Rajah Caruth, a sophomore at Winston-Salem State University, will be making history at his first NASCAR race this weekend. To help him attend the race in style, another supportive HBCU, Virginia State University, has helped to sponsor his trip. See what Caruth’s race car will look like, and get more information from the Virginia State release below.

VSU sponsors car for history-making, 20-year-old, Black NASCAR Driver.   

A Virginia State University themed race car will be driven in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, April 2, 2022 (see photos below). The car will be driven by Washington D.C. native, Rajah Caruth.  The debut for 20-year-old Caruth will make him only the third Black driver currently racing nationally in a NASCAR series. Rajah Caruth will compete in his first NASCAR race driving the number 44, orange and blue, Virginia State University sponsored car for Alpha Prime Racing in the ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond Raceway on Saturday. The race is the first of several that Caruth has signed with Alpha Prime Racing for the 2022 season. 

Caruth is a sophomore at Winston-Salem State University, a fellow HBCU, where he is majoring in Motorsports Management.    

“At VSU, we are known for being a conduit for greater trailblazers. That’s why we are pleased to support our fellow HBCU student who is expected to make history this weekend,” said VSU President, Dr. Makola M. Abdullah. “We take pride in providing a pathway to greater for our VSU students and we expect that the VSU sponsored car #44 will be Mr. Caruth’s literal vehicle to continue on his road to greater successes.”   

The race is April 2, 2022 at 1:30pm at Richmond International Raceway. This is the first time since 1997 that NASCAR will make its first stop in the Commonwealth of Virginia at Richmond Raceway for the Toyota Spring Race Weekend. This was originally scheduled to occur in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Richmond’s spring race weekend.