For 32 races, Rajah Caruth’s trips to Victory Lane have been about as common as an honest weatherman in Florida. But that changed under the lights at Nashville Superspeedway Friday night, where the Spire Motorsports driver finally remembered how to win — and did it in style.
Wheeling the No. 71 Chevrolet like he stole it, Caruth held off a last-lap charge from Tricon Garage’s Corey Heim, and just for good measure, kept Layne Riggs from joining the party too. The win marks Caruth’s second career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory, and his first since Las Vegas in March of 2024 — a span that included more frustration than a vending machine that eats your dollar.
“It feels amazing, man,” Caruth said post-race, still catching his breath and sounding like someone who’d just wrestled a grizzly bear. “I’ve just got to thank everybody on this team. We’ve been digging hard all season, and to finally put it all together here at Nashville means the world.”
Heim, who looked ready to pounce in the final five laps, came up just short.
“I was doing everything I could without wrecking us both,” Heim said. “It’s frustrating, sure, but Rajah earned it tonight. That was a hell of a drive.”
Riggs, who must’ve felt like he was watching a great bar fight from just out of arm’s reach, took third, followed by a steady Daniel Hemric in fourth and a surprisingly composed Corey Day in fifth. The rest of the top ten was a who’s-who of Truck Series chaos specialists: Kaden Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Ty Majeski, Bayley Currey, and Grant Enfinger.
While the racing up front was hot enough to melt asphalt, it was Caruth’s night through and through. After weeks of questions, doubters, and more than a few snide comments on social media, the 22-year-old answered back with a performance that was all throttle and zero apologies.
Next up, the trucks head north to Michigan International Speedway for the DQS Solutions & Staffing 250 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics — a race title clearly created by a keyboard smash. But at least we’ll get another round of fender-banging fun and probably some fresh drama.
Until then, cue the guitars — Nashville just gave us a show.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.