DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — While a win did not come to fruition for Rajah Caruth, he still made a strong impression in his return to Spire Motorsports on Friday night (Feb. 16).
Caruth managed to finish a career-best second in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. He was only bested by Nick Sanchez, whose Rev Racing team resides in-house at Spire. The run tops Caruth’s previous career best of sixth, which he achieved twice in 2023.
“After a long winter, you work hard and a lot of different things happen,” Caruth said. “So to come home with a top five to start the year is pretty good.”
Caruth spent most of the final stage up front, mostly with the help of Spire teammate Corey Lajoie. The NASCAR Cup Series regular pushed him out to the lead on almost every restart late in the race, including the final one in overtime.
Both Caruth and Lajoie were in contention for the win on the last lap, running only behind Sanchez and Taylor Gray. But that’s when Caruth made a mistake. His No. 71 Chevrolet bumped into Jack Wood, sparking a massive last-lap crash that saw Gray get turned over in the middle of the main pack.
While Lajoie was caught up in the accident, Caruth avoided any significant damage. The caution came out immediately, securing his runner-up result and leaving a number of angry drivers in his wake.
“I like Rajah a lot,” said Taylor Gray, one of several drivers wiped out by the move, “But I just don’t know what he was doing.”
“I gotta look at the replay,” countered Caruth. “I felt like I was already jacked up, and I was already tight as well off the corner.
“Hate seeing trucks get torn up like that on the backstretch.”
Nevertheless, the night ended very positively for the second-year Truck Series driver, earning the praise of his father Roger, who was in attendance for his son’s big finish.
“I’m extremely proud (of Rajah),” Roger Caruth told Frontstretch. “Daytona is a tough track. You just have to maintain and be there at the end, and he was.”
Roger has coached Rajah on being respectful on and off the racetrack. When it comes to pure driver talent, however, Roger attributes it all to his son.
“It’s all him. I have no input in that area at all,” Roger said with a smile. “Just here as a fan, as a supporter and just trying to usher him through as…
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