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A rising stock car racing driver has just locked up a prestigious award. Rajah Caruth has been named the winner of the 2021 Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award, which goes to an outstanding minority or female driver in the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series.
NASCAR announced on Tuesday, December 14, that Caruth had won the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award. The sanctioning body cited his two wins at Hickory Motor Speedway, his six top fives and eight top 10s in 12 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series races, and his sportsmanship and community service as reasons for the win. According to the release, the recipient is selected by a committee as nominated by drivers, crew members, and track operators.
“It’s something I’ve hoped to earn, so to receive it is pretty awesome,” Caruth said about the award, per NASCAR Media. “It really motivates me to try harder; to be more focused on doing what I’m supposed to do away from the race track, especially in the offseason. It helps me to remind myself what I need to be doing in order to prepare for next year.”
Caruth Ran Multiple Series During the 2021 Season
While Caruth had a later start to his racing career, one that began with video games and iRacing, he has made major strides in recent years. He joined Rev Racing, a developmental program that prepares drivers and pit crew members for careers in NASCAR, and he raced Legends cars in 2019 as part of the Bojangles Summer Shootout.
Caruth continued expanding his schedule in 2020 with the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, which included a win at Greenville Pickens Speedway. He also continued competing in the Bojangles Summer Shootout.
The rising driver further expanded his schedule in 2021 with 12 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series starts, as well as eight in the ARCA Menards Series East. He finished seven of the eight races and posted five top-10 finishes and two top-fives. His best runs took place at Pensacola and Kenly where he finished fourth and third, respectively for Max Siegel’s Rev Racing team. Caruth ended the season third in points and set up a bigger schedule in 2022.
Caruth Will Continue To Take On More Challenges in 2022
With his first ARCA Menards Series East season behind him, the 19-year-old will now take on even bigger challenges in 2022. Caruth will run full-time in the ARCA Menards Series and will compete with fellow Drive for Diversity member Nick Sanchez, GMS Racing’s Daniel Dye, and several other big names.
Caruth will also make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut during the 2022 season. He will run a limited number of races for Alpha Prime Racing, a team co-owned by Tommy Joe Martins and Caesar Bacarella. The team hasn’t confirmed Caruth’s full schedule, but Alpha Prime Racing revealed that he will kick off his schedule with races at Martinsville Speedway, Dover International Speedway, and Richmond Raceway.
The partial Xfinity Series schedule will only set the stage for future production. Caruth will run the full ARCA Menards Series season in 2022 but then he will make the leap to full-time Xfinity Series racing in 2023. He will pursue strong finishes, wins, and a spot in the playoffs.
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