For former Highlands resident Josh Reaume, having a job in the world of NASCAR was always a dream.
The now 31-year-old started racing go karts at a young age before beginning his pursuit of a career in racing.
“At some point, I realized that to kind of make myself different from other drivers I needed to have a little bit more to bring to the table,” says Reaume.
“So I pursued an engineering degree which I got at UVic and then that took me to North Carolina working for race teams as a race engineer.”
Reaume eventually found himself in the driving seat and after racing with several teams he decided to start his own in 2018. That’s when Reaume Brothers Racing was born.
“It’s challenging for sure, it’s definitely easier to drive someone else’s race car when they’re financially liable for crashing it,” smiles Reaume.
“But now this is our 4th year running a team full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.”
Now Reaume is entering the top-level NASCAR Cup Series in a unique partnership with European NASCAR champion Loris Hezemans.
“It kind of started as a bit of a pipe dream I think and then progressively we both kind of just kept pushing forward,” says Reaume.
“It [NASCAR] is the pinnacle of professional stock car racing…..So to be a part of it is a big deal.”
The team has even received help at a recent test from Canadian motorsport legend Jacques Villeneuve.
“When I was racing go karts I remember wanting to get my hair like dyed blonde like he had it,” says Reaume.
“I was like man this is crazy, now I’m picking this guy up from the airport and he’s going to drive a race car that we put together.”
Team Hezeberg powered by Reaume Brothers will debut during the 2022 NASCAR season.
Cole Sorenson
