Athlete of the Week: DC native Rajah Caruth races to first NASCAR victory

ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — From high school to college to the pros, the D.C. area is full of sports teams. When it comes to racetracks, not so much.

But that didn’t stop D.C. native Rajah Caruth from turning his childhood dream into a NASCAR victory.

“Racing was not my world. I didn’t grow up going to the racetrack on Saturdays,” Caruth said.

The 21-year-old graduate of the School Without Walls in Northwest D.C. is a product of his hometown.

“Saturdays I would go to the Sherwood Rec Center and play basketball. Those were my weekends,” he said.

But before track meets at Spingarn and taking the Red Line home from school, Caruth’s unique love for racing was ignited at a young age.

“For me, it was from the Cars movie, and then getting toys, watching races on YouTube and TV,” Caruth said.

Watching quickly turned to winning. Friday, March 1, Caruth earned his first NASCAR national series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Just everything about that day was--I don’t want to say easy, but it just worked out,” Caruth told 7News Sports Reporter Natalie Spala. “Our pit strategy, the speed of our truck, and everything so it was just pretty special.”

The checkered flag was secured, and with it, a place in history. Caruth became just the third African American driver behind Bubba Wallace and Wendell Scott to win at NASCAR’s national level.

“I haven’t really thought of it too much just because I hope that doesn’t become the headline,” Caruth said. “It’s special to see the representation but I’d love it to get to the point where it’s not an anomaly, it’s not a rarity.”

“There’s room to grow, for sure, when you look at the makeup of some teams,” Caruth added. “But the steps are being made to create a more diverse sport.”