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iRacing’s Impact on Motorsports Highlighted Again With Rajah Caruth’s Historic Win at Las Vegas

Published 03/02/2024, 7:10 PM EST

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Ever heard of virtual world platforms impacting the lives of people so much that they start pursuing that specific field as their career? iRacing, the premier racing simulation, helped shape the careers of real-world stock car racers in giant leagues and series. The most common example is NASCAR Truck Series winner Raja Caruth.

The Spire Motorsports #71 emerged victorious by leading a mammoth number of laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday night. Rajah Caruth, who comes with an iRacing background, isn’t the only racer for whom it has played a pivotal role in shaping the paths of numerous other renowned racers.

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Raja Caruth started his iRacing journey in 2018 when he signed up for an account for them, and since then there has been no going back. His transition from being a sim racer to a real-world NASCAR driver is truly commendable. After the 21-year-old registered his first win in NASCAR, he garnered accolades from all corners of the racing community. The virtual gaming platform that ignited his passion didn’t hesitate to laud Caruth’s achievement either.

iRacing reposted FOX: NASCAR’s video of Raja Caruth dashing his way to win the NASCAR Truck Series. In addition, they acknowledged other iRacing drivers whose journeys also began on their platform. It includes the Daytona 500 champion of this season, William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports. Other than that, there is Formula 1 sensation Max Verstappen and Maxwell Esterson, who started racing in Formula 3. They captioned the post, “Byron, Daytona 500 win. Caruth, first truck win. Esterson, points finish in F3 debut. Now we just need the underdog, Max Verstappen. YEAR OF THE IRACERS.”

Red Bull’s #1 Max Verstappen, who won the Bahrain Grand Prix last night credits iRacing too for his success. He even continues racing now at the gaming platform at times. Last month he got himself participated in the ’24 Hours of Daytona’ virtually to add a bit of excitement among other drivers.

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However, the list does not end here. We have Daniel Morad winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the GTD category for Alegra Motorsports. We also have the Turkish driver Ayhancan Guven, clinching the Bathurst 12 Hour. So many feats from iRacing drivers this year and it is just the beginning of March!

Rajah Caruth: iRacing’s valiant warrior shocks at Truck Series

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Caruth gained the pole position in the earlier stages and went on to win the race at the LVMS. He faced fierce battles from renowned drivers such as teammate Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell. But it was evidently clear that Rick Hendrick put his money on the right person, like always.

Mr. H decided to sponsor Rajah Caruth for the entire 2024 season, with the announcement coming earlier this week. This is why his #71 Chevy Silverado car specially had ‘Hendrickcars.com’ on its body. Not only did he win big, but Caruth managed to lead a total of 38 laps, which is an insane amount for a young gun battling with established racers.

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Rajah Caruth’s journey is upheld by the documentary “Outside Line,” which made its debut in New York City in 2023. The documentary showcases the remarkable leap of Caruth from iRacing to real-world racing. The film received widespread acclaim across the United States and even secured an Emmy Award in the ‘Sports Story: Long Form Content’ category.

Through this documentary, Rajah’s unwavering determination and the profound influence of sim racing on his career were celebrated. It also shatters the myth that prevails in different parts of the globe: “A virtual gamer cannot perform in real-world sport.”

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Written by:

Mamata Mukherjee

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Mamata Mukherjee is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Combining her love for writing and motorsports she has created some interesting and in-depth stories on drivers like Kyle Busch, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Coming to ES with 3 years of experience in the field of writing, Mamata feels right at home in her role as a NASCAR Journalist.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta