March 3, 2024
BLACK ENTERPRISE Speaks To Rajah Caruth After Historic NASCAR Win
Caruth joins Wendell Scott, who won only one race in his NASCAR career in 1963, and Wallace as the only Black drivers to win national NASCAR events in the 76-year history of the motorsport.
Updated March 5
Rajah Caruth became the third Black driver to win a NASCAR national series race and the second Black driver to win a truck series event after he won the Victoria’s Voice 200 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 1.
Caruth, a 21-year-old NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program graduate, also took pole position for the first time in his career during the qualifying session ahead of the race.
CBS Sports reports that Caruth is one of the more promising talents to come out of NASCAR’s diversity program in recent years, and the win signals a bright future for the young Spire Motorsports driver.
In 2024, two of the first three races of the year were won by program graduates, a signal that the diversity program is working as NASCAR intended when it started the program in 2004. The other Black NASCAR Truck Series driver to win, Bubba Wallace, who now races in the NASCAR Cup Series, has taken Caruth under his wing and affectionately referred to Caruth as his little brother in a congratulatory tweet.
Caruth joins Wendell Scott, who won only one race in his NASCAR career in 1963, and Wallace as the only Black drivers to win national NASCAR events in the 76-year history of the motorsport. BLACK ENTERPRISE‘s own SVP/Executive Editor-at-Large spoke to Caruth after his historic win.
Scott raced on a shoestring budget and often faced racism and discrimination during his time racing. NASCAR officials attempted to take the lone win of his NASCAR career at Jacksonville and give it to another white driver but Scott protested. Nascar eventually awarded Scott his win and his $1,000 in prize money after a review. In August 2021, NASCAR officials gave Scott’s family a nearly identical replica of the 1963 trophy that was taken by Buck Baker, the driver NASCAR tried to give Scott’s historic win to. The foundation bearing his name is proud of Caruth’s accomplishment, and Scott, likewise, would likely be overjoyed to see equal resources being put behind today’s Black NASCAR drivers for whom he paved the way.
Following the race, Caruth, who currently ranks No. 4 in the NASCAR Truck Series standings, was full of optimism and praise for his racing team, telling reporters for Fox Sports, “It’s surreal,” said Caruth. “Thanks so much to (sponsor) HendrickCars.com and Mr. H (Hendrick) for putting me in this thing all year, and with the men and women at Spire.”
Caruth continued, “So many people have helped me get to this point, and I can’t believe it. I just stayed cool. We lost track position in little portions of the race, and we stayed in the game… My guys got me a great stop, and we just executed. There’s more to come for sure.”
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