As soon as he arrived at the track, he checked in with Earnhardt, who made a stunning offer. If Reeves would fly home with Teresa and him, he could turn some laps at Martinsville. Stevie said he was in.
Then Earnhardt turned to Melissa Reeves and said, “How about you?” When she said she had to work, Earnhardt said, “No. This is a family deal. We all go or nobody goes.”
Suffice it to say, it was a memorable time. They rode horses with the Earnhardts and later he took a stock car around Martinsville doing everything that was asked of him.
Taking things to the next level, Stevie made plans to compete at Rockingham in October. Things were all set until a sponsor fell through. He had no idea what to do, and then showing amazing moxie, he placed a call to Tony George at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
He told George that it would make sense to run the car under Clabber Girl Baking Powder sponsorship. When George asked why, Reeves astutely said because it was the Hulman family‘s primary business. Then he added, with no real foundation, that the south was one of the brand‘s weakest markets.
It turns out that may have been true. Amazingly, he had found the backing he needed. There was no fairytale ending. The engine gave up before qualifying, but he had secured help for the following year.
He figured out quickly that it would be tough sledding. Even as he struggled, Dale Earnhardt kept an eye on him. Reeves remembers a particular moment when he was trying to get some traction.
“I was testing at Charlotte,” he said. “And Dale came over and asked how we were running. I said, ‘Well, we aren‘t very fast. I‘m wide open, but I can try to free the car up for qualifying.‘ He said, ‘How are you on stickers?‘ I said, ‘We don‘t have stickers, we can‘t afford them.‘ Ten minutes later here comes a set of stickers. I said, ‘Dale, I can‘t afford to buy them,‘ and he said, ‘Did I ask you to pay for them? You know where this shop is, just bring the wheels back tonight.‘”
He slugged away for most of four years and finally realized that you can‘t enter a gunfight with a knife. He was learning stock cars, he wasn‘t well resourced, and the team as a whole lacked experience. Today, a driver who can run mid-pack could make a living. At that time, while money was flowing on the Cup side, it had yet to really trickle down. It was also hard emotionally for a man used to winning. He was able to get a Truck Series ride here and there, and he even was able to make four IndyCar starts.
Unfortunately, this still wasn‘t a living and Reeves had a growing family to help support.
The next chapter happened almost by chance.
In 1995 he had served as a spotter for Mike Bliss for a Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro. It proved to be the future series champion‘s first tour win. Then Reeves was holding down a regular job when he received a call from NASCAR Cup regular Ernie Irvan. Irvan was in desperate need of a spotter.
Thinking this was a one-off affair, Stevie was a bit taken back when Ernie called him back. Irvan said that he loved Stevie‘s feedback and offered him a job. Reeves made it clear he needed full-time work and suggested a price he felt was likely out of reach. Irvan called back and said they had a deal. The team would pay half of his salary and he would personally pick up the rest. The spotting role was clear.
As for the other half of the equation, that entailed building Ernie a garage, running errands, and even searching for lost billfolds.
Now Reeves had a new career. Since then he has worked for the likes of Jimmie Johnson, who he feels is vastly underrated, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. In a great memory, he recalled spotting for Steve Park, who scored a victory at Watkins Glen for Dale Earnhardt Inc. He entered victory lane, fist-bumped Park and was on his way to the trailer when someone grabbed him by his shirt.
Turning around, he saw a grinning Earnhardt who said, “This is victory lane, this is a celebration, and you are a part of this.”
Now, to go along with those Reeves has earned as a driver, he’s added two NASCAR championship, three Daytona 500, and three Brickyard 400 rings to his collection.
Could there be more? Not long ago, while walking in the garage, he approached a young driver he thinks has a boatload of talent. He had one message to deliver. Yes, he would like to work with him someday if there was ever mutual interest. There was. That driver was Christopher Bell.
Family remains important to Reeves, and he has all of his children close by. Daughter Faith is in the home, while his oldest daughter, Whitney‘s, husband Tyler is the son of longtime NASCAR driver Mark Green. Son Hayden, who has raced sprint cars and worked in the industry, is married to Dale Blaney‘s daughter Leah.
Thanks to Christopher Bell, Hayden recently made his first-ever appearance on the dirt and his first race in 10 years. It came in a micro in the Keith Kunz Motorsports Giveback Classic at Millbridge Speedway.
Hayden contacted Bob East before the race and asked for permission to surprise his dad and paint the car in a throwback Steve Lewis “9” car design. Stevie bought the car, less engine and shocks, from Bell and is putting it all together. He‘s pretty sure Hayden is ready to play some more. As for the old man? Stay tuned.
Yes, there are times when Stevie Reeves wished his career could have taken a different turn. Then, when he pauses a moment, he realizes in truth he did a lot. Far more than he could have ever imagined. That‘s perspective.
There is one more important thing about this driver: he remains one of the nicest and classiest people in the sport.