Pit Stop Radio News

Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Caruth and the No. 71 team qualified for the NCTS playoffs via their win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and ending the regular season fifth in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship point standings. Heading into the second race of the Round of 8, Caruth and Co. are seeded fifth on the playoff grid, five points below the Championship 4 cutline. The Round of 8 concludes next Friday at Martinsville Speedway.
• In the first race in the Round of 8 at Talladega Superspeedway, the Washington D.C. native started 13th and navigated “The Big One” while overcoming a pit road speeding penalty to finish fourth. His 38 points earned on the day were the third-most in the field.
• HendrickCars.com is the online home for everything Hendrick Automotive Group. Visitors can shop thousands of new or pre-owned vehicles, locate centers for service and collision repair, receive a value to sell or trade their car, chat online with customer service, discover career opportunities, learn more about vehicle protections programs, and explore how the company gives back to the community.
• The 22-year-old started 13th and finished eighth in last season’s trip to Homestead in CRAFTSMAN Truck Series competition. The result marked his fourth and final top 10 of the 2023 season.
• The 2024 season has marked a career year for Caruth. He’s totaled one win, a pair of Cometic Gasket Pole Awards and five top-five finishes, all of which are the first of his young career. His 11 top-10 finishes exceed his total of four in 2023. His average start of 10.6 is over four positions better than last season and his 10.7 average finish is an impressive seven positions higher.
• With his first career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win and pole position earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth became the third African American driver, alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott and current NASCAR Cup Series regular Bubba Wallace, to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
• Caruth raced his first full CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season in 2023, earning four top-10 finishes and closing the year 16th in points.
• Fans can meet Rajah Caruth at the Chevrolet Display for a 15-minute Q&A Session on Saturday at 9:15.
• Caruth will be signing autographs at the NASCAR Classics Merchandise Trailer on Saturday from 9:30 to 10 a.m.
• Crew chief Chad Walter has called a pair of CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at the South Florida oval, including Caruth’s eighth-place run in 2023 and Tyler Ankrum’s runner-up finish  in 2020.
• Caruth will pilot Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-085, a brand new Chevrolet Silverado.

Rajah Caruth Quotes
Homestead is a beast of its own. What characteristics make it a good track for you and your team?
“Homestead is a good track because of the nature of the race track. You have an abrasive, multi-groove surface where you can run along the white line, against the fence or anywhere in between. I feel like it is right in my wheelhouse. From the team perspective, the mile-and-a-half tracks are our strengths. That kind of racetrack is the strong suit of the trucks built in this shop. Top fives are the team expectation when racing at places like Homestead.”

Connor Mosack – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Connor Mosack will make his fifth appearance aboard a Spire Motorsports entry,piloting the No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Mosack was last in a Spire Motorsports entry at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 27), where he qualified on the front row and finished 10th. Prior to Kansas, Mosack quaified 18th and finished 15th at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (July 12).
• The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation will adorn the hood of the No. 7 Silverado on Saturday. The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with local teams, clubs and community groups. For more information, please log on to Friendsofjaclyn.org.
• The accomplished road racer made his first of three starts for Spire Motorsports in May’s Heart of America 200 at Kansas Speedway. After qualifying fifth, a flat tire derailed his night, which ultimately left him 30th in the final rundown.
• Mosack retuned to the No. 7 Silverado at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May where he earned his first-career CRAFTSMAN Truck Series top 10 with an eighth-place effort.
• The 25-year-old has made 28 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with his best finishes coming at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (fifth), the Chicago Street Course (sixth) and Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (eighth). He participated in the 2023 Xfinity Series event at Homestead-Miami with Sam Hunt Racing where he finished 31st. 
• The “Road-Course Ringer” competes part-time in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli, piloting the No. 57 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet Camaro for Silver Hare Racing in the CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Class. The two-time class winner has six poles and 17 top-five finishes in 38 starts, while ranking third and fourth in the season-long point standings in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Mosack races alongside teammates Jake Drew, Boris Said, Jr. and Connor Zilisch.
• Through 20 races, the No. 7 has compiled two wins with an average starting position of 10.0 and an average finish of 14.0 thus far this season. Kyle Busch led 33 laps en route the team’s first victory of 2024 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February and a led a dominant 112 laps in the team’s most recent triumph at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. In its most recent outing, Connor Zilisch qualified 12th and was racing inside the top 10 until he was swept up in the infamous “Big One.” The team was credited with a 33rd-place finish.
• In his first season at Spire Motorsports, crew chief Brian Pattie led the No. 7 team to two victories across the first seven events this season, both with Kyle Busch (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). The duo also won twice across five races last year with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
• Pattie has called one prior CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Homestead. Jack Wood qualified 11th and finished 12th in last year’s event with Pattie atop the pit box. Pattie has visited victory lane twice at the South Florida oval, guiding Joe Nemechek to a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series victories in 1999 and 2001. 
• Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-083 will hit the track for the third time on Saturday.The truck made it’s maiden voyage with Clint Bowyer behind the wheel at Nashville Superspeedway (June 28), and last saw action in a top-10 effort with Mosack at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 27).

Connor Mosack Quotes
All of your starts with Spire thus far have been on intermediate tracks. Despite running a limited schedule, does this help you when preparing for this weekend’s race at Homestead?
“I think the similar style of tracks definitely helps in getting comfortable with the truck. When you are in and out of the seat, you have to relearn how the truck drives in traffic and how to feel the air. With all of my starts coming at similar venues, I’m able to retain some of that information and draw comparisons from weekend to weekend.”
You have a lot experience, and success, at Kansas Speedway. Do you believe Homestead is a track that will race similar to Kansas?
“Kansas has been a really good place for me in everything I’ve ran there. I have plenty of experience running against the fence and that will definitely transition to Homestead. It takes a certain level of experience to be comfortable putting your equipment up there. Otherwise, the tracks are pretty different. The surface at Homestead is a lot more worn out, the seams between the grooves are difficult to maneuver and the tire falloff is far more drastic.”

Chase Purdy – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado

• Chase Purdy will drive Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado in Saturday’s Baptist Health 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• In last season’s visit to Homestead, the Meridian, Miss., native rolled off 14th and converted the second-most quality passes in the field (50) en route to a 10th-place finish. The result marked his 10th top 10 of the season, doubling his career total prior to 2023.
• The Baptist Health 200 will mark Purdy’s 96th CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start and 21st behind the wheel of the No. 77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports.
• The 24-year-old is familiar with victory lane in the Sunshine State, claiming victory in the 2018 Snowflake 100 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Spire Motorsports teammate, Carson Hocevar, finished fourth in that edition of the prestigious Pro Late Model event that leads up to the Snowball Derby.
• While racing for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2023, Purdy had the best statistical season of his career. He earned three top-five, 11 top-10 and 14 top-15 finishes while notching a career-best finish of second at Texas Motor Speedway (April 1) and claiming his first career Truck Series pole at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 8). He would snag his second career pole two races later at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Sept. 30), a race in which he led a career-high 11 laps.
• Crew chief Jason Trinchere has called the shots for three NASCAR Xfinity Series events at the 1.5-mile oval, highlighted by a fourth-place effort with Daniel Hemric at Kaulig Racing in 2022.
• Purdy will be behind the wheel of Spire Manufacturing chassis SMT-073 on Saturday. He piloted the truck to a sixth-place finish at Darlington in May.

Chase Purdy Quotes 
Mile-and-a-half tracks have been your strong suit this year. What is your mindset going into the weekend?
“Homestead is an awesome race track. Tire fall off is huge, and for me, it is all about putting together a solid day to finish the year strong. The whole team is giving max effort as the year comes to a close because we all want to get the job done in the last three outings. We have one goal. Win.”

• In Spire Motorsports’ lone NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series start at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Marco Andretti started 25th and finished 18th in last season’s visit to the South Florida oval. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolets full time in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series . An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth drives the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolet Silverados in the No. 77.
• The Baptist Health 200 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live on FS1 Saturday, Oct. 26, beginning at noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 21st of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Spire Motorsports PR