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The Big One 2 Collects Caruth, DiBenedetto, Others

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 17: Daniel Dye, driver of the #43 Giuseppe's Steel City Pizza Chevrolet, Rajah Caruth, driver of the #24 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet, and Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet, spins after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17, 2023 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Cody Williams

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Royal T Grafix

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Very Loose Conditions Trigger A Second Big One To Close Out Stage 2

What’s Happening?

To close out the second stage of the NextEra Energy 250 a second big one took out another sentimental favorite in Rajah Caruth and fan favorite Matt DiBenedetto. Caruth, in the number 24 truck, seemingly got loose coming out of turn three, thus collecting Matt DiBenedetto and Daniel Dye.

You Need To Know:

  • Rajah Caruth is a young rookie driver competing in his first full-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Season. He competed in one previous race at Daytona in the ARCA season opener of 2022.
  • Drivers have been complaining about loose conditions all night and it certainly seems like Caruth just got loose, thus triggering a multi-car pileup.
  • Fans seem to like Caruth and have a lot of faith in his abilities despite his misfortunes here tonight.

The Main Characters

Rajah Caruth (#25) made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Daytona tonight in the number 24 truck owned by GMS Racing. Caruth has only made one start at Daytona before in the ARCA Menards Series. Here, speaking to Matt Weaver, he explains why he went three-wide:

After the wreck, Caruth came over the radio and said:

“I’m sorry guys, that one was on me.”

Daniel Dye (No. 43) explains the crash from his perspective:

Matt DiBenedetto has elected to stay in the race and repair the truck. He is certainly still in this thing.

In The Stands

Caruth clearly has some fan support, including Dave Varnell, who understands that he’s going through a learning curve.

Other fans, however, are not so forgiving of the youngster, such as jctool11.

Everyone involved in the crash were able to walk away safely or are still competing. Caruth is a young driver and is bound to make some mistakes in his young driving career. The only thing to do now is watch his progression through the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season.

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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA - APRIL 06: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on April 06, 2025 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Lionel Racing Reveals First Wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics Diecast

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Lionel Racing finally confirmed the first wave of 2026 NASCAR Authentics 1:64 scale diecast for Monday morning, with the line of retail-exclusive diecast featuring a new look for the new year.

  • This line will include six throwback paint schemes from NASCAR’s 2025 throwback weekend at Darlington Raceway. Though they did not release one in 2025, this move restarts an annual tradition of Lionel releasing at least one wave of cars carrying the colors of that prior season’s throwback designs.
  • Included in this wave of cars are Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, William Byron, and Sammy Smith. Alongside these paint schemes’ debuts in the Authentics line is a new design for the packaging of the 2026 line of NASCAR Authentics.
  • Last season was somewhat turbulent for Lionel as, alongside issues with tariffs, the brand only released three waves of NASCAR Autentics, one wave of NASCAR Autentics Winners Circle diecast, and two waves of Haulers.
  • Lionel announcing the first wave of 2026 early on in the new year is perhaps a sign that 2026 could return this line to its regular release schedule. The post from Lionel Racing also confirmed that the brand will announce another wave by the end of the week, further hinting at a recommitment to the Authentics line.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

SPARTA, KY - JUNE 26: Chase Pistone, driver of the #9 NTS Motorsports Chevrolet, talks with his crew during practice for the NASCAR Camping World Series UNOH 225 at Kentucky Speedway on June 26, 2014 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Chase Pistone, NASCAR Trucks and Nationwide Series Driver, Passes Away

by Kauy Ostlien

What’s Happening?

Chase Pistone, a former competitor on the short track racing circuit in addition to NASCAR’s National Series, has passed away. Pistone, now a successful Legends Car owner, was 42.

  • Chase’s brothers Nick and Tom Pistone confirmed the North Carolina natives’ passing to LegendsNation.com. The cause of Pistone’s passing is unknown. The family asked that media share the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number, which is 988.
  • Pistone, the grandson of NASCAR legend “Tiger” Tom Pistone, made his way to NASCAR after competing on short tracks in Legends cars and Late Models. He would make his jump to NASCAR via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2005, racing for Green Light Racing at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Pistone would continue his NASCAR pursuits in 2006, racing in ARCA and the NASCAR Busch Series. Unfortunately, these two starts, at Martinsville with the Busch Series and Iowa with ARCA, would be his last for nearly a decade.
  • Pistone returned to NASCAR in 2014, racing in a combined eight NASCAR Camping World Truck and Nationwide Series races. During this season, his final in NASCAR, the then 30-year-old scored his best National Series finish, ninth place in the Truck Series annual trip to Gateway.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

8 Takeaways From NASCAR At COTA

by Bryan Aguiar

Three races in, the 2026 season is finally starting to show its hand. COTA shifted narratives, exposed weaknesses, and raised new questions about contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

  • Has Shane van Gisbergen officially been proven mortal after getting outraced late at Circuit of the Americas?
  • Is 19-year-old Connor Zilisch already ahead of schedule after slicing through the field multiple times?
  • With three straight wins, is Tyler Reddick basically a lock for the postseason this early?
  • And how concerned should the 48 team be after a rough weekend for Alex Bowman?

From substitute drivers being forced into action to points gaps growing faster than expected, COTA delivered more than just a road course chess match. There were momentum swings, reputation hits, and at least one young driver stacking up enemies before stacking up results.

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