NASCAR Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth celebrates winning the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Friday, May 30, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

HBCU Alum's Historic Win Secures Spot In NASCAR Truck Series Playoffs

Originally posted on HBCUs on SI | By Kyle Mosley | Last updated Jun 1, 2025 2:46 AM ET

Rajah Caruth leaned against his No. 71 car while sipping from his cup to stay hydrated before heading to Victory Lane.

After securing his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory of the season at the 2025 Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on May 30, he embraced his family, girlfriend, and pit crew tightly.

The Winston-Salem State alum finished leading the final 51 laps 0.518 seconds ahead of Corey Heim and 0.629 seconds leading Layne Riggs, according to NASCAR.

"I didn't expect that at all," Caruth told Fox Sports pit road reporter Josh Sims. "Those guys were breathing out my neck the whole run. My pit crew won that race," crediting his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team.

Caruth faced intense competition from Corey Heim and Layne Riggs but ultimately celebrated his second victory in the Truck Series when the checkered flag was waved.

"I just was asking myself, how bad do you want it? I don't know. I just try my best, and we had clean air. And their stuff was better, but I just did my best. That was it."

The victory ended a 31-race winless streak and secured a playoff spot for Caruth and the No. 71 car of the Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado team. His next race will be on Sunday in the Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs.

The top twenty results from the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race were as follows:

Rajah Caruth, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Corey Heim, No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota
Layne Riggs, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Daniel Hemric, No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
Corey Day, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kaden Honeycutt, No. 45 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
Chandler Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ty Majeski, No. 98 Thorsport Racing Ford
Bayley Currey, No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet
Grant Enfinger, No. 9 CR7 Motorsports Chevrolet
Dawson Sutton, No. 26 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet
Jake Garcia, No. 13 Thorsport Racing Ford
Giovanni Ruggiero, No. 17 TRICON Garage Toyota
Ben Rhodes, No. 99 Thorsport Racing Ford
Kyle Busch, No. 07 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Tanner Gray, No. 15 TRICON Garage Toyota
Tyler Ankrum, No. 18 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet
Luke Fenhaus, No. 66 Thorsport Racing Ford
Andres Perez De Lara, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Jack Wood, No. 91 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Chevrolet

Rajah Caruth is ranked No. 10 in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series standings. He has one victory in twelve starts and has led 186 laps, resulting in seven top-ten finishes, which earned him five playoff points. Corey Heim currently leads all drivers with 29 playoff points.