Just nine days out from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series opener at Daytona, Spire Motorsports announced Rajah Caruth as the full-time driver of its No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado. 

The 21-year-old is back for a second season in trucks after placing 16th in his rookie campaign with the now-defunct GMS Racing. Caruth will be running with support from HendrickCars.com which will serve as his primary sponsor in 10 races this season. His Crew Chief from GMS Chad Walter will follow him over to Spire and keep his role.

“I’m usually a pretty stoic guy, emotionally, but it’s hard not to tear up a little bit thinking about this opportunity,” Caruth said in Spire’s press release. “There was a lot of uncertainty over the winter in almost every sense of the word. I just feel really blessed to be able to drive for Spire Motorsports and to have Chad (Walter) come with me. I’m flattered to have the support of HendrickCars.com and, of course, Mr. H and the whole Hendrick family. It’s a dream to come here and to have a full season, and to have a place where I can grow is pretty special.”

In 2023, Caruth had 12 top-15 finishes and ended all but three races running. His three DNFs came during the first half of the season, and he ended on a run with nine straight top-20 finishes. He had four top-10s at some of the toughest ovals on the schedule; Darlington, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Bristol, and Homestead.

He’s received select starts in the Xfinity Series with Alpha Prime Racing, and he ran in the 2023 Xfinity season finale at Phoenix with Hendrick Motorsports. In 19 races, he has had eight top-20 finishes and has put together some of Alpha Prime’s strongest races.

Caruth has had promising results early on in his career, and it feels like he could be on the verge of his first National Series win.

“We’ve talked about seminal moments for Spire Motorsports in the past, and I think this is another one of those moments,” Spire Motorsports co-owner Jeff Dickerson said. “Rajah Caruth is an exceptional young man. He’s a very talented driver with a bright future. He’s obviously young in his career, but he’s mature beyond his years. You hear people talk about an ‘it’ factor, and when you talk to him and get to know him, it’s pretty obvious he has ‘it’. We’re exceptionally fortunate to be able to bring Rajah into the mix and pair him with Chad Walter. Those guys worked together last season, so to be able to keep them together should go a long way in terms of chemistry and being competitive.”

This is Spire’s first season operating its truck program with full-time drivers. The team expanded in the offseason by purchasing Kyle Busch Motorsports’ assets. Last year, Spire raced the No. 7 as a part-time All-Star truck and collected two wins. Cup Series driver William Byron earned the win at Martinsville, and his Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson won the North Wilkesboro event.

Caruth will be joined by former KBM driver Chase Purdy as his teammate this season. Purdy will drive the No. 77 entry and is coming off an 11th-place season, the best finish of his truck career. Both drivers will be looking for their first career truck wins with a revamped Spire truck program this upcoming season.

The 2024 Craftsman Truck Series opens at Daytona on Friday, Feb. 16th, with the Fresh from Florida 250 at 7:30p.m. ET. Qualifying is set for 3:00p.m. ET the same day.

Graphic via Spire Motorsports