Winston-Salem State University senior and young NASCAR star has etched his name in NASCAR history. Rajah Caruth won his first career pole in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this past Friday in Las Vegas.
Caruth became the third Black driver to win a national series race, joining Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace and the first ever HBCU student to win a national series.
From an early age, Caruth knew what his passion was; his parents would take him to NASCAR meets when he was a young teenager, and by the time he was 17, he was a part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program.
The 21-year-old driver is taking the NASCAR world by storm; in 2021, he was named the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award recipient, and in the 2024 season, he has had three top-10 finishes. At the Daytona International Speedway, he finished 3rd, and at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, 8th.
Earlier in the week, his Spire Motorsports No.71 Chevrolet team received a full sponsorship from HendricksCars.com, gaining a secure, full-season run for 2024.
“It’s surreal, thank you so much to Hendrickcars.com, Mr. H for putting me in this thing all year,” Caruth said after his race. “ Glad to get this win for team Chevy, can’t thank my family enough, so many people helped me get to this point. I can’t believe it.”
After a series of violations from other racers and a crucial pit stop from Corey Heim. Caruth took the lead at lap 114 and didn’t look back from there. He led for a total of 38 laps out of 134.
The next race for Caruth and the team will be in Tennessee at the Bristol Motor Speedway on March 16. He will have some time to celebrate this victory but wants to win more.
“There’s more to come, for sure.”
