December 6, 2022 | By Lee Spencer

Rajah Caruth joins GMS Racing for full-time truck series opportunity

CONCORD, N.C.—Rajah Caruth will join GMS Racing for a full-time opportunity in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2023.

After finishing third in the ARCA Menards Series and limited starts in both the NASCAR trucks and Xfinity tours, the 20-year-old racer from Washington D.C., will pilot the No. 24 Chevrolet.

Caruth will be supported by the Wendell Scott Foundation in his campaign for 2023 rookie honors. He received the Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award in 2021.

"I am extremely honored, and really excited to join GMS Racing and be in the fold of a professional race team with so much history,” Caruth said. “I've been waiting for an opportunity like this throughout my whole career, and I'm going to do the best in my power to make the most of it.

“First and foremost, I can't thank everybody at GMS enough for believing in me and believing that I have what it takes to drive one of their trucks. Same goes for everybody at Chevrolet for their support, we truly wouldn't be able to make this happen without them. Specifically, I wanted to thank the Steward and Scott families as well, for their belief in my family and I, not just academically, but they have played a huge role in my career as well.”

In his first full season on the ARCA tour, Caruth scored eight top fives and 14 top 10s in 20 starts. His best result was second at Kansas Speedway in May with the Rev Racing team. Caruth had a solid finish of 11th at World Wide Technology Raceway in the truck series debut in June. In seven Xfinity Series starts, Caruth’s top finish was 12th at Martinsville in October.

"We are truly excited to welcome Rajah to our team next year,” said GMS Racing president Mike Beam. “I've studied up on him ever since I saw him racing in ARCA, but I know that he's been on the radar for many people in the industry for quite some time now. It was fun to watch him and Daniel (Dye) fight for the championship last year, and I think having both of them make the jump up to the Truck Series will be a benefit, because they will both be able to learn together.

“Rajah's a sharp kid. I've seen his work ethic and attention to detail he brings to the racetrack, and I can tell that he's hungry. He just started driving a few years ago, so to see how far he's been able to grow in such a short amount of time has been pretty remarkable. He's built himself a good name in the garage area and is someone that people like to be around, so he'll be able to soak up some mentorship lessons from experienced drivers, which should go a long way. I'm excited for him."

Chad Walter will serve as crew chief for Caruth's maiden voyage with GMS.