“I will never forget the first time watching him in a Legends car at Charlotte, and I got in his face, ‘What are you so afraid of the wall for? You haven’t even hit it yet.'” Bubba Wallace’s words about his long-time mentee showed the hardships that the latter went through. However, consistent growth through iRacing, Legends Cars, and finally, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series brought this young stud to a remarkable place today.

Besides Bubba Wallace’s invaluable guidance, this Spire Motorsports driver honed a suitable approach to the challenges of racing. From smashing deep-rooted stigma in the sport to fetching brilliance in just his first year, the 23-year-old driver has accomplished a lot due to his resilience.

How Bubba Wallace’s mentee faces the world

As all fans know, NASCAR’s demographic has always been narrow. Since its inception in 1949, the sport has mostly dodged diverse people, like Black drivers and women racers. Wendell Scott was the first Black racer to win a NASCAR national race in 1963. That is why the Drive for Diversity program graduates Bubba Wallace and his mentee Rajah Caruth are trendsetters. With this unique identity, however, comes immense pressure to perform. The emotions welling up in Wallace’s eyes after his recent Brickyard 400 victory were a clear testament to that. Caruth faces the same burden; however, the young Truck star has a smooth approach to this dilemma.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, the No. 71 Chevrolet driver divulged his thoughts about people’s opinions. Frankly, Rajah Caruth does not even dabble in the topic, as he told Jeff Gluck: “I don’t really know or care, to be real. I’ve had pressure, eyes, assumptions, and opinions around me my entire driving career, so I’ve gotten used to it. People can think whatever they want. I just carry myself how I was raised and try to do my best. At the end of the day, I’m living my dream and trying to do my best behind the wheel — and not only behind the wheel, but how I carry myself as a person.”

The evidence for Rajah Caruth’s claims is right out there. In his first full-time Truck Series season, Bubba Wallace’s mentee wasted no time in winning in Las Vegas. He carries himself well, also. Caruth’s rival, Corey Heim, admitted how cleanly Caruth raced him en route to his Nashville win this year. Caruth attributed his well-calculated approach to his upbringing in Washington, DC: “Growing up as a city kid — that’s pressure every day. You have to carry yourself a certain way in terms of how you dress, how you speak, your mannerisms. That’s non-negotiable. So any pressure like, “Oh, what will you do with this opportunity?” — that really doesn’t faze me. I’ve had that my entire career and really my entire life.”

Clearly, Rajah Caruth is in good sync with what his career demands of him. As he disregards people’s thoughts about him, he also disregards a popular rage against new racetracks.

Calling for the next era of NASCAR

While the 76-year-old sport has a strong, traditional side, things are on the move for NASCAR. Most diehard fans still root for nostalgic racetracks like the good old ovals of Darlington, Daytona, or Homestead-Miami. They are particularly against street circuits like the Chicago Street Course or the newly unveiled Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track in Mexico City. Even the 2012 Cup Series champion, Brad Keselowski, claimed that the sport is wooing too many road courses, which are actually meant for IMSA. Despite these complaints, NASCAR is already going ahead with a new schedule in San Diego. And Rajah Caruth is all for it.

Bubba Wallace’s mentee shed light on the important aspects. For example, San Diego would prompt NASCAR to return to Southern California, a past haven for stock-car racing. Then, proliferating street races would expose the sport to a more global audience. Rajah Caruth said, “More stuff like San Diego. I hate seeing people complain on Twitter about Mexico or Chicago. I’m like, “Bro, you guys are so one-sided.” It’s a no-brainer to do things like that. It was a pain to not be in Southern California when we lost Fontana and Irwindale. The Coliseum was great, but having San Diego or something more permanent in Southern California would be super important. But also — we have to expand the sport. We can’t grow by only going back to where we’ve already been.”

Rajah Caruth’s independent thinking is probably the cornerstone of his rising career. We can only wait and watch where the Spire driver wins next.