Spire Motorsports has announced that Rajah Caruth will be driving its No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on a full-time basis in 2024. The team’s crew chief for Caruth in 2023, Chad Walter, will continue in the same role.
HendrickCars.com will serve as the primary sponsor for 10 races, starting with the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in the Fresh From Florida 250 (Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Rajah Caruth expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, stating, “I’m usually a pretty stoic guy, emotionally, but it’s hard not to tear up a little bit thinking about this opportunity. There was a lot of uncertainty over the winter in almost every sense of the word. I just feel really blessed to be able to drive for Spire Motorsports and to be able to have Chad come with me. I’m flattered to have the support of HendrickCars.com and, of course, Mr. H (Rick Hendrick) 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. I’m ready to get back to work and continue what we’ve done over the last few months. Huge thanks to Spire, Chevrolet, General Motors and everyone who supports me and my family for making this happen. I can’t wait for Daytona. Hopefully, I can make everybody proud.”
Caruth, 21, made his full-time Truck debut in 2023, driving the No. 24 Chevy for GMS Racing, where he achieved four top-10 finishes and finished 16th in the final driver standings. He also raced part-time in the Xfinity Series in 2022 and 2023, tying his career-best result in that circuit (12th) at Martinsville Speedway last October. Caruth, the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award recipient and an alumnus of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, is currently a senior at Winston-Salem State University.
Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson commented on the announcement, saying, “Rajah Caruth is an exceptional young man. He’s a very talented driver with a bright future. He’s obviously young in his career but he’s mature beyond his years. You hear people talk about an ‘it’ factor and when you talk to him and get to know him, it’s pretty o
