As the 2025 playoffs loom ahead, Bubba Wallace is tense. He does have a Cup Series victory to soothe his tensions, having won the Brickyard 400. At the same time, his mentee, Rajah Caruth, is also in a similar position. The Spire Motorsports Truck Series star clinched his career’s second trophy in Nashville, punching his ticket into the playoffs. However, retaining that ticket just got harder after Caruth’s appearance in the Richmond race.
The eero 250 race was flagged off with all the attention on Corey Heim and Ty Majeski. The duo put up a fierce battle for the regular-season championship. The final result ultimately set the playoff field, with a seat for Rajah Caruth. However, one crucial mistake left Caruth pondering.
Rajah Caruth bites his nails for the playoffs
The 23-year-old driver has experienced penalties before. In March 2024, shortly after clinching his first NASCAR national Series victory in Las Vegas, Rajah Caruth brushed with trouble in Bristol. His No. 71 Chevrolet pit crew incurred two penalties, and Caruth had to go to the rear-end of the grid. Despite that, he had finished in the top ten. But in August 2025, Caruth could not make the most of his run after a similar penalty. He qualified in 21st place and could not break into the top ten in any of the stages. On top of that forgettable run, Caruth also landed a pit speeding penalty with 95 laps left.
At the end of the eero 250 race, Rajah Caruth found himself in 19th place, little better than where he started. This finish is hardly an encouraging finish to the regular season, as Caruth regretted in an interview recently. He said, “Thinking about tonight…at the start of the race, got inside the top ten. We were running right there, then I sped on the green flag cycle. So, just gotta clean it up…clean up those small things and execute well. Our potential’s there, but I just gotta do it. My pit crew does a great job, my team does a great job, we’re just trying to get better.” Caruth set forth his goals for the postseason: “Obviously, looking for a little pace…Having mistake-free nights in the seat, so I guess that would be the focus going into the postseason.
Rajah Caruth says the Truck Series playoffs for him is just about him executing better pic.twitter.com/WK7pFzrkQJ
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) August 16, 2025
Earlier this season, Rajah Caruth had put up a terrific fight against Corey Heim. During the Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway, Caruth never lost the lead in the final 47-lap run. However, Heim certainly came close as he got to the outside of him with just six laps to go. Caruth ran Heim’s No. 11 Toyota high, and Heim chose to lift. From that point onward, he had his hands full with Riggs in the battle for second and never got back alongside Caruth. Considering how he could not get to Heim in Richmond, Caruth hailed his rival for his season’s 7th win: “That’s a championship-caliber group for sure.”
While Rajah Caruth prepares for the playoffs on the track, he has ample preparation back home as well.
Carving his gaming skills
Well, Bubba Wallace‘s mentee had a unique upbringing. Rajah Caruth got into the world of racing via iRacing, akin to Cup Series star William Byron’s growth. But while he has left the iRacing world behind for actual wheeling duties, Caruth has not left behind digital pursuits entirely. That is because of his girlfriend, Caila Marsai Martin, a rising Hollywood actress. Among her notable achievements is becoming the youngest actor in the history of Hollywood to produce 2019’s fantasy comedy Little. Her defining moment came on the ABC sitcom Black-ish. But outside of her silver screen pursuits, she delves into an online gaming world with her boyfriend.
That is what Rajah Caruth reflected on in an interview with The Athletic. He said that his girlfriend beats him easily: “My girlfriend (actress Marsai Martin) and I play video games together, and she’s really good at Mortal Kombat. I can’t even lie — she kicks my tail. I have a very bad losing streak against her. She’s really good at video games. So I’m definitely competitive in video games and basketball. Whether it’s H-O-R-S-E or playing with buddies. But I can’t play too hard — don’t want to blow out a knee or anything.”
This competitive habit may be enough to fuel Rajah Caruth’s motivation for the NASCAR playoffs. Let us see what the Truck star accomplishes in the postseason.
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