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December 13, 2024

Rajah Caruth returns to Spire Motorsports for 2025 Craftsman Truck Series


Rajah Caruth was set to accept his college diploma Friday morning in commencement ceremonies at Winston-Salem State University. Earning his degree coincided with quite the graduation gift.

Spire Motorsports announced Friday that Caruth will return to the team in 2025 for a second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season as driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet. Also re-signed is sponsorship from HendrickCars.com, which was a primary backer for all 23 races this past season.

Spire representatives indicated that the team and crew chief lineup would be announced later. The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the 2025 season at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 14 (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

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Caruth, 22, joined Spire full-time last season and their partnership bore fruit early with a breakthrough victory from the pole position March 1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He reached the Round of 8 in the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs and was later voted the circuit’s Most Popular Driver.

“He took the incredibly high expectations we placed on him to start the year and exceeded them in every way,” said Jeff Dickerson, Spire Motorsports co-owner. “I’m impressed with how he’s balanced his commitments to his race team, his craft, the media and his growing fanbase while managing a full workload at Winston-Salem State University. Our organization believes in Raj, and he has consistently shown the leadership, form and work ethic that every team looks for in a driver. Everyone at Spire Motorsports is really happy to run it back with him next season.”

The re-up means continuity for Caruth, who spent one season with team owner Maury Gallagher’s operation in 2023 before starting his full-time Spire tenure. His current role was preceded by part-time duty for Spire, Alpha Prime Racing and Hendrick Motorsports – four Truck Series races in 2022, and 19 Xfinity Series starts from 2022-23.

“It is great to have a home and stability heading into next year,” Caruth said in a team release. “I believe this is the first time in my career I won’t be with a new team or competing in a different series at the start of the season. I really appreciate the opportunity Jeff and T.J. (Puchyr, co-owner) have given me, and I’m excited to continue preparations for 2025. Our organization has really grown over the past year, and we have shown what we are capable of. We have set the bar high for the season, and the expectation is to win more races and compete for a championship.”

Caruth was awarded a Bachelor of Science diploma from WSSU on Friday after he completed his course of study in Motorsports Management. Those duties and his racing schedule required a balancing act, and the team indicated that 108 NASCAR and ARCA starts coincided with his completion of 120 credit hours during his college days.

“I’m glad to be done with school,” Caruth said. “It required a lot of hard work and sacrifice, along with diligent time management between coursework and everything associated with racing, including team meetings, simulator time and travel. I appreciate everything Dr. (Clay) Harshaw, Dr. (Dennis) Felder and all my professors at Winston-Salem State have done to help me finish school while chasing my dream. It is super cool to have the faculty, student body and WSSU National Alumni Association following me in my journey and cheering me on. The crew chiefs I’ve had through the years have been flexible with my schedule so I could finish this chapter, and I’m ready for racing become my lone focus.”

HendrickCars.com was Caruth’s sponsor for his most recent Xfinity Series start in the 2023 finale at Phoenix Raceway. The support of Hendrick Motorsports and team owner Rick Hendrick, Caruth said, was key to forging his path with Spire.

“Rajah is a young man of tremendous character and has proven to be a great representative of HendrickCars.com and our nearly 11,000 teammates across the country,” said Hendrick, a NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee in 2017. “In addition to being extremely talented, he has an incredible work ethic. We couldn’t be prouder to make this announcement on the same day Rajah and his family celebrate his college graduation. He has a very bright future in the sport, and we are thrilled to continue supporting his journey in 2025.”

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