KANSAS CITY, Kan. – NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth had a Chevrolet Silverado fast enough to win Friday night’s Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway but contact while racing for third in Stage 3 abruptly ended the night for the GMS Racing driver.
Throughout the first opening eight races of the 2023 season, Caruth has showcased immense speed as a rookie aboard the No. 34 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado, but the finishes have suffered.
Of course, strong performances rattled by sour results can be frustration for any rookie driver – but Saturday night was extremely frustrating knowing the speed he carried in his GMS Racing truck.
As Stage 3 settled in, Caruth found himself solidly inside the top-five but while battling ThorSport Racing’s Ty Majeski for a podium spot on the race track.
Caruth and Majeski swapped the position back and forth for several laps but on Lap 72, as the trucks battled off Turn 4, Majeski tried to make a pass on the outside lane, but Caruth appeared to try and protect his position with the two trucks making contact and sending Caruth’s truck hard into the frontstretch wall.
Majeski suffered damage too, but Caruth’s battered No. 34 Wendell Scott Foundation Chevrolet Silverado came to rest at the end of pit road on the frontstretch ending his night after suffering major front-end damage to his vehicle.
After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, the iRacing standout offered his take on the crash.
“Yeah, I mean it was really close, we had a long ways to go, our Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado was really good” said Caruth. “I was trying to cover the top and he just kinda hooked me. Good to know. I didn’t double move or anything. I picked the top there and he just took me.
“That really stinks, our Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado was really sporty tonight. We were going to be in a really good spot there – one of the first few guys on tires to go and make Grant (Enfinger) and Matt (DiBenedetto) look like they were standing still.
“We had a very fast truck tonight and it sucks not to get a result. We’ll go get ‘em at Darlington.”
Caruth finished 34th and suffered his second did not finish of the 2023 season.
Majeski, after the race and following a cool, calm and collected conversation with Caruth on pit road said he understood the value of track position but felt like he got blocked by Caruth.
“We were just racing super, super hard,” he said. “I get in these trucks you got to get everything you can get because it is so hard to pass. You gotta keep the track position.”
“I thought he double blocked me and he did a solid job on me off Turn 4 which is all fine – then he blocked the bottom, so I went up as I had a pretty big run, obviously he blocked us all the way into the fence and obviously got caught up in a wreck there.”
Majeski added that he agreed to disagree with Caruth on what transpired to start the contact but they would move forward and try to race respectfully.
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to action at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on Friday May 12, 2023.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
