“It’s Legit”—Maiden Truck Series Winner Rajah Caruth Takes a Breath of Relief as NASCAR Witnesses a Rise in Diversity

Published 03/03/2024, 4:05 PM EST

The diversity boom is a thing in NASCAR nowadays. The auto racing industry, which was previously not widely known for implementing such measures, is now undergoing significant changes. It is more in the works because of Rajah Caruth’s solid victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Caruth secured a convincing win starting from the pole position, which made him the third African American driver to win at a National Series event.

In 1963, Wendell Scott achieved this feat as the first person in history. It took Bubba Wallace 50 years to touch this record when he won at Martinsville in 2013. Caruth discussed the same in a post-match telephonic interview. What did he say about this?

Rajah Caruth terms diversification in NASCAR as ‘Legit’

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Caruth opened up to ‘Sirius XM NASCAR’ after his win. He described the win as surreal and still could not process what to say. Caruth mentioned that it is authentic, even for him, and very special to share the stage with Scott and Wallace. Speaking about the diversity, Spire Motorsports’ #71 termed it legit. There is an increase in the number of African Americans throughout the sport, he said. Whether it is behind the scenes at the pit crew, with the race engineers, or at the racetrack,.

“Every day we make it better, it’s cool for you, you see more faces, more color, more diversity in sports, behind the scenes, literally every weekend, and at the racetrack, so yeah, it’s legit,” said Rajah Caruth.

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Overwhelmed to have joined the ranks of Scott and his mentor Wallace, he added, “It doesn’t feel real, I don’t know what to say. I feel very blessed. Yeah, I mean, this is authentic to me and something that are really cherished, you know, very special.”

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Rajah Caruth’s road to victory was indeed a daunting task. Although he led for 38 laps, he was chased valiantly by the #18 drivers of McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, Tyler Ankrum, and Kyle Busch.

NASCAR’s strive to correct disturbing history

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The NASCAR races only used to comprise the American drivers initially. It was in 2004, that NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program sought to create pathways for women and minorities to enter the highest positions in stock car racing.

Through development agreements and pit crew training initiatives, Drive for Diversity has facilitated entry for more than 100 drivers and crew members. They come from diverse backgrounds, color, and gender. The initiative provides them with a stepping stone into the world of racing. Rajah Caruth’s mentor and the 23XI star diver, Bubba Wallace is a great beneficiary of this initiative.

After decades of reigning inequity, this drive is NASCAR’s collective effort to rectify its shortcomings. This has helped it reach a broader audience. Banking on the drive’s success so that we get to witness more such drivers from different sections of society strive to achieve their dreams.

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Written by:

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.

Edited by:

Shivali Nathta

“It’s Legit”—Maiden Truck Series Winner Rajah Caruth Takes a Breath of Relief as NASCAR Witnesses a Rise in Diversity

Rajah Caruth terms diversification in NASCAR as ‘Legit’

NASCAR’s strive to correct disturbing history

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