control of the race and went on to claim his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the season. For Boschele, the result was difficult to swallow. The frustration continued through the cooldown lap.

Boschele pulled alongside Reaves’ No. 18 Toyota and gave the younger driver a one-finger salute. It was an unmistakable sign that the disagreement was nowhere near over. Then came Victory Lane.

As Reaves prepared to celebrate, Boschele attempted to confront him. ARCA officials stepped in and held Boschele back before the confrontation could become physical. Officials subsequently escorted Boschele away from the track surface toward the garage area.

That confrontation added another layer to a finish that had already divided the Springfield crowd. Reaves was met by a loud chorus of boos when he reached Victory Lane. Rather than appearing bothered, however, the teenager seemed to embrace the reaction.

“This is the most sound decibels we’ve gotten on the boo scale so far,” Reaves said afterward.

His explanation for the contact was considerably calmer than Boschele’s assessment. Reaves said Boschele had gotten underneath him exiting Turn 4 before he ran him back down the straightaway. He admitted he needed to see the replay to know exactly what happened entering Turn 1.

“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,” Reaves said.

The official race account also noted that Reaves was unsure whether he had made contact, while other race reports described the move as controversial but stopped short of calling it an obvious intentional wreck.

For Gavan Boschele, though, the incident looked like another example of a driving style that has increasingly frustrated him. “I think I can speak for everyone,” Boschele said when discussing Reaves’ approach.

He argued that Reaves “just drives everyone like this” and suggested the teenager does not appear concerned about the consequences of his aggressive moves. That perception has followed Reaves throughout his young career.

Earlier this season at Hickory Motor Speedway, Reaves was involved in an aggressive race involving Tristan McKee and Landon S. Huffman. The aftermath produced a fiery post-race interview in which Reaves defended his driving and suggested other competitors were trying to wreck him because they could not beat him.

The comments helped fuel a growing reputation among some fans that Reaves is becoming one of ARCA’s villains. Springfield only strengthened that image.