The first two races of the season are done and dusted, and some bright talents are already turning heads. One of them is Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s recruit in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Despite holding a part-time job, the Spire Motorsports driver has put up jaw-dropping finishes already. This elicited praise, or rather a cheeky jibe, from Bubba Wallace, his mentor in the Cup Series.

The skills of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver ring a bell

“I have to ask you the biggest question; Bubba Wallace said you and Spire could drive smarter.” Reporter John Newby’s question left a smirk on Rajah Caruth’s face as the 23-year-old replied, “I don’t think he was telling the truth. I think he was trolling.” He continued, “He’s literally been there every step of my career, literally from my first Legend Car race, from my first O’Reilly race, my first Truck race.”

Bubba Wallace apparently made a cheeky comparison between Rajah Caruth and his Cup Series teammate, Carson Hocevar. The latter has a notorious reputation for stirring up chaos, which he did in last weekend’s Atlanta race. During the final laps, Wallace was up against the Spire Motorsports driver’s rowdy antics, which probably cost him a potential victory.

Jokes apart, Bubba Wallace had a ton of praise to offer his mentee. Rajah Caruth, wheeling the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevy, logged twin top ten finishes in the season’s first two races. And his 8th-place result in Atlanta came after some masterful moves, like narrowly dodging Josh Williams’ crash that happened a few feet in front. Or when Caruth’s car got a flat tire and later got loose, the youngster could keep it straight without batting an eyelid. Then, he moved from 18th to 8th place in the final six laps.

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“You know who I learned a lot from? It was Raja yesterday. He had a bad fast car, and he finished second at the first stage and won the second stage just like me. And I was like, this car is so fast. Don’t do anything to jeopardize a good finish,” Bubba Wallace said.

Rajah Caruth now sits second in the point standings, only 22 points behind Austin Hill. And he is confident: “I’ve put all of what I’ve got into preparing and doing my best. And I know the team is there, the resources are there. So it’s been a great off-season, and I’ve enjoyed the first two races. It’s been a lot of fun.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was proud of his O’Reilly Auto Parts part-time driver. At the same time, he commented on his mentor’s performance.

Dissecting a heartbreaking loss

Bubba Wallace’s own experience in Atlanta was also remarkable. The No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota driver finished second in Stage 1 and bagged the honors of Stage 2. And as the NASCAR Cup Series race entered overtime, Wallace positioned himself for a solid shot at victory. But things turned topsy-turvy on the final restart.

Wallace tried to block Carson Hocevar’s run up top, drifting higher than he expected. That opened the bottom lane for Reddick, who capitalized and ultimately drove to Victory Lane for his second straight win this season. Dale Earnhardt Jr. tried to dissect the situation that turned haywire for Wallace.

“Three Toyotas, all lined up,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, referring to the cars of Wallace, Reddick, and Chase Briscoe. “Man, middle of the back straight-away, he pulls up. They got three-wide right off in Turn 1.” He continued, “He had his teammates behind him. The No. 45 of Reddick and the No. 19. He moves up. Went too far. The No. 45 was getting ready to get a push if he stayed down there. What if the No. 23 never moved off the nose of the No. 45? That’s my point.”

With a series of questions around last weekend’s race, Bubba Wallace looks forward to a fresh chance. Let’s see how he and his mentee, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver, tackle this race.