“Biggest thing has been keeping the same energy”: Rajah Caruth explains his approach to races in rookie season

Full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver and part-time Xfinity Series wheelman Rajah Caruth is one driver who has earned his place in stock car racing via peculiar means. With his only experience in racing being in the simulated world of iRacing, the Atlanta, Georgia native belongs to a family far from racing origins.

Switching his mindset from that of a simulated world to that of real life, Rajah Caruth made his debut in both NASCAR nationwide series in 2022. As a 21-year-old aspiring driver, Caruth has been on a steep learning curve ever since his entry into the sport.

Competing in his first full-time season in the third-tier nationwide series in 2023, the GMS Racing driver could not kick off his career in the best way possible.

Crashing out of the season opener earlier this year at Daytona International Speedway, Caruth finished in P29. However, showing flashes of brilliance throughout the season ever since, the Washington DC High School senior recently elaborated on how he was aiming to keep his motivation high. In an interview with frontstretch.com, he said:

"I think the biggest thing is keep the same energy. There's been really high moments this year and then there's been low moments for various reasons, so the biggest thing is keeping the same energy. Personally, I put a lot of things on my shoulders and I probably shouldn't do that a lot of the times, but the biggest thing that has helped me this year is just trying to keep the same intensity and the same concentration."

Rajah Caruth's best finish in the 2023 season came at Darlington Raceway earlier this year when the #24 Chevrolet Silverado driver finished in P6.

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Rajah Caruth recalls how he realized he wanted to be a racecar driver

Being a young adult in the world of NASCAR, Rajah Caruth's inspiration to get behind the wheel in a competitive environment came from a rather unique source. Unlike older drivers who have been around or belong to families involved in racing, Caruth made the decision to become a racecar driver after watching a Pixar animated film.

The movie in question is none other than the famous 'CARS' franchise that sparked the now GMS Racing driver's interest in the sport. He elaborated on the same to usatoday.com and said:

“Racing was always it for me. Everything just seemed so infectious, from that point forward, it was like, I want to be a race car driver.”