He is only a junior in college. But this weekend, Winston-Salem State student Rajah Caruth will compete in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series races in Charlotte.Caruth is set to drive the No. 44 car Saturday at noon, in what will be his fourth start this season in NASCAR’s second most prestigious series. He also ran seven Xfinity races in 2022 as a part-time driver.This season, he is competing full-time in NASCAR’s Truck Series for GMS Racing and will be behind the wheel of the no. 24 Friday night at 8:30 p.m. Caruth turns 21 years old next month and says he’s been interested in racing his entire life.”From the Cars movies, I’ve seen them when I was younger, to collecting diecast toys, really as I grew older, and then going to my first race when I turned 12, playing video games, you know, on PlayStation and then getting my start racing virtually in 2018 when I was 16 years old,” Caruth said.Thursday night, Winston-Salem State held a reception in his honor at the Bowman Gray Stadium team house, where he had the opportunity to meet fans and school leaders.”It’s really a blessing to represent my school and every time I have on the Winston colors, I think about my mentors, my peers, my colleagues, my friends and others that I’ve met during my time here at Winston. So to represent them in the sport I love and in the industry I’m working to build a legacy in is really a dream come true,” he said.This will be the second weekend in a row that Caruth, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, will be competing in the state of North Carolina. He finished 34th in the Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro on May 20. The weekend prior, he notched his first-ever top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in sixth place at Darlington.He joined NASCAR as part of the sport’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, aimed at giving more opportunities for minorities and women to compete. WSSU says he is the only NASCAR driver who is also a full-time student at an HBCU.He enters the weekend 16th in the Truck Series standings.
He is only a junior in college. But this weekend, Winston-Salem State student Rajah Caruth will compete in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Truck Series races in Charlotte.
Caruth is set to drive the No. 44 car Saturday at noon, in what will be his fourth start this season in NASCAR’s second most prestigious series. He also ran seven Xfinity races in 2022 as a part-time driver.
This season, he is competing full-time in NASCAR’s Truck Series for GMS Racing and will be behind the wheel of the no. 24 Friday night at 8:30 p.m.
Caruth turns 21 years old next month and says he’s been interested in racing his entire life.
“From the Cars movies, I’ve seen them when I was younger, to collecting diecast toys, really as I grew older, and then going to my first race when I turned 12, playing video games, you know, on PlayStation and then getting my start racing virtually in 2018 when I was 16 years old,” Caruth said.
Thursday night, Winston-Salem State held a reception in his honor at the Bowman Gray Stadium team house, where he had the opportunity to meet fans and school leaders.
“It’s really a blessing to represent my school and every time I have on the Winston colors, I think about my mentors, my peers, my colleagues, my friends and others that I’ve met during my time here at Winston. So to represent them in the sport I love and in the industry I’m working to build a legacy in is really a dream come true,” he said.
This will be the second weekend in a row that Caruth, who is originally from Atlanta, Georgia, will be competing in the state of North Carolina. He finished 34th in the Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro on May 20. The weekend prior, he notched his first-ever top-10 finish, crossing the finish line in sixth place at Darlington.
He joined NASCAR as part of the sport’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, aimed at giving more opportunities for minorities and women to compete. WSSU says he is the only NASCAR driver who is also a full-time student at an HBCU.
He enters the weekend 16th in the Truck Series standings.
