Max Reeves didn’t just win Thursday’s Pro Late Model Hart to Heart 100 — he controlled it.
Reeves went back-to-back at New Smyrna Speedway, becoming the only multi-time winner in the Pro division. Rolling from sixth, Reeves wasted no time getting to the front. Raphael Lessard grabbed the early lead, but by lap seven Reeves had already carved through the field and overtaken him for the top spot.
From there, Reeves was untouchable. Restart after restart he fended off every challenge.
A late competition caution with 20 laps to go gave Brody Monahan one final shot after he had worked his way to second, but Reeves got the jump again and never looked back.
“This car was so fast. I didn’t have to work. I didn’t do anything,” Reeves told FloRacing “I’ve got to thank the Hart family, my dad, Matt, my crew chief Buggy — everybody. They couldn’t beat us.
“I wish we would’ve kept it out all week because we would’ve whooped them and won the championship easy. But I think I’ll let everybody have it this week.”
And in case anyone was wondering, his favorite flavor of Cook out milkshake is M&M.
The Pro Late Model field had a rough start to the week, tearing up a lot of cars. The last two races were much more buttoned up, but Thursday night, behind Reeves, the race unraveled in waves.
Jarrett Butcher triggered a multi-car crash that eliminated Cole Robie and ended his championship hopes. Ben Mack and John Bolen tangled later in a separate incident, after Bolen made sure to let Mack know he was “number one.”
Points leader Vito Cancilla spun twice and ultimately crashed out when an upper control arm failure sent him into the backstretch wall.
“Our nose, you know, kind of came in on itself,” Cancilla told FloRacing “We were getting really hot. So, motor was running about 240 (degrees). Came in, pulled the tape off. Went back out and basically just took a risk, you know?
“We just got in those two incidents, and that last one, we went out, we had a tire rub, and then it wasn’t even the tire rub that caused it. Our upper control arm snapped, and we went straight into the wall. It really sucks.”
Winless through six races but consistency set Cancilla apart from the rest. Four podiums and five top fives, even with his crash, Cancilla did enough to secure the Pro Late Model championship for the World Series of Asphalt.
“It’s definitely gonna help my career going up through the ranks,” Cancilla told FloRacing “Definitely gonna win a little bit more from here. So, it’s a good start to kind of get my name out there — it means a lot, and you know, with the negative, there are as positives. So I’m glad to share that positive with all my family and all the people here.”
Monahan briefly looked like the only driver capable of mounting a challenge, but a flat tire with 15 laps to go ended his night and capped off a frustrating week despite his earlier win.
Raphael Lessard brought the battered No. 48 home second.
“It’s a pretty amazing experience,” Lessard told FloRacing “First week being a car owner, so that was really special. But man, that thing is beat up. I think we need to give it some love when we go back to Quebec
“I think we proved that we can compete against these big, big teams, like my aerodynamic and downforce was gone after the first race. So, yeah, it wasn’t the best. I was very tight on long run, but, big thanks, everyone, for coming out, and all my team, my sponsor.”
For the Pro Late Model division, their World Series was defined by survival and speed, the championship went to Cancilla — and the final word belonged to Reeves.
World Series of Asphalt Pro Late Model Hart to Heart 100
New Smyrna Speedway
February 12 2026
- Max Reeves
- Raphael Lessard
- Conner Jones
- Gabriel Cassagrande
- Nicholas Naugle
- Alex Labbe
- Josh Stade
- Evan McKnight
- Gage Gilby
- Jarrett Butcher
- Mia Lovell
- William Roberge
- Ben Mack
- Chloe Mazzagatti
- Brody Monahan
- Marco Gilbert
- Wesley Slimp
- Jayden Johnson
- Chris Munson
- Vito Cancilla
- Toro Rodriguez
- Tomas Krasonis
- J.T. Chastain
- John Bolen
- Cole Robie
- Ben Maier
- Will Robinson
