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On this day at Spire Motorsports headquarters, you can see the trappings that come when a NASCAR team wins a race. There are speeches and pep talks from team management and driver-crew chief combination Rajah Caruth and Chad Walter, a photo of all the employees gathered outside, lunch provided by team and even an ice cream truck with an assortment of free treats.
The celebration honors Caruth’s triumph a few weeks earlier in the Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Fittingly, the sunny spring day matched the atmosphere surrounding Caruth’s career prospects.
“His attention to his craft and his seriousness about it are paying off,” said Spire President Doug Duchardt.
This day focuses as much on what Caruth accomplished in Las Vegas as it does on the potential of what’s to come. With Caruth all 21 years old and only a few years into real-life car racing after making his debut in the virtual world, it’s easy to think there will be more days like this to come.
“It’s a new dawn, I guess,” Caruth said. “(Walter and I) were talking about how this changes the complexion of the rest of the (regular) season for us in terms of how we (go for points), how we approach the stages and things like that. And this is something new for me.
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Even with little real-world experience, Caruth’s abilities behind the wheel are undeniable. He adapts quickly to each new division, with blazing speed and potential.
But it takes more than talent to successfully climb the developmental ladder in NASCAR. Many young drivers have had a moment of glory, suggesting a continued upward trajectory, only to fade away. It is much easier to stumble than to keep moving forward.
“He honestly comes from the same mold as me,” said Cup Series driver William Byron, who also started racing virtually before switching to real cars. “So I feel like there are pros and cons to this journey, kind of learning from the time at headquarters and all the experience, but I think he’ll get there. He seems to have understood. »
Caruth endeared himself to his colleagues at Speyer thanks to his work ethic. Duchardt raves about the time Caruth spends in the shop helping his No. 71 team in ways big and small.
“He will help them by handing them keys. It will stay there while they build the trucks,” Duchardt said. “And I just think it’s easy for everyone to want to support him to help him succeed.”
That quality was on display long before last year, when Caruth was a rookie in the Truck Series trying to find his way with a team (GMS Racing) facing the likely possibility of it closing its doors at the end of the season, which ultimately happened. Since moving from Washington, D.C., to NASCAR’s heartland in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area at age 18, Caruth has been a fixture at racetracks, even on weekends when he doesn’t I didn’t have to be there.
His presence was noticed around the garage. Just like the notebook he carried everywhere, where he wrote down everything he thought might be educational.
“He walks around with his notebook and writes down everything you have to say,” said Bubba Wallace, who served as Caruth’s mentor. “I have never done that. I don’t know if anyone else in the garage did this. So it’s different in that sense. But he just wants to learn and improve.
Even as Caruth progressed nationally, he didn’t stop writing in his notebook. Last fall, Kyle Larson ducked into the basement of Bristol Motor Speedway’s media center to use the restroom before Cup Series practice when he spotted Caruth sitting alone reviewing his Truck race Show from the night before, taking notes.
“He was out there watching the race and he had his notebook right in front of him and he had all these handwritten notes and stuff, and I’m like, ‘Man, I’ve never done that,'” Larson said. “So I thought that was really cool.” He obviously wants it, works very hard and wants to get there.
“There’s no way around this work,” said Roger Caruth, Rajah’s father, a professor at Howard University. “I don’t care, even if you are talented, you don’t work, at some point someone will work harder than you and will probably be more successful.”
After an uneven rookie year, Caruth is now seeing tangible results from this work. Beyond his victory in Las Vegas, he also earned his first career pole this weekend and led a career-high number of laps. He is currently fifth in the Truck Series points standings after five races.
But it was the way he won the Las Vegas race that stood out. It was more than speed. His racing talent played a big role, as he was able to successfully navigate a cycle of green flag pit stops at the end, while more experienced competitors made mistakes.
“He just did a really good job of staying patient,” Larson said. “There were a lot of points where he could have gotten frustrated, but he settled in.”
Between the normal tasks that come with being a full-time pilot, his studies at Winston-Salem State University, where he is a senior, and the onslaught of media obligations that have fallen upon him since becoming the third black driver to win a NASCAR. National Series race, Caruth has found himself in a whirlwind in recent weeks.
Her family helps Caruth navigate her newfound fame and burgeoning career.
His younger sister, Liyah, is the person Caruth goes to when he needs a sounding board. Mom and dad are also actively involved in their son’s life. Typically, every Sunday, Roger Caruth and his son talk for about an hour to review the week ahead, determining what is essential, what can wait and making sure Rajah has time to himself.
“Whenever we talk, I first want to make sure he’s OK emotionally,” Roger Caruth said. “Then there are learning curves and opportunities and things that are going to happen, and it’s just about being aware of the things that have been asked of him and making sure that I’m aware of them .I’m just trying to tell him to make sure there’s a balance in terms of what needs to be done and to think about everything he can do.
Rajah Caruth’s career trajectory remains to be determined, but he has certainly caught the attention of team owner Rick Hendrick, whose automaker, Hendrickcars.com, has signed on to sponsor Caruth for the entire season. Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports principal Jeff Gordon believe Caruth has the potential to one day make the Cup Series.
That support extends beyond Hendrick’s sponsorship. The ice cream truck parked outside Spire headquarters is there because it’s Hendrick’s favorite, and he sent it.
“It’s very weird,” Caruth said, eating a scoop of strawberries and thinking about the situation. “Hopefully we can make it a regular thing.”
GO FURTHER
‘Learn something new’: Rajah Caruth studies quickly as he builds his racing CV
(Top photo of Caruth earlier this month at Bristol Motor Speedway: Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)