Last Friday in Las Vegas, 21-year-old Rajah Caruth joined a group of a select few when he won the Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Caruth is now one of three African American drivers who have won a NASCAR national series race, joining the likes of Wendell Scott and Bubba Wallace. Picking off his first win, he displayed spectacular race craft, grabbing the pole only to take home his first NASCAR career later during the actual race, beating not one but three Cup Series regulars, including the 2-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch.

Now, that is an amazing feat for a young trucker. But what isn’t amazing is the fact that even after a stellar win, Caruth isn’t reaping the benefits of his Vegas win, as the driver himself admitted in Speed Talk.

Rajah Caruth relays the obvious about sponsorships and brand collaborations

Proving his worth and sending a statement out there, Rajah Caruth won his first truck race in Vegas, making his team proud. Many looked at it as Spire Motorsports‘ resurgence as the #71 Chevy crossed the finish line, fending off attacks and challenges from fellow drivers. Despite the P1 start, Caruth was denied a stage win after Ty Majeski won by 0.568 seconds to take the stage 1 win. Subsequently, Majeski got around the 21-year-old with nine of 30 laps remaining and held off Corey Heim by 1.334 seconds to win Stage 2, while Caruth ended up third, finishing the stage third.

However, in the third stage, once Busch was slapped with a penalty for a safety violation, Rajah Caruth took his shot and moved back out to the lead with 20 laps to go. He then held on to the lead and eventually won the race.

Reflecting on his massive win, the driver was asked, “Has this when brought you any new sponsorship opportunities?” To which he said, “Definitely, definitely too soon. Nothing that I know, right? My head’s pretty in the sand right now just because I’m just…trying to like, make it out a little bit. This is honestly a new experience for me, but…None that I know of right now.” 

Caruth then relayed his gratitude to his primary sponsor, HendrickCars.com, for supporting him. He added, “I’m just grateful to know the support of HendrickCars.com for the season, and hopefully I can continue to make him (Rick Hendrick) proud.”

His balancing act of racing and academics

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Fresh off of the NASCAR diversity program, Rajah Caruth is the only driver who doesn’t have a background in racing. Nor did the driver start racing early in his days, nor did he have any connections. He became a fan of racing after watching the animated movie “Cars,” which was released back in 2006. With no tracks near his Washington, D.C., home, and with the costs of motorsports, Caruth settled for racing on a computer for years.

Now with the celebrations all over, the Winston-Salem State University senior checked his schedule on his phone when asked by a reporter about upcoming assignments.  The driver’s eyebrows arched when he saw he had a chapter assignment due Tuesday for his managerial accounting class before he graduates in December later this year.

In fact, Rajah Caruth is among the few drivers who have to balance college and a NASCAR racing career and it looks like the driver is excelling at both by giving his best.

“We’re Not Hendrick, We’re Not Gibbs”- Mr. H’s Truck Protege Uncovers Spire Motorsports’ Chances of a Cup Series Win