Not since William Byron had Hendrick Motorsports ‘shepherded’ a young NASCAR driver. But Rajah Caruth might just be the next young driver Rick Hendrick’s team is putting their money on. But what is it that HMS saw in Caruth? This is what Jeff Gordon recently revealed.
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Speaking ahead of the Truck Series race at Daytona, Gordon opened up on how Hendrick’s association with Caruth came to be. “We knew there was an opportunity at the end of last year to put him in a car. It was kind of collaboration between Chevrolet … it was really Rick (Hendrick), Rajah’s dad, and Chevrolet who sort of had the initial conversation,” he revealed.
“But what’s evolved since then is how impressed we are with him.”
The 4x Cup champion described how Caruth is the kind of person who is “well-spoken” and “very driven” about his goals, something that has left a mark on Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon. “When you see that in a young driver, that’s what you’re looking for,” Gordon continued.
“It’s a great opportunity to do something more with him this year.”
Rajah Caruth qualified 20th for tonight’s Truck Series race. Yesterday I asked Jeff Gordon a bit about why Hendrick Motorsports has gotten involved in Caruth’s young career by both sponsoring him and putting him in their Xfinity car. pic.twitter.com/mUFyd7dro9
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) February 16, 2024
Rajah Caruth was pretty emotional after the Spire opportunity came together
It’s only obvious that when his full-time Spire Truck deal came together, Rajah Caruth was overtaken by emotions. He said in the press release, “I’m usually a pretty stoic guy, emotionally, but it’s hard not to tear up a little bit thinking about this opportunity.”
Caruth revealed how the last winter was filled with “a lot of uncertainty” but now that he has his seat, he feels “really blessed”.
“I’m flattered to have the support of HendrickCars.com and, of course, Mr. H and the whole Hendrick family. It’s a dream to be here and to have a full season and to have a place where I can grow is pretty special,” he described.
The young Truck Series driver insisted that he was ready to get to work and “make everybody proud,” which he must’ve done considering he finished in 2nd place in the Truck race at Daytona on Friday night.
