Friday night in Nashville was a tale of two races for Rajah Caruth. The Winston-Salem State student and professional race car driver was leading the pack in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series when a mechanical issue ruined his night.
It wasn’t just leading a lap that hurt, it was the first career lap led in the Truck Series.
“Took the lead then had a fuel pickup issue. A lot of positives to take from last night. 3 races left to make the playoffs,” Caruth posted to his Twitter account.
Fans of Caruth chimed in on social media to show their support for his continued improvement.
A Twitter user with the handle @PTH_Vol wrote:
“Every time I say I’m not letting sports play with my emotions, something like yesterday happens. Felt like someone punched me in the chest when I saw that truck slowing down. Good to see the speed from Kansas and Darlington is showing up everywhere.”
Twitter user Nick Gatlin had this to say:
“Was clapping when you got the lead for that lap against Sanchez. Great job.”
Playoff race tightening up
Caruth had a fuel pickup issue that relegated him to his 32nd place finish on Friday night, 31 laps down to the leader at the end of the night.
Three races remain for the month of July with an opportunity to make the playoffs. The postseason for the truck series is a seven race dash to the championship that begins with ten eligible drivers. For Caruth to be eligible for the postseason he would need to win one of the next three races. Caruth is currently 16th in the driver standings, 123 points out of first place.
He’s shown he has the speed to get his truck up to the front, now he just needs a little luck to go along with it.
For more stories on Rajah Caruth, follow our coverage of his racing career here.