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As reported by Chris Knight on Twitter, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Rajah Caruth, has recently told FS1 that he will be a free agent heading into the 2024 season, meaning his stint with GMS Racing might be coming to a end. While nothing has been made official, there are bound to be many changes at GMS Racing considering their tight alliance with the Cup Series’ Legacy Motor Club, including their star pupil in the No. 24 Chevy Silverado. With all of these (unofficial) changes in mind, let’s take a look at some of the most likely landing spots for Rajah Caruth in 2024.
Before we continue, let’s break down Caruth’s career stats up to this point to maximize transparency. In 11 Truck Series starts so far in 2023, Rajah Caruth has scored only one top-10. This came at Darlington a couple of weeks ago with a sixth-place finish. He has finished in the Top-15 on three other occasions, most recently with an 11th place finish this weekend at Charlotte.
He has been showing speed and, when dealt the right circumstances, has shown that he can really thrive in the lower ranks of NASCAR. Now, with all of that in mind, where will he go from here? Let’s talk about it.
We’re going to do our best to stay in the Chevrolet racing family with this article, mostly because the primary reason he is (most likely) out of a ride at GMS isn’t because of a lack of talent or ability but because his team is probably going to be switching to Toyota next season.
With Caruth being a Chevrolet signed driver, it puts him in the same set of circumstances Hailie Deegan found herself in last year with DGR-turned Tricon Garage. Chevrolet will most likely want to keep Caruth in house and what better way that by pairing the young driver with a team he already competed with in the ARCA Menards Series, Rev Racing? From 2021 through 2022, Caruth raced for Rev Racing in the fourth-tier ARCA Series driving their No. 6 Chevy with then-teammate and now current driver for Rev Racing, Nick Sanchez.
The move would make perfect sense, possibly in a No. 6 Silverado as an expansion to the team’s current No. 2 truck. With Rev, Caruth saw a total of 7 top-5 finishes in the 2022 ARCA season and a third place points finish.
Rev seems to be the most logical landing sport for Caruth in 2024 and this fan, Sammyboil1/, agrees.
From one new Chevy team to a long tenured Truck Series program (but a new Chevy team), Kyle Busch Motorsports could be a major contender in the Rajah Caruth bidding war! The team has an established close working relationship with the aforementioned Rev Racing so, if that team felt like they’re not ready to expand, KBM could be the next best option…maybe even the best option.
Think about it: the team has been a three-truck team before. I see Jack Wood returning to the No. 4 next season and of course Kyle is going to keep the No. 51 around for himself, other Cup drivers, and, in the future, Brexton. With Kyle being one of NASCAR’s more popular and better paid drivers, as long as the right sponsorship works out, Busch could bring back the No. 46 entry and run Caruth in it full-time. Or, if he really wanted to do something cool, he could put Caruth out there in a Alsco black and green No. 8 truck.
HJC is picking up what I’m laying down. These are obviously to two most logical landing spots for Caruth heading into the ’24 season.
Meanwhile, Cole Cavins says something very interesting here: If he stays in Trucks, KBM would be the most ideal place to go…but what if he doesn’t stay in the truck series…hmm…
With the recent (yet unofficial) news that Josh Berry, driver of the No. 8 Bass Pro Shops Chevy for JRM in 2023, has signed with KHI and is finalizing a deal to drive the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing to be Kevin Harvick’s replacement, that completely opens up his Xfinity Series ride.
Caruth has made a handful of starts for Alpha Prime Racing in the Xfinity Series in both 2022 and 2023 and he has performed modestly. While he hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire, he has run well considering his equipment. So, a promotion to the Xfinity Series isn’t completely out of the question. To make things even more interesting, his teammate at Alpha Prime is none other than driver of the No. 44, Jeffery Earnhardt.
While it has been revealed recently that Jeff and Dale rarely talk much (to Dale’s disappointment) it is possible that he put in some kind words to his uncle and get the conversations between the Caruth party and JRM rolling. It really all comes down to sponsorship and Caruth seems to be marketable enough to really make something happen.
Briscoe’sHypeMan on Twitter suggested the same thing.
This one is a little less likely but not completely too bonkers to consider. Kaulig racing has a history of fielding part-time entries for drivers and if Caruth signs with Rev Racing or KBM, he could totally end up making a handful of starts in the Xfinity Series for the team. Kyle Busch has a working relationship with all three parties so having him on Caruth’s side could do him many favors.
NASCAR fan JRM_37300 advocates for Caruth to get a shot in the team’s No. 11 car, replacing Daniel Hemric.
What do you think, Daily Downforce readers? Is Caruth ready for a top Xfinity Series ride or should he remain in the Truck Series to further develop his skills? And where should he end up next year? Let us know and follow us on all of our socials for the latest in NASCAR News.
