Billionaire Rick Hendrick continues backing Rajah Caruth as Spire Motorsports confirms his return to No. 71 truck

NASCAR Truck Series racer Rajah Caruth is set to return to the grid in the 2025 season. Rick Hendrick-backed Spire Motorsports recently confirmed the seat of the Washington DC-based driver in the #71 Chevrolet Silverado race car for the upcoming season.

Caruth began his racing career with late models. After gaining experience in the lower divisions, the 22-year-old progressed to the ARCA Menards series. Along with ARCA, he also debuted in the Truck and Xfinity Series, albiet as a part-time driver. Witnessing Caruth's racecraft, the young driver was offered a full-time role by Spire Motorsports for the 2024 Truck Series season.

The youngster became the third African American driver to win in a national series after he won the Victoria's Voice Foundation 200 race at Las Vegas in March. Rajah Caruth's seventh-place finish in the 2024 season has resulted in Spire Motorsports extending his contract till the end of the 2025 season.

The Hendrick-backed team disclosed the news through a press release. Jeff Dickerson, co-owner of Spire Motorsports said in the same (via NASCAR):

"I’m thrilled to confirm that Rajah Caruth will be back with us in 2025 driving the No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado. He took the incredibly high expectations we placed on him to start the year and exceeded them in every way. 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,” he added.

Apart from Dickerson, Rick Hendrick (who is worth $1 Billion as per Celebrity Net Worth) also praised the youngster.

"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," he quoted.

Caruth also won the 2024 Most Popular Award in the Craftsman Truck Series and thanked fans for nominating him.

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"We’re excited about Rajah’s success on and off the track" - NASCAR’s Brandon Thompson on Rajah Caruth's graduation and first NASCAR win

Rajah Caruth during the NASCAR Awards and Champion Celebration at the Charlotte Convention Center - Source: Getty

Apart from winning his first NASCAR race, Rajah Caruth lately completed his graduation in motorsports management at Winston-Salem State University. In a recent press release, Brandon Thompson, NASCAR’s vice president of diversity and inclusion, praised the young driver.

"We’re excited about Rajah’s success on and off the track. Winning a NASCAR race and receiving your degree in the same year is impressive. Rajah sets a great example for what’s possible. We’re excited to continue seeing him grow and add to the fabric of NASCAR," Thompson quoted.

Caruth began his journey with WSSU in 2020. Despite being engaged in a full-time racing career with ARCA Menards and NASCAR, the Washington DC-born racer also fulfilled his commitment as a full-time student at the prestigious North Carolina-based university.