DAYTONA, FL — Rajah Caruth has been steadily improving his truck driving skills. Now racing full time in the No.24 Wendell Scott Foundation Car, the Winston-Salem State student posted the fastest lap time of 47.760 in the practice round in preparation for NASCAR Crafstman Truck Series race to be held on Friday, Feb. 17th.
Rajah Caruth looked comfortable in the No.24 car. When he began in the truck series, he had issues with fishtailing as the dynamics of trucks were different than stock cars. Looking like a veteran, Caruth circled the two-and-a-half mile track looking like a seasoned veteran. There were a couple of red flags which caused cruising during the race, but fortunately for the Scott Team, he was not involved in any of the mishaps.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race at the Daytona International Speedway will have the qualifying round at 12:00 Noon on Friday, with the actual race taking place Friday evening at 7:00 PM.
Beaming with pride after Caruth’s practice run was his team. In the garage area, they were confident that Caruth was in position to have a great race. Warrick Scott, grandson of Wendell Scott, the namesake of Caruth’s Racing Team was pleased with how the crew and resources have come together for the young driver.
‘My grandfather raced at Bowman-Gray Stadium as early as the 4-‘s,” Scott said. “He had his sons there at the racetrack when they were eight…nine years old. For Winston-Salem State to absorb Bowman Gray and put it into their educational curriculum, my family went to Winston-Salem State to help them establish the motorsports program,” he said.
WSSU and Virginia State are huge supporters of Caruth. Currently enrolled at WSSU, Caruth is pursuing his degree. VSU has supported Caruth from the onset. The benefits of another HBCU putting financial support behind Caruth’s journey is unprecedented.
Scott added that the Wendell Scott Foundation Team is operating at the same level as the other truck racing teams. “We’ve got Chevrolet and Microsoft aboard our team,” Scott said. “nothing about our operation is second rate. Unfortunately, the media often pushes myths about black race teams using second hand or outdated parts and stuff, but we rebuke those misconceptions,” he concluded.
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