Joe Gibbs Racing, home to four NASCAR Cup Series winners, hasn’t won a premier-series race since Sept. 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Six more races passed after that in 2021 and six races have passed in 2022.
This Sunday’s Toyota Owners 400 (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM) would be the perfect opportunity to end the winless drought at 12 races since the sponsor doubles as Joe Gibbs Racing’s manufacturer. And the venue, Richmond Raceway, could be the reason it happens. The 0.75-miler is the team’s most successful track on the schedule with 17 wins, which also tops the competition.
Most recently, and therefore most importantly, Joe Gibbs Racing has won eight of the last 12 races at Richmond.
*Note: There was only one race at Richmond in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Two of those victories even saw a 1-2-3 finish from Joe Gibbs Racing. Following Martin Truex Jr. across the finish line in September 2021 were current teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, in order. Further back in September 2019, Kyle Busch came in runner-up and Hamlin rounded out third.
Actually, the only race in that group that didn’t see at least one Joe Gibbs Racing pilot in the top three at the checkered flag was September 2017.
All this is quite the contrast to the present. Joe Gibbs Racing has two top-five results among its four drivers through six races. Busch and Bell have one apiece. Busch was fourth at Las Vegas. Bell was third at Circuit of The Americas.
Meanwhile, Truex’s best showing has been seventh at COTA. Hamlin’s is 13th at Phoenix Raceway.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s odds of being victorious in Virginia, according to BetMGM (as of Thursday afternoon), stand as: Truex and Busch both at 9-1, Hamlin at 10-1 and Bell at 14-1.
Busch’s six career victories at Richmond lead all active drivers, the most recent coming in 2018. Truex’s three wins all came in the past five races. Hamlin also has three, last in 2016. Bell hasn’t won, but he placed fourth (spring) and third (fall) in the two 2021 stops and also led laps (10) in the latter.
A Toyota parked in the Toyota Owners 400 Victory Lane would be fitting, and Joe Gibbs Racing could make it happen.
PHILADELPHIA – Comcast is committed to helping people access the transformative power of the internet and to closing the digital divide. Once again, the company is leveraging the NASCAR Xfinity Series Dash 4 Cash platform to continue to make an impact.
Since 2018, the company has donated both laptops and more than $200,000 of funding to racing communities. Comcast has also installed free WiFi inside community centers, as part of its Lift Zones program, in markets where the popular and highly competitive four-race series takes place. The 2022 installment kicks off this weekend with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Richmond Raceway. Based on their finishes at Circuit of The Americas last Saturday, the Dash 4 Cash eligible drivers are: AJ Allmendinger, Austin Hill, Noah Gragson and Sam Mayer.
Dash 4 Cash will then continue at Martinsville Speedway on April 8, Talladega Superspeedway on April 23 and Dover Motor Speedway on April 30. Lift Zones have been established in each of these markets, with partners including The Boys and Girls Club of the Blue Ridge and the Green Beret Project.
“We’re proud to support the Dash 4 Cash program in the NASCAR Xfinity Series,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s vice president of brand partnerships and amplification. “It’s exciting to have an extra incentive for this week’s qualifiers, and we’re proud to continue to work alongside our partners to bridge the digital divide in the communities where we live, work and race.”
Comcast’s Lift Zones program provides free WiFi inside community centers that serve students, families, veterans, seniors and adults. These are just a few of the more than 1,000 Lift Zones the company has established across the country. Additionally, the company is introducing more people to the power of the internet through its Internet Essentials service, which provides low-income households with fast and reliable internet access for as little as $9.95 per month. Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest and most successful private-sector broadband adoption program in the country.
“Comcast continues to make a lasting, positive impact in the Martinsville community through its commitment to digital equity,” said Joanie Petty, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge in Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia. “The Lift Zone at our Teen Center enables our local students year-round by providing a place to access the internet for free to complete their school work. We are thrilled by the support Xfinity has provided.”
Xfinity is bringing NASCAR fans closer to the sport they love and making a positive impact within the Martinsville community by offering free ticket giveaways starting April 1 at Xfinity retail stores in Danville, Virginia (158 Holt Garrison Pkwy, Danville, Virginia 24540) and Lynchburg, Virginia (4010 Wards Rd, Lynchburg, Virginia 24502). Two-hundred tickets will be available at each store on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last (no purchase necessary). Fans can stop by either store to pick up tickets (max four per person) and learn more about Xfinity products and services.
During this year’s Dash 4 Cash race weekends, Comcast will provide free tickets and driver meet-and-greet opportunities for local nonprofit organizations, like the YMCA of Greater Richmond, Boys & Girls Club of the Blue Ridge and the Green Beret Project. Lift Zones and Internet Essentials are both key components of Comcast’s Project UP initiative developed to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Having reliable internet and the tools and information necessary to navigate the digital world is critical to opportunity and success. Comcast is helping bridge the digital divide by providing internet, technology and resources to the communities and people in need.
Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky that connect people to the internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. For more information on Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital inequities, visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.
Richmond Raceway is ready to host the first points race at a true short track for the Next Gen car.
NASCAR returns to the 0.75-mile track Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) for the Toyota Owners 400, a race won last year by Alex Bowman, who led the final 10 laps to steal the victory on a late restart.
With 400 laps ahead, get ready for all the action to come at Richmond:
SETTING THE GRID
Saturday, Cup Series drivers will get onto the track for practice on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. ET (FS1), with the 37 entered teams separated into Group A and Group B, determined by a metric that factors results and fastest laps from last week’s race at Circuit of The Americas in addition to points position. Each group will be allotted 15 minutes of practice.
After practice, each group will go out for single-car qualifying for two laps. The fastest five cars from each group will advance to the second round, in which the 10 remaining drivers will fight for the pole award.
— NASCAR Cup racing at Richmond Raceway began in April 1953 when Lee Petty claimed the victory at what was then called the “Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds,” a 0.5-mile dirt track that stood through the first Richmond race of 1968. The track was then paved and remained a half-miler until the fall 1988 event, when the track was reconfigured to its current shape and geometry.
— The backstretch grandstands were removed after the 2015 season, following the removal of the Turn 3 grandstands in 2014. That reduced seating capacity by 9,000 seats.
— Sunday marks the 131st NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond.
— There was only one race at Richmond in 2020, the first time in 62 years Richmond had only one race due to the pandemic.
— Richmond is the seventh race of the 2022 season, the earliest for a Richmond race since 1997 when it was the third event on the schedule.
Source: Racing Insights
GOODYEAR TIRES
Richmond Raceway has played a significant role in Goodyear’s tire development for the Next Gen vehicles, the tire supplier said in a press release. Richmond played host to the inaugural 18-inch tire test in December 2019 and again in March 2021.
This weekend, teams will utilize the same tire compound Goodyear brought to Phoenix Raceway on March 13, marking the first time teams return to a track with a familiar compound this season.
“With such a steep learning curve with this car and the 18-inch tire, returning to tracks on the same package really helps teams start to put things together,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “Richmond is now considered a high-tire-wear track, so teams and drivers will have to mange their tires. As tires wear and the track takes rubber, drivers will have multiple grooves, making for some great racing with a lot of passing.”
This tire will also be used in June at Worldwide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
RICHMOND STORY LINES
— Joe Gibbs Racing has dominated lately at Richmond Raceway, winning eight of the last 12 races there and 17 in total, the team’s most at any track.
— While JGR has been electric at Richmond, including two 1-2-3 finishes in the past five events, the team has struggled in 2022, collecting a combined two top fives (Kyle Busch, fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Christopher Bell, third at COTA) and no wins from its four drivers through six races. Toyota last won with Bubba Wallace in October 2021 at Talladega Superspeedway.
— Ross Chastain scored his first career win last week at COTA, notching his fourth consecutive top-three finish. Before this stretch, Chastain had a total of three top fives in 117 starts.
— Chase Elliott leads the points standings with a series-best average finish of 11.0 and earned his first top five of the season last week at COTA by finishing fourth.
— The final green-flag stretch at Richmond was 146 laps or more in three of the last five Richmond races.
Source: Racing Insights
WANNA BET?
Chase Elliott is still searching for his first oval win since November 2020 at Phoenix, but he’s the odds-on favorite to win Richmond at 8-1, according to BetMGM as of Thursday morning.
Elliott, who won the championship with that Phoenix win, has three top fives in his last six races at Richmond. The other results are 15th, 13th and 12th.
Behind him are three drivers to watch: Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson, all of whom are posted at 9-1 odds. Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson is a threat anywhere, but JGR has been exceptional at the 0.75-mile track and Truex was victorious last time here in September. Busch is the active leader in Richmond wins (six), top fives (18) and average finish (6.9). Their results this season haven’t been exceptional, but that could change Sunday afternoon.
Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney are each listed at 12-1 odds, but the right bet here feels like Reddick. Chastain has been phenomenal in each of the four unique tracks the last few weeks, but Reddick has proven he can run up front. Richard Childress Racing has run well here as of late, too, with an impressive showing from Austin Dillon in the 2020 playoffs. Reddick, who finished fifth at COTA after restarting on the front row in overtime, could reap the benefits of the team’s Richmond knowledge Sunday.
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (202), Ryan Blaney (187) and Joey Logano (183).
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week a select number of in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement in the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.
Ryan Newman, an 18-time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series, is returning to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour this week for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150 at Richmond Raceway (6:25 p.m. ET on FloRacing).
The 2008 Daytona 500 winner has made 30 previous NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts and scored four wins, two each at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
However, Friday’s race will be his debut with the new SS Racing team that is co-owned by veteran racer Hermie Sadler and Virginia Senator Bill Stanley. Newman will pilot the No. 39 car, which is being maintained by Phil Stefanelli of PSR Products. Neal Cantor will act as crew chief for the team.
This will hardly be Newman’s first rodeo at Richmond. Over his lengthy NASCAR Cup Series career, he has made 39 starts at the 0.75-mile, D-shaped oval. In those starts, he scored one victory in 2003 as well as eight top-five and 20 top-10 finishes.
He also competed in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s return to Richmond last September, driving the No. 53 for Mike Curb. He led six laps during that race, ultimately finishing fourth.
That race at Richmond last year was one of three NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts for Newman last season, and it was also his best finish of the season with the Tour.
Without a NASCAR Cup Series opportunity this season following his departure from RFK Racing, Newman previously stated he planned to focus more on grassroots racing this year in his free time.
While it’s currently unknown how many NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour starts Newman will make this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him compete in several more events later this year.
Bobby Santos III, driver of the No. 44 Think Light Air and Harshaw Paving Chevrolet, sits in his car during the Toyota Mod Classic 150 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at Oswego Speedway on Sept. 4, 2021. (Bryan Bennett/NASCAR)
Anytime Bobby Santos III shows up at a race track, he should be considered a contender to win.
That’s no different this week at Richmond, where the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion is making his first start of the season with the Tour.
Though he rarely makes more than a handful of starts each season, Santos always bring his best when he competes with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
In 153 series starts since 2001, Santos has earned 19 victories. He hasn’t run the full series schedule since 2016 and has only contested the entire Tour schedule four times during his career. One of those seasons was the aforementioned 2010 campaign, when he piloted the famous Mystic Missile No. 4 owned by Robert Garbarino to four victories and the series championship.
He’ll be piloting the No. 44 for the Tinio family Friday at Richmond, the same No. 44 he has driven to 11 of his 19 series victories during his impressive career.
Santos hasn’t visited victory lane since the 2020 season, when, while driving as a teammate to Tour veteran Dave Sapienza, he led the final 10 laps at New Hampshire. Last year he made four starts in the Tinio No. 44, but only managed a best finish of sixth at New York’s Oswego Speedway.
Likely unsatisfied with his efforts last year, Santos should be considered a serious contender when the green flag waves Friday evening.
Eric Goodale, driver of the No. 58 GAF Roofing Chevrolet, during the New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Feb. 12, 2022. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Can Eric Goodale rise to the occasion?
Prior to last September’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Richmond, Eric Goodale had never laid eyes on the popular Virginia short track.
The native of Riverhead, New York, a winner of four Tour races during his career, has no problem admitting he was caught a little off guard at how quickly he wore out his tires during the race last season. The result was an 13th-place finish, hardly an ideal result for the 36-year-old.
“Last year was the first time I have ever been there. Never even seen a Cup race or anything there. So it was a totally new experience for me,” Goodale told FloRacing this week. “It was definitely different from thinking I knew what I was getting into watching racing on TV. It was certainly a different experience than what I was expecting.”
While Goodale struggled last year at Richmond, he has enjoyed success in the past at the larger venues on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule. In fact, of his four series victories, three have come on tracks a half-mile in size or larger.
“You need a little bit more finesse in your driving,” Goodale said about racing at larger tracks like Richmond. “It’s not such hard on the gas, hard on the break like I grew up learning at Riverhead Raceway. You were either or full on the gas to get off the corner or smashing on the brake to get your car slowed down to make the corner.
“It’s just a lot of foot work and finesse with the steering wheel that you really need to pay attention to when you go to these bigger tracks. If you’re just a little harder on the brakes at corner entry, that can kill two or three tenths off your lap. If you’re a little too hard on the gas with a track like Richmond and you’re burning the rubber up off the rear tires, you get 20, 25, 30 laps into a run and you are hanging on out there.”
After his experience last year at Richmond, Goodale believes he and his GAF Roofing team have a setup prepared that will help them contend for a victory after 150 laps Friday night.
“Ultimately I think we’ve got a good plan to go back there and be very competitive and compete for a win,” Goodale said.
Defending NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion Justin Bonsignore enters Friday’s race at Richmond on the back foot after a mechanical issue forced him out of the opener in February at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway. He led eight laps last year at Richmond and will look to get back on the winning track during the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 150.
Max McLaughlin makes his return to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour on Friday in Mike Curb’s No. 77. It’ll be a busy weekend for the 22-year-old, who is also scheduled to race a big-block modified Saturday at Orange County Fair Speedway, a 0.625-mile dirt track in Middletown, New York.
MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Dr Pepper and 23XI Racing announced Thursday the return of the Dr Pepper and 23XI SPEED Institute Tuition Program for 2022. The tuition program provides $5,000 each to 23 college students pursuing their interest in a career in the motorsports industry. Two tuition recipients will also receive an internship in their field with 23XI through the 23XI SPEED Institute.
The Dr Pepper and 23XI SPEED Institute tuition program was established in 2021 to amplify the efforts of the 23XI SPEED (Scholarship, Professional Education, Executive Development) Institute in support of the team’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals. It continues a longstanding Dr Pepper tradition of supporting academic excellence through sporting events, with the brand having awarded more than $13 million in tuition to deserving students since 2008.
“Tuition giveaways have been a rewarding part of the Dr Pepper mission for over a decade, and we are thrilled to continue this program with 23XI,” said Derek Dabrowski, Dr Pepper’s vice president of brand marketing. “We look forward to again providing deserving students with financial help as they pursue their dreams and shape the future of motorsports for years to come.”
Said 23XI Racing President Steve Lauletta: “23XI Racing was founded with more in mind than just being competitive on the race track, and the Dr Pepper Tuition Program continues to be a key example of the impact our team and our partners are dedicated to making within the motorsports industry. Together with the support of Dr Pepper we have provided valuable financial assistance to students and significant job experience for interns through the SPEED Institute. We look forward to the opportunity to assist more students this year as 23XI and our partners continue to positively impact the motorsports industry.”
In 2021, the program’s inaugural year, more than 200 students from across the country applied for the available scholarships and the 23 finalists were notified of their award during the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This year, winners will be announced in May at the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Students interested in applying for the tuition program must be between 18 and 24 years old and pursuing a career in any the following fields: marketing, communications, human resources, finance, engineering or trade disciplines in the automotive industry. Individuals meeting these qualifications can apply via a simple video submission process, sharing their story and explaining why they deserve a tuition award. Applications must be submitted by May 13.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads back east with a Sunday stop at Richmond Raceway for the Toyota Owners 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Try your hand at some props on the race, ranging from who will win a featured matchup to where a driver will finish.
A familiar feeling of pragmatic frustration is following Denny Hamlin back to his home state for the Toyota Owners 400.
Hamlin returns to his hometown track in search of his first win this year and first win at Richmond Raceway since 2016. And he does so amidst one of the worst stretches of his career.
With an 18th-place finish at Circuit of The Americas last weekend, Hamlin has zero top-10 finishes through six starts – the second-longest top-10 drought of his 18-year Cup Series career – and is buried at 22nd in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
The finishes are frustrating, Hamlin said after a 29th-place finish in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 two weeks ago, but everything else has been great.
Sound familiar?
The Chesterfield County, Virginia, native led 207 laps in the Toyota Owners 400 last year before surrendering the lead to eventual winner Alex Bowman shortly after a restart with 12 laps remaining. It was Hamlin’s fourth top-five finish at Richmond since winning the Federated Auto Parts 400 in late 2016 and eighth in nine races to open the 2021 season.
“Yeah, we should have won,” Hamlin said after the race. “Certainly the 48 (Bowman) wasn’t better than us all day. Just got to lead the last lap. You’ve got to figure out how to lead the last lap, that’s pretty much all that matters.”
Five months later, in the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders, it happened again; Hamlin finished second despite leading 197 laps, giving him 2,108 career laps led at Richmond, the most among active Cup Series drivers. And, again, Hamlin was frustrated at the finish. Not how he and his crew navigated the 0.75-mile short track.
In his 31st career Cup Series at Richmond, Hamlin is listed among the favorites in NASCAR odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook. He’s also facing Joey Logano in one of BetMGM’s featured matchups for the Toyota Owners 400 (odds as of Wednesday):
Denny Hamlin (-110) vs. Joey Logano (-110)
Logano, tied with Hamlin for the fourth-best race-winner odds (+1000), left Richmond last April with similar frustration; he finished third in the first two stages and was side-by-side with Hamlin at the late restart before finishing third.
In 25 career starts at Richmond, Logano ranks fifth among active drivers in wins (two), average finish (10.24) and top-10 finishes (15). And only Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. have a better driver rating than Logano (110.1) at the track since 2019.
The public is buying Hamlin in this head-to-head matchup; he has 97% of the tickets and 95% of the handle against Logano.
Tyler Reddick (-110) vs. Ross Chastain (-110)
Two of the track’s least-experienced drivers will command a lot of attention this weekend.
Tyler Reddick’s strong start to the season continued last Sunday in Austin, Texas, as he drove the BetMGM-sponsored No. 8 Chevy to eighth place, his third top-10 finish in the last four races. But his widely anticipated breakthrough win was swiped by Ross Chastain, whose first career NASCAR Cup Series victory came in his 121st start.
Reddick has a marginally higher ticket and handle share for race-winner betting – 3.8% of tickets and 4.8% of the handle to Chastain’s 3.3% and 2.8% – but Chastain is dominating the featured matchup betting. As of Wednesday, he has 92% of the tickets and 96% of the handle against Reddick.
Kyle Larson (-115) vs. Martin Truex Jr. (-105)
Richmond might be Hamlin’s hometown track, but it’s currently owned by Martin Truex Jr.
Truex has dominated the D-shaped, asphalt track recently, posting a driver rating of 128.3 while winning three of the last five races. He leads all drivers in average finish, top-five finishes, laps led and just about everything else at Richmond since 2019.
And the money is on Truex over Kyle Larson on Sunday; Truex has only 33% of the tickets but 78% of the handle in the head-to-head matchup.
Kyle Busch (-150) vs. Alex Bowman (+125)
Kyle Busch is a decade removed from the most dominant run Richmond has ever seen – four straight wins from 2009-12 – but just four years removed from his fifth win. And he’s sitting among the favorites this weekend, tied with Truex for second-best race-winner odds at +900.
To tie Richard Petty for most wins in this event, he must, at minimum, finish ahead of the defending victor, Bowman, whose 2021 victory came after years of struggles at the track.
With 13.5% of the race-winner handle at +1800 odds, Bowman is BetMGM’s biggest liability at Richmond. Larson (+900, up from +1000 at open) is the only other driver with a handle share (11.4%) north of 9%.
And Bowman is a popular pick against Busch in the featured matchup; he has 75% of tickets and 98% of the handle.
When Rajah Caruth makes his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in Saturday’s ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway, his blossoming racing career will have come full circle.
Richmond was the track where the Washington, D.C., native attended his first NASCAR race, an Xfinity Series event in 2014. A then-12-year-old Caruth decided that day he would make motorsports his life’s work.
In 2022, now 19, Caruth returns to the famed 0.75-mile oval as a competitor. He does so just a few years after driving a race car for the first time.
Caruth, the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award recipient as a result of his accomplishments last year in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, races full-time in the ARCA Menards Series for Rev Racing. His Xfinity Series debut arrives with Alpha Prime Racing, a new team founded earlier this year by NASCAR veterans Caesar Bacarella and Tommy Joe Martins. Caruth, their first driver signee, is slated for six Xfinity Series races in 2022.
Caruth’s remarkably rapid ascent to this level technically began in 2019, his first year competing in Legends Cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Development program. But Caruth’s journey can be tracked back to an earlier date, before real-life racing and even before the online simulation racing that put him on the motorsports map.
Below are the notable moments on Caruth’s racing timeline, and his recollection of each as explained to NASCAR.com.
Rajah Caruth poses for a portrait before the the Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire for the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 17, 2021. (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
Rajah Caruth’s racing timeline
2014: A 12-year-old Caruth attends a NASCAR race for the first time, the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 for what was then the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Richmond Raceway.
Rajah’s recollection: “I was a die-hard (NASCAR fan) before then, but I think that race, seeing everything, it emphasized it. As a kid, you don’t think about having to have a job. Sometimes you know what you want to do, but you don’t understand you’ve got to work. From day forward, it was like, ‘OK, this is what I want my life’s work to be.’ I still obviously wanted to be a race-car driver. But that day, it was like, ‘OK, this is my purpose.'”
2018: Caruth races professionally (online) for the first time in the eNASCAR Ignite Series; he finishes 20th in points.
Rajah’s recollection: “That summer, I had gotten on iRacing on June 11, on my 16th birthday. The Ignite Series started on the 18th. And those first two weeks I wasn’t that good, but I spent more and more time on it and got better and better. And actually, during that summer, I not only had my second-ever summer job, but I also had track practice three times a week. Work every day, track three times a week. When I wasn’t doing those things, I was on my rig. I say rig, but it was literally a wheel on the desk with my laptop.”
2019: Having signed with Rev Racing as the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development driver with a majority iRacing background, Caruth competes in a real race car for the first time; he finishes 13th racing Legends Cars in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Rajah’s recollection: “It was just hard. I didn’t know what to expect. I had only been on iRacing for one year. I was very inexperienced, so I had no clue what was going on. I was pretty hard on myself. I expected myself to go out and win, but realistically that wasn’t going to happen. It was hard, but things started clicking kind of a year later.”
Rajah Caruth (Adam Glanzman/NASCAR)
November 2019: Caruth is selected to race a Late Model in 2020 for Rev Racing in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
Rajah’s recollection: “I was actually going to my school’s girl’s soccer championship against our rival school. We were taking the Metro train to their campus to go and watch. I got the text that was like, ‘Hey, you got picked for a Late Model program.’ I was awestruck. In addition, that night, my parents took me out to dinner to tell me the news, as well. It was all kind of at once. It was awesome. So surreal, to be honest with you.”
Sept. 4. 2020: Caruth drives from eighth to second in the “Prelude To The Southern 500” 100-lap Late Model Stock car race at South Carolina’s Florence Motor Speedway, a moment he considers a turning point in his career.
Rajah’s recollection: “The night before, my teammate, Perry Patino, gave me this pep talk, like, ‘Man, you have what it takes.’ I was just like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ Didn’t give it any merit. Then I pass all my teammates and go and try to run down (leader) Sam Yarbrough, who had won the last race ever at Myrtle Beach the weekend before that. That race was an eye-opener for me, because I really questioned myself, and then I go and run pretty decently. It was surreal, because I was just like, ‘Wow, how did that just happen?’ And so there was that race when things started clicking. Later that summer, that’s when the racing stuff really started to kick in for me as a driver. From that point onward, I haven’t really sucked.”
Oct. 3, 2020: Caruth wins his first Late Model race, at South Carolina’s Greenville-Pickens Speedway as part of the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
Rajah’s recollection: “Honestly, I really wish I remembered more. I was so caught up in it, I didn’t really take a chance to sit and enjoy it. It was a very fun day — I remember that. But I don’t remember too much of it, to be honest with you.”
2021: Caruth runs full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing and places third in final standings on the strength of two top fives and five top 10s in eight starts. He also picks up a pair of NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series wins in a Late Model at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway, plus a victory at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, North Carolina.
Rajah’s recollection: “Last year was big. It helped me with confidence getting those Late Model wins — legit wins. Going to the ARCA stuff, I was hoping I would win one race, but to finish third a couple times and run up front, you can’t really asked for more. So to be honest it was just a big year, a big development year. I wanted to win an ARCA race so bad. But I understand you have to run up front to finish up front. It takes seat time and being able to adapt and comprehend. That was a big learning year.”
Oct. 2, 2021: Caruth finishes third in the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 for the ARCA Menards Series at Indiana’s Salem Speedway, his career high in the national touring series.
Rajah’s recollection: “That was a struggle in practice. I was last out of the competitive cars. It was miserable. I was like, ‘What am I doing?’ And my teammate (Nick Sanchez) goes out and qualifies third. I was like, ‘You’ve gotta be kidding me.’ I just felt terrible. But in the race, sure enough, I drive all the way up to third, almost got to second on (series champion) Ty (Gibbs), but then he cleared me off of four. I finished third, but at that moment, I was like, ‘I have what it takes.'”
2022: Caruth gets his opportunity to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with startup team Alpha Prime Racing.
Rajah’s recollection: “We’ve been working on this probably since last July. At that point, I was just looking for opportunities to race, because the ARCA races were so spread out, and everybody I was racing against were racing either Xfinity cars, Trucks, Super Late Models or Late Model Stocks. Or even Trans-Am stuff. And I was just kind of sitting for weeks. So the opportunity kind of presented itself. Brad Perez is the one who really started that relationship for real between (team co-owner) Tommy (Joe Martins) and me. We actually made a group text. Brad helped connect us, and it kind of went from there.”
The first road-course race for the Next Gen car delivered as drivers took to the Circuit of The Americas this weekend and battled it out all the way to the last lap. Ross Chastain prevailed after impacts with AJ Allmendinger and Alex Bowman in the closing laps.
Chastain was on his way to his first Cup Series win, so it was understandable he wanted to take the last few turns in a very careful manner. He might have been too careful as Allmendinger and Bowman were able to reach him in an overtime restart, tracked down by multiple Chevrolets that showed similar speed. But even though there was some light carnage, Chastain was able to make it through and get his car over the finish line and to a burnout.
As we discussed Saturday, the chassis and body of the Next Gen car are showing significant durability when it comes to beating and banging in a race, and the fact Chastain was able to bounce off another car and still charge across the finish line further drives that point home. Not only was that car able to finish the race and win, but it is already being converted back to oval spec and will race at Talladega Superspeedway, according to a recent report from Charlotte Observer journalist Alex Andrejev.
This all fits in line with the ease of conversion from oval to road-course spec and back, and the fact the Next Gen car does that change with nuts and bolts, where a previous-generation car may have required specialized cars for each type of track due to certain components being welded on.
Dylan Buell | Getty Images
Some competitors weren’t quite as fortunate when it came to their impacts in the race. Road-course specialist Andy Lally make an early exit after an impact to his No. 78 Ford from the No. 6 Ford piloted by Brad Keselowski. The impact to the rear of Lally’s Live Fast Motorsports entry caused a broken control arm that ultimately resulted in a retirement as that’s not a component that is easily replaceable on pit road.
The No. 78 Ford had to start at the rear of the field and complete a pass-through penalty at the beginning of the race due to three inspection failures, and Lally’s plan — as he shared with us on Twitter Spaces on Sunday morning — was to fight to keep the car on the lead lap while attempting to avoid damage riding at the back of the field until the end of the race. Unfortunately chaos ensued all down the line, and his day was finished quickly. Lally approached the race not only as an opportunity for him, but an opportunity to help a team like Live Fast as he stated he wanted to “try to collect as much data as possible, and since you know you’re not a full-time driver, you really aren’t that concerned about stage wins and stuff, and trying to get in there and possibly damage the car. But race finishes (are) probably going to be pretty significant, so I can see that that whole perspective of trying to to save things and find out what works.”
NASCAR Rule Book
Lally shared his post-race experience on Racing Spaces on Tuesday, stating those three inspection failures on the No. 78 were the result of a deck lid that was not in compliance with the measurements set out in the rulebook as checked by the Optical Scanning System (OSS). The composite decklid reportedly had a bow to it, which resulted in one portion of it being outside of the lines. Crew members worked to heat and reshape the decklid back to spec, but it took them multiple tries to get there and pass. While larger teams might have multiple options for decklids they can swap to quickly, up-and-coming teams such as Live Fast Motorsports may not be as fortunate and the decklid they were using was actually one that was formerly used on a test car by a larger Cup organization they made to work on their car.
While the Next Gen car brings a lot of parity to the field, failures like this will still be common for smaller teams that may not have resources, such as multiple versions of a body part or an in-house OSS to check various parts combinations. In this case, it was not a team chasing performance but merely one trying to make use of the parts they have available to them and being just outside of the tolerance. On the other hand, technical inspectors apply the rules equally to everyone, and parts such as the decklid receive close scrutiny because they are one of the components teams try to shift around slightly to find the best benefit from an aerodynamic perspective.
NASCAR Rule Book
While the Next Gen car has been extremely durable from a body and chassis perspective and teams have been able to reuse cars from multiple races, that broken control arm does highlight a pain point that has been echoed by many in the garage regarding some of the suspension components. According to sources in the Cup Series garage, seeing bent or broken control arms is an issue that has popped up for a few cars after contact during some of these races, and teams have shared their feedback regarding these components in search of improvements. While the control arms are not causing huge issues, the suspension components that have been the largest issue have been the rear toe links, which as we saw Sunday with the No. 22 of Joey Logano, are vulnerable to bend or break upon impact.
The design of components such as these toe links is often a balance of durability of the specific components versus potential damage to the rest of the car, so they are often designed for a certain strength in order to absorb impact without damaging bigger components that may be attached. Finding that balance is key, and in this case, it’s something that has been up for discussion between teams and NASCAR officials, according to reports from recent competition meeting notes.
While it may seem a lot has not changed, the Next Gen car has been under a continuous improvement process, and parts such as these are constantly evaluated so that improvements can be made. According to the latest version of the Engineering Change Log for the car, more than a dozen enhancements have been made since the start of the season, so it is likely different variants of toe links are currently being simulated and we might see some testing of that in the future.
NASCAR Rule Book
The front toe links on the car are a bit thicker than what we see in the rear, and according to reports from the garage, one of the sets that is currently being evaluated would have the rears matched in thickness to the front. Those front toe links are connected to the new rack-and-pinion steering, which saw its points-race debut at a road course this weekend and some of the biggest action that those components have seen.
Drivers seemed to be pleased with the crispness of the steering at COTA from the new system, but a few did run into trouble, with drivers such as Christopher Bell and Daniel Suarez losing power steering for portions of the race. Both drivers were able to finish the race but not in an optimal position. According to reports from the garage, most of the steering issues sounded like they were fairly minor and likely related to the stresses of a road course on the rack and likely can be resolved before the next road-course race with some adjustments in how the racks and their components are secured.
NASCAR Rule Book
While COTA was a tough test for these Next Gen cars, they continued to prove to be durable from an overall perspective and surely generated plenty of data for the industry to use to make improvements before the next road-course race and to make the car better overall. Changes such as that rack-and-pinion steering and the independent rear suspension really shined through at this circuit as the cars showed a lot of speed, but without losing their stock-car attitude — a huge part of what makes road-course racing in NASCAR so entertaining.
Check out the qualifying order for Saturday’s on-track action at Richmond Raceway (11:15 a.m. ET on FS1) before Sunday’s Toyota Owner’s 400 (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
On most ovals this season, teams will be split into two groups based on odd/even finishing order from the week’s previous race for one warmup/practice session per group. This week’s practice session will be 15 minutes.
That practice will lead directly into single-car, two-lap qualifying that is split up into two groups. The top five drivers from each group will then advance to the second round of qualifying to fight for the pole with another single-car, two-lap run.
