LAS VEGAS–One day removed from Black History Month a monumental celebration took place on the front-stretch of Las Vegas Motor Speedway that will forever be cemented in Black history and in the history of NASCAR forever.
Rajah Kirby Caruth, a young but mature HBCU (Historically Black College and University) senior at Winston-Salem State University became the third Black driver to win a NASCAR National series race, joining Wendell Scott and Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr.
In the 2024 season there have only been three races and Caruth has not yet placed outside of a top-10 finish in the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for HendrickCars.com.
Caruth started off his 30th NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 presented by Westgate Resorts from his first career pole and finished the day with his first victory and third top-10 finish of 2024 during NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program’s 20th Anniversary.
Caruth battled winningest Truck Series driver and 2-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch who moonlighted as his teammate in Friday’s Truck Series race in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. He also led a total of 38/134 laps and gained spots on pit road on his way to victory.
His final charge to the checkered flag came after race leaders received pass through penalties for speeding on pit road during green flag pit stops. With no cautions in the final 21 laps, Caruth won by a 0.851 second margin of victory.
As a graduate of NASCAR’s Drive 4 Diversity program, Caruth raced at LVMS in 2023 during his debut season as a full time driver with the support of Petty GMS and the Wendell Scott Foundation, celebrating the anniversary of Wendell Scott’s start at NASCAR’s highest level (March 4, 1961 in Spartanburg, S. Carolina).
GMS Racing ceased operations at the end of the 2023 season leaving Caruth’s future in the NCTS uncertain. It wasn’t until late in the off season coming into 2024 that he joined Spire Motorsports full-time as the driver for the No. 71 Chevy Silverado.
Initially, Hendrick Motorsports joined Caruth as primary sponsor for 10 races starting with NASCAR’s Daytona season opener on Feb. 16th and in the last week has now joined Caruth as primary sponsor for the full season of 23 races.
Had it not been for HendrickCars.com sponsorship Caruth said,
“It would have been tough not having a family that owns a team or not being born into this. So, I got really lucky and fortunate that we started that relationship last year. That they believed in me enough to represent them not only just here at the race track but at other things that I do away from the track. I'm just super thankful and excited for more.”
Similar to Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series driver William Byron, Caruth unlike many drivers in the sport took an unconventional route that began with playing video games and using the iRacing digital platform before moving to Charlotte, N.C from Washington, D.C. for a chance to turn his dreams into a reality.
“I’m really glad that both of my parents are here, especially my Dad, and I know my sister is watching too because they’ve been my rock since my dad took me to my first race. Really, both of my parents along with my grandad, taught me that first experience and really enabled me to put in the work and chase the dream” said Caruth.
“Living by myself in North Carolina, I can’t imagine for a mom and dad to send their 18 year-old kid to a completely different culture, a completely different lifestyle to live on his own, work at a race shop and be in a completely different environment. But, I’m glad they’re here and they’ve been here with me every step of the way. A blessing that I’ve had is my sister, my parents, a lot of close friends and others that have really helped elevate me during the tough times and celebrate through the good ones.”
He is often described as mature beyond his years or having “been here before” and his first win was an example of how poised of a driver and extraordinarily talented he is.
The Victoria’s Voice 200 was a relatively clean race in stark contrast to the last two drafting tracks, Daytona and Atlanta Motor Speedway with minimal cautions.
With NASCAR’s 'win and you’re in' playoff format, Caruth becomes the second driver to make it into the 2024 NCTS playoffs in the fall.