The Rise of David Reese: From Hometown Hero to International Success

Having gained global recognition as one of the most trusted builders, fabricators, and tuners in small tire radial racing, David Reese never relied on privilege or big funding. Instead, it was his straightforward, honest approach that propelled Reese Brothers Race Cars, known for building some of the baddest Pro Mods on the planet, to international status in less than a decade.

Growing up in the country on the eastern outskirts of Atlanta, Reese was fascinated with how things worked. His cousin built bracket cars, and Reese’s father, Jimmy, got one for himself. “I always had a good time with the guys, hanging out in the garage, making stuff, and talking trash,” reminisced the Georgia native. “It made me want to be able to build cars, too.”

Unlike his brothers, middle-child Reese focused on sports and racing BMX bikes… until he was old enough to drive. His brothers’ friends constantly talked about racing, so Reese got a job at a local auto parts store, and his father always made sure he had whatever tools he needed to learn.

“In ’96, I went to jail for street racing on Moreland Ave in downtown Atlanta. My momma came down and whooped me good!” he laughed. “The charges were dropped, but it taught me I didn’t need to be out there.”

In the late ’90s, Reese campaigned a single-turbo car long before the combo was popular. “I didn’t have a lot of funding, so I was never able to drive unless I built it myself,” he shared. With no outside support, self-reliance sharpened his fabrication skills and grounded him in a no-drama, results-first mindset.

Before racecars became his full-time focus, the fabricator spent 15 years in sheet metal manufacturing and earned a Six Sigma 5S certification, an experience that now shapes his methodical approach to chassis work. When he officially opened Reese Brothers Race Cars in 2018, he brought world-class precision to a niche of the industry that rewards ingenuity and punishes shortcuts. Within a few years, the quiet shop in rural Georgia became a destination for top-tier competitors from around the world.

Today, Reese’s client list is staggering and reads like a “Who’s Who” of drag racing. From his three successful El Diablo cars and his Carolina No Time championship-winning “Blown Money” ride, JR Gray’s nitrous-huffing “Head Shot” 2020 Camaro that won the $70,000 Sweet 16 Radial vs. the World (RvW) purse at its debut race in 2020, and, most recently, Carlos Sanchez’s new “Party’s Over” ProCharged 1969 Camaro that won the 2025 Orlando World Street Nationals at its second race ever, Reese has been churning out chassis that aren’t just quick, they’re consistent.

Whether it’s a turnkey build or wreck-and-repair work, which has turned into a large portion of his business, Reese has worked with elite names such as Bahrain 1 Racing, the Q80 Racing Team, Al Anabi Performance (AAP), Stevie “Fast” Jackson, Norman Bryson, Mike Decker, Dmitry Samorukov with Mike Janis Racing, Roger Holder, Timmy Meissner, Tyler Johnson, Tim Kincaid, Taylor Lastor, Brian Ambrosini, No Prep Kings star Larry “Axman” Roach, and many more. Even some of grudge racing’s most feared, like David Thomas’s Illuminati, are byproducts of Reese’s handiwork.

Reese also built his reputation by racing what he built. “Each year, I’d pick a different class, build a car on my dime, prove it, then sell it. It’s difficult to sell a car unless people trust you, but if you’re winning, anyone will buy it,” explained Reese. “I just finished up a nitrous Pro Mod for Austin Gandy, who I’ve built a few other cars for, that I’ll be driving in the upcoming Winter Series.”

In early 2020, thanks to an introduction from Mark Menscer, Reese partnered with the owner of Fast Forward Innovations, Rick Thornton, to collaborate on two projects, Reese’s Pro Mod Corvette and Thornton’s radial tire Camaro.

“I didn’t want to run a small block in RvW. But, I started tuning and changing things, and I took him from 4.20s to 3.90s, then 3.80s and 3.70s real quick,” Reese stated. That partnership turned into a brotherhood that stood strong even when he wrecked Thornton’s car, a moment he never shared publicly until now. “He just told me, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll build another.’”

However, one name in particular has helped propel Reese’s rise to international stardom more than any other: Khalid Al Balooshi. The men met while the American was doing repair work for the USA-based Bahrain 1 NHRA Pro Mod team, and Balooshi was impressed with the results. In 2018, Reese took his first trip to the Middle East on behalf of the team, and Balooshi was instrumental in helping him develop not just contacts, but enduring connections.

“They had a car over there they wanted me to do, so I went to the RSG High Performance Center, met Yousef Al Ali, and they got me in with Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani (KH),” said Reese. From that point on, Reese’s overseas clientele grew; he’s now built several cars for customers, including a 4-wheel-drive sand drag truck, Nissan GTR, supercharged AAP Corvette, and a Gen III HEMI-powered Dodge Challenger, and helped set many records in the Arabian Drag Racing League. “Balooshi basically told them all, ‘Hey, this is the guy you need,’ and he’s given me a lot of opportunities.”

Working in the United Arab Emirates, what surprised Reese most was the level of respect he was given. “They put me on a pedestal because I’m a master fabricator, but I show them how to do the same stuff,” he continued. “I work with their crews and teach them everything I can.”

Likely due not only to his skill but also his respectful nature and unpretentious attitude, Reese’s opportunities weren’t just limited to building as he was eventually invited to the area to drive in the region’s drag racing series, too.

“In the U.S., racing is cutthroat. Everyone preaches R&D, but I call it Rob & Duplicate,” he joked. “Overseas, I do a lot of planning to ensure I have all the parts I need before I go, because if you don’t have something, you aren’t going to be able to get it.”

Known for his craftsmanship and technical precision, Reese is also often called upon to finish projects when others fall short. “From my sheet metal background, when I look at things, I look at how they got there, rather than what it actually is,” he elaborated on his perspective and process. “Like the Dukes of Hazzard, I want to do what everyone says can’t be done.” Although he certainly has the skills and achievements to brag about, Reese is naturally humble, keenly quiet, and never boastful. Instead, he opts to let his work speak for itself.

Innovation runs throughout his work. Reese’s distinctive, signature scalloped body mounts and wheel mounts are instantly recognizable and often imitated, but he isn’t secretive with his ideas. “I don’t ever want anyone to think I’m the ‘chassis prison’ holding up their progress,” he laughed. So, he’s forthcoming with details and regularly posts build photos, choosing to interpret imitation as a form of flattery. “When a wrecked car comes in, I cut beyond the damage, find defects, and transition it into more standardized, normal mid plate dimensions and frame rail widths so I can streamline the mounting procedures.”

Looking ahead, the builder believes the big technological innovation and advancement in drag racing won’t be suspension or chassis-related, but rather things like fuel additives or torque converter technology. “The cars and chassis are fairly consistent, so horsepower is what’s going to take everyone to the next level, and the only things that make more of that are fuel, air, and spark. So, we’ll need to accelerate one, if not all, of them,” Reese stated. “Fluid manipulation, too, will make a big difference.”

Reese is also a big advocate for safety and for sanctioning bodies to rethink parity among power adders. “Nitrous cars can compete, but since blower and turbo cars make so much power, they need a bunch of weight on them to slow them down, and that can be an issue,” he added. “What Jimmy Taylor and Carl Stevens have done [quickest pass in the history of doorslammer racing: 5.11 seconds at 262 mph in the quarter-mile, November 2025] is good for the industry but should be an eye-opener for classes built around rules.”

Despite all his success, Reese is still a hands-on craftsman who simultaneously manages a growing business. He’s expanded with two new buildings in the last three years and is now working alongside his sons, watching one develop business acumen while the other shows a natural gift for fabrication. “I pray that both stick with it,” he affirmed. “Every job I’ve done, and every person I’ve met along the way, they were all stepping stones to get us here.”

Now, as Reese approaches his 50th birthday, he’s more motivated than ever. “I’m getting older, but I’m getting smarter,” he said. “I’m living an amazing life doing things I never thought I’d do, building badass cars, traveling overseas, testing new stuff, and I look forward to going to work every single day.”

For everything he’s achieved from within the walls of the shop built beside his home to the pavement of racetracks on the other side of the world, Reese’s straightforward advice to the next generation shows exactly how he got here: “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Keep pushing.”