GMS Racing’s announcement to cease operations at the end of this season came at an unexpected turn. Having won the Truck Series two times and being a launchpad for many budding talents in the industry, the team’s departure from racing is still hard to digest for some. Following the heartbreaking news, their drivers will be on the lookout for various opportunities across the three national racing series. Among them will be a pupil of Bubba Wallace, Rajah Caruth.

On the other hand, this has also opened up multiple possibilities for teams looking to recruit new drivers. Using this chance, NASCAR’s winningest team, Hendrick Motorsports, has significantly changed its Xfinity Series roster. While many HMS Cup Series stars have donned the #17, the stage is set to shine for some new entrants.

Road course veteran set to make a return to NASCAR, courtesy of Rick Hendrick

Hendrick Motorsports has been exclusive about the races the #17 runs in. All four of their Cup drivers have taken turns to get a ride in it, with Kyle Larson being the latest one at Darlington, where he finished a disappointing 38th. Adding two more races to the list, HMS has decided to give it a go at Phoenix and Charlotte Roval. On top of that, the names that have been finalized to drive on those two occasions seem like polar opposites.

Road course specialist and veteran river driver Boris Said will make his return to NASCAR racing with his first race of the year at Charlotte. The 61-year-old has raced in Xfinity prior to this opportunity and even has a win that came back in 2010 at Montreal. Boris will run his 150th race at Charlotte, which spans across multiple segments of stock-car racing.

Said’s resume also boasts of some great achievements that any driver would love to have. A 2-time winner of the Rolex 24 at Daytona and a class victory at the Sebring 12 hours that was topped off with a win at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2005, Said is pretty accomplished as a driver and will look to bank on it surely. Having said that, the next driver who will be joining HMS as the next step in his career has a vastly different feeling about him.

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HMS is set to be the next destination for the Bubba Wallace prodigy

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When GMS Racing declared their plans to move out of the sport, their drivers had mixed feelings toward it. While Grant Enfinger saw this as a chance to make it a memorable farewell for his team, young talent Rajah Caruth felt concerned about his future. During this time of despair, in came a swooping Rick Hendrick, recognizing Rajah’s skills behind the wheels and roping him in for the #17 car.

Caruth will feature in the final race of the season at Phoenix in Xfinity. Having amassed 15 Xfinity starts in the past two years, he has enough experience to boot up with, and with time on his side, great things might lie ahead for the 21-year-old. Alpha Prime Racing deployed him in all 15 starts, where he also bagged a career-best P12 finish at Martinsville last year.

The 2023 season has been slightly overwhelming for him. After a promising start to his Truck Series campaign, he sits 17th and has three top 10s to his name. Being a driver of color in NASCAR, he has trodden on the path of his mentor, Bubba Wallace. Bubba has also sent in a good word about him publicly and has been nurturing talent behind the scenes.

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Could this opportunity be the big jump Rajah’s career was hoping for? Well, that’s something for time to tell, but watching a young talent with great potential reach the heights he deserves will surely be a lovely sight.