Rajah Caruth shot to fame after winning his first NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas last year. It was a special occasion for him as he received the call from Rick Hendrick, who congratulated him. Not only that the likes of William Byron and Kyle Larson also took notice of his talent with their messages on social media. But this celebration and the hype seem to wear off as the 2025 season kicked off. Caruth was nowhere near his best and couldn’t contest for race wins until last Friday at Nashville Superspeedway.

Now the driver has a history with this racetrack, and he felt he had settled the score after the missed opportunity in 2023. Back then, he used to race for GMS Racing, and opportunities to compete for a win were hard to come by. But at Nashville, driving the No. 24 Chevy, he started that race third and went door to door with Nick Sanchez, which would see him lead the race in the opening stage. But a mechanical would derail his efforts, and he had to settle for a 34th-place finish. Well, he certainly made up for it this time around, but the Spire Motorsports driver revealed that it certainly played a role in his resilient drive to fend off both Corey Heim and Layne Riggs.

“I was thinking about that all morning, I’m not gonna lie to you,” Caruth said with raw honesty after the win. “I was thinking about that all pretty much the week leading up to this race, and really just the whole day. Grant would go and win races right, and I just was figuring it out and show up here for the first time and qualify third and take the lead from Nick, who’s obviously Nick’s in Xfinity, Zane, a champion, Carson a multi-time winner. To have it kind of taken away, there was a bummer, so definitely nice to get one back.“

Back then, Grant Enfinger driving a similar setup would go on to bag three wins that year and finish the year runner-up in championship standings. During the 2023 race on lap 36, Caruth would lead his first career lap going around Nick Sanchez. But a lap later, he would have to concede his lead due to a fuel pressure issue. And when his team did sort out the mess, he was multiple laps down and finished on the tail end. Interestingly, it was Carson Hocervar who bagged the win that day, while Caruth had to settle for a 34th-place finish.

“I never feel like anything’s deserved, but it definitely feels nice to get a triumph here,” continued Caruth. So, when the opportunity came to return to that same track, under the lights and with better tools, Caruth brought more than just his race truck; he brought focus, patience, and a quiet sense of unfinished business. It was a huge sigh of relief for the entire #71 team because the likes of Kyle Busch and Hocevar had taken the #7 Spire truck to victory lane this season. So, it was only befitting that their full-time driver follows in the same trajectory.

While it did take a lot of skills behind the wheel of the truck to keep his rivals at bay, Rajah Caruth knew that his win wasn’t a solo effort.

Rajah Caruth credits his win to his pit crew

Rajah Caruth etched his name into the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with a thrilling victory at Nashville Superspeedway. Piloting the #71 Chevrolet Silverado, Caruth successfully fended off intense pressure from series standout Corey Heim and rising star Layne Riggs. The defining moment of the race came during the pit stop at the end of Stage 2. Caruth’s pit crew delivered a flawless performance, gaining him the lead heading into the final stretch. He jumped two positions and never looked back from there on.

Reflecting on the effort, Caruth expressed heartfelt appreciation for his crew and supporters. “I didn’t expect that at all,” Caruth said. “Those guys were breathing down my neck the whole run. My pit crew won that race — Jarius, Zico, Dawson, Josh, Cody — they won that race for us. Thanks to them, thanks to everyone at HendrickCars.com, the men and women at Spire Motorsports. We’ve been off this year but good to get a dub tonight, man. I’m out of breath.”

Corey Heim, who dominated the season with 4 wins in the first 11 races, settled for a runner-up position, but acknowledged that a small mistake cost him dearly. Heim admitted that the track position made all the difference in the final stage. “I feel like clean air was the thing (we needed) tonight,” Heim said. “With the third stage being so straightforward, and the lack of strategy going green there, it was tough to come back from not having the lead. I slid through my box in the last stop and didn’t do my guys any favors. Just something to reflect on — on my part.”

As the Truck Series hits the halfway mark of the season, Caruth’s triumph may prove to be a turning point for Spire Motorsports. With momentum finally on his side, Caruth will look forward to building his performance as the series continues its march toward the playoffs.