NASCAR’s brand-new documentary series, ‘Rising’, shows the true essence of the 2025 season. The year stood out in terms of young speedsters who were the class of the field, who were truly ‘rising’ above their rivals. One of them was indubitably Rajah Caruth, who shone brilliantly in his sophomore Craftsman Truck Series year. And the luster of his craft and personality dazzled fans for the second year in a row.

Over 2025, Rajah Caruth wheeled the No. 71 Truck to several remarkable results. He clinched one victory at Nashville Superspeedway, 5 top fives, and 13 top tens. So before he moves on to his much-deserved upgraded future, he pauses to thank all his wonderful fans.

Rajah Caruth tips his hat to his well-wishers

Earlier this month, the National Motorsports Press Association rolled out its 2025 Most Popular Driver Awards. And Rajah Caruth clinched the honor on the Trucks level for the second time in a row. And just ahead of Thanksgiving, Caruth hailed all his fans. “I’m making this quick video just to say thank you, everybody, for voting me for most popular driver. Obviously, we had a lot of support this year across not just social media but at the racetrack. I definitely felt it at driver intros and going to different things, whether it’s diecast tents or running the dirt car or going to late model races or anything like that.”

‘Tis the festive season, so Rajah Caruth did not forget to properly wish everyone. Thanksgiving is here, and Christmas is less than a month away. “Hopefully, for those that celebrate, you guys can have a great Thanksgiving and a great holiday season for those that are able to. Sending all love from the Caruth family, and myself included.” He continued, “You’ll see a little bit more of me this winter. I’ll be going around to different places and having some fun, and spending some family time.”

For 2026, Rajah Caruth’s plans are set in a brilliant team. The 23-year-old racer will join Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports to run the part-time No. 88 Chevrolet entry next year in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He will also be continuing with backing from HendrickCars.com. Then he will be snuggling alongside the 2025 Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver, Justin Allgaier. That would be thrilling to see, as both drivers’ fan bases would be competing.

Rajah Caruth is excited either way: “It’ll be a fun next year in 2026, driving the 88 HendrickCars.com Chevy for JR Motorsports and the 32 Chevy for Jordan Anderson full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.”

As the youngster charts his path forward, a look back at his roots is worth it.

Emulating the fans’ perspective

While fans are currently praising Rajah Caruth, once, the speedster himself used to be an ardent fan of NASCAR. We all know how Caruth rose through the ranks of racing via iRacing. Eventually, he earned a spot in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity development program. Then he crossed late Models, ARCA, and then landed in Trucks. But what few of us know is that Caruth simulated stock car races long before he entered the track.

That is what Roger and Samantha Caruth revealed recently. Speaking in a promotional video for ‘Rising’, Roger said, “He’d take his diecasts and redo the paint schemes, put his own sponsors on it, and start reimagining that process.” Samantha continued the story, “He would steal cotton balls from my bathroom, and he would do stop motion videos of the actual crashes that happened, and then do the audio play-by-play as if he was a commentator.”

This demonstrates just how dedicated Rajah Caruth is to the essence of NASCAR. Let’s wait and see how the star performs in his new position in 2026.