On Tuesday, GMS Racing made the official announcement that 20-year-old Rajah Caruth will join the organization for a full-time campaign in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
As previously reported by TobyChristie.com, Caruth will pilot the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado in the series’ 23 events throughout the 2023 season.
“I am extremely honored and really excited to join GMS Racing and be in the fold ofa. professional race team with so much history” said Caruth. “I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this throughout my whole career, and I’m going to do the best in my power to make the most of it.”
“First and foremost, I can’t thank everybody at GMS enough for believing in me and believing that I have what it takes to drive one of their trucks. The same goes for everybody at Chevrolet for their support, we truly wouldn’t be able to make this happen without them. Specifically, I wanted to thank the Steward and Scott families as well, for their belief in my family and I, not just academically, but they have played a huge role in my career as well. Lastly, I have to thank my family – my mom, my dad, and my little sister; I have the greatest support system there is, and they all help me so much. Next year is going to be a pivotal point in not just my career, but my life as a whole, and I can’t wait to show everyone what we’re capable of.”
Caruth will join Grant Enfinger and Daniel Dye as the organization’s three full-time entries for the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Dye will pilot the No. 43 Chevrolet, while Enfinger will return to the No. 23 for a second season.
“We are truly excited to welcome Rajah to our team next year. I’ve studied up on him ever since I saw him racing in ARCA, but I know that he’s been on the radar for many people in the industry for quite some time now. It was fun to watch him and Daniel fight for the championship last year, and I think having both of them make the jump up to the Truck Series will be a benefit because they will both be able to learn together,” said GMS Racing President Mike Beam. “Rajah’s a sharp kid; I’ve seen his work ethic and attention to detail he brings to the racetrack, and I can tell that he’s hungry. He just started driving a few years ago, so to see how far he’s been able to grow in such a short amount of time has been pretty remarkable. He’s built himself a good name in the garage area and is someone that people like to be around, so he’ll be able to soak up some mentorship lessons from experienced drivers, which should go a long way. I’m excited for him.”
As expected, Caruth’s primary partner for his full-season effort will be the Wendell Scott Foundation, which was inspired by NASCAR Hall Of Fame inductee, Wendell Scott, Sr. The Foundation aims to provide resources and services to underprivileged African-American youth communities near Scott’s hometown of Danville, Virginia.
Since its formation in 2011, over 25 students have been awarded more than $50,000 from the Wendell Scott Legacy Scholarship programs. This partnership is one of great personal meaning to Rajah, who was the recipient of the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award in 2021 for being an outstanding diverse ambassador for the sport; highlighting
In addition to scoring a ride with GMS Racing, Caruth has also been named as a member of the Drivers Edge Development Program – which was formed by JR Motorsports and GMS Racing at the start of 2019, with plans to bolster the careers of young Chevrolet drivers.
“We are excited for Rajah to compete full-time with GMS Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023,” said Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Program Manager for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. “Through Chevrolet’s partnership with Rev Racing, we have been impressed with Rajah’s talent both on and off the track. He has proven his ability to compete at the NASCAR national level and we look forward to seeing his continued success with a series championship-winning team.”
Further announcements, including additional sponsorship and personnel for Caruth’s No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado, will be announced at a later date.
ORIGINAL STORY: December 1st, 2022 –
After splitting his time between the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Truck Series, and ARCA Menards Series, Rajah Caruth has landed himself a full-time ride in NASCAR’s top-three divisions, TobyChristie.com has learned.
Caruth, who finished the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season third in point standings, will join GMS Racing’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program for the 2023 season, piloting the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado.
Sponsorship for the effort, in some capacity, is expected to come from the Wendell Scott Foundation. An official announcement will be made on Tuesday, December 6.
The Washington-native will join Grant Enfinger and Daniel Dye as part of GMS Racing’s expanding NASCAR Truck Series program for 2023, after the team only fielded a pair of full-time entries in 2022 with Enfinger and Jack Wood.
Competing in four NASCAR Truck Series events with Spire Motorsports, Caruth boasts a career-high 11th-place finish, which came in his series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway.
The 20-year-old also has seven races of experience in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, guiding an Alpha Prime Racing entry to three top-20 finishes, including a season-best 12th at Martinsville Speedway.
GMS Racing declined TobyChristie.com’s request for comment.