CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If Rajah Caruth hopes to contend for a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship, he’ll have to raise his performance to new heights.
Fortunately, the 24-year-old driver from Washington, D.C., will have the best possible equipment at his disposal for the entirety of the Chase, which opens Saturday with the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Raceway.
During the first 24 races of the season, Caruth split time between the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet and the more potent No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. For the Chase, he’ll be in the No. 88 full time, with crew chief Mardy Lindley on his pit box.
In a dramatic race last Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Caruth earned the final spot in the Chase, despite a spin from second place in the closing laps. He’ll start the postseason 80 points behind his top-seeded JR Motorsports teammate, Justin Allgaier.
On the way to the Chase, Caruth has taken a valuable lesson to heart—not to throw away points trying to get more out of a car than it’s capable of achieving.
“I’m ready to rip,” Caruth said on Wednesday during Chase Media Day interviews at the Charlotte Convention Center. “The great thing about when I was going back and forth between the 32 and JRM this year is that I was still doing sim (simulation) for the 88, so I had an understanding of what they were going to the race track with.
“With that said, it’s not a huge shock going to these (Chase) tracks for the first time in the 88, because I had that time with them early in the year.”
Caruth also pointed out that the No. 88 Chevrolet, which featured multiple drivers behind the wheel, is third in the owners’ standings with a shot at that championship. On both the owners’ and drivers’ side, Caruth thinks it’s imperative not to throw away positions and points trying to overachieve.
“The valleys are way more hurtful than they were in previous years (under the elimination format),” Caruth said. “It’s going to be important, if you’re having a seventh-place day, to not make it a 12th- or 15th- or 20th-place day—and also not throwing away a second or third trying to get a win and ending up outside the top 10.
“I really feel good about our chances. Not only will our cars be fast, but I’m confident in myself and the lessons I’ve learned earlier this year, and (I’m) ready to put it all to the test.”
