Rajah Caruth is heading to Daytona with a chance.
The Winston-Salem State University graduate delivered the best finish of his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career Saturday at Iowa Speedway, finishing second and keeping himself within striking distance of the playoff cut line with one race remaining in the regular season.
Caruth leaves Iowa 14th in the standings with 583 points. He is just 15 points behind Brent Crews, who currently occupies the 12th and final playoff position with 598 points. Taylor Gray sits between them in 13th with 597.
That sets up a dramatic regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 28.
And Caruth couldn’t have picked many tracks he’d rather have between himself and a playoff berth.
“I love plate racing and we’ve been in the mix for every one of them this year,” Caruth said after Saturday’s race. “Hoping that it works out for us this time.”
Rajah Caruth delivers when he needs it most
Caruth entered Iowa needing to make up ground, and his runner-up finish accomplished exactly that.
The result marked his second top-five and eighth top-10 finish through 23 races this season. More importantly, he gained six points relative to the playoff cutoff.
The afternoon wasn’t nearly as straightforward as the final result might suggest.
Caruth acknowledged afterward that he and his team spent much of the race searching for the right balance in the car. He also put some of the early struggles on himself, saying the way he drove the car affected its handling before he began figuring things out during the third stage.
Late cautions and restarts then created an opportunity.
Rather than forcing the issue, Caruth said he concentrated on making smart decisions and avoiding the mistakes that eliminated some of the cars around him.
“I just was, like I said, trying to do what made the most sense and lived to see the next corner,” Caruth said. “And it worked out for us in the result.”
That approach resulted in a career-best second-place finish — and kept his postseason hopes alive.
NASCAR playoff race comes down to Daytona
The math remains challenging, but certainly not impossible.
The battle surrounding the 12th-place cutoff now looks like this:
| Position | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | William Sawalich | 598 |
| 12 | Brent Crews | 598 |
| 13 | Taylor Gray | 597 |
| 14 | Rajah Caruth | 583 |
Caruth therefore has two drivers immediately ahead of him in the fight for the final playoff spot, while Sawalich is tied with Crews on points.
The equation can also change dramatically at Daytona. A victory would potentially provide Caruth with a much more direct path into the postseason, while stage points could become critical if the battle is decided on points.
Caruth understands the situation.
“It’s all about who doesn’t make mistakes,” he said after Iowa. “I felt like I’ve got most of those out of me.”
That could prove especially important at Daytona, where drafting, positioning and avoiding trouble can be as important as outright speed.
Daytona gives Caruth reason for optimism
There was noticeable confidence in Caruth’s comments when the conversation shifted toward Daytona.
“I’m excited to go race at Daytona,” he said, adding that he expects his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to be strong. “I can’t wait to get back to it in a couple weeks.”
Caruth has reason to embrace the challenge.
Superspeedway racing can produce dramatic swings in the standings, and Caruth believes he has consistently put himself in contention during those races this season.
Now he’ll arrive at Daytona coming off the strongest finish of his O’Reilly Series career.
WSSU graduate still chasing NASCAR postseason
For HBCU racing fans, the regular-season finale adds another chapter to Caruth’s unusual journey through motorsports.
Caruth graduated from Winston-Salem State University in 2025 while simultaneously building his professional racing career. His rise has made him one of the most visible HBCU graduates competing in American motorsports.
Now the 23-year-old enters one of the biggest races of his young career.
Second place at Iowa didn’t erase the deficit.
It did something more important.
It gave Rajah Caruth a legitimate opportunity to go to Daytona and race his way into the NASCAR playoffs.
Fifteen points.
One race.
And one of Caruth’s favorite styles of racing standing between him and the postseason.