Rajah Caruth and a bittersweet night at Daytona

At Daytona, Rajah Caruth had a bittersweet night as he secured second place in the 2026 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase for the championship. He began the day on a high note by claiming pole position, and scored 18 out of 20 possible stage points. Two of his competitors, Brent Crews and William Sawalich, suffered significant damage in early wrecks, giving Caruth a better chance at his first career win.

However, with three laps remaining, Caruth made a mistake off a big push from Justin Allgaier, spinning and crashing into the wall. Despite this, he still made the Chase by a mere five points, but his celebration was short-lived. Caruth and his team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., joined Justin Allgaier in a post-race meeting. Caruth expressed his calmness throughout the race and the disappointment of losing a good position.

He praised his crew at JR Motorsports for their strong engines and determination. Caruth's 2026 season has been split between the JRM No. 88 and the Jordan Anderson Racing No. 32 Chevrolet, earning him a career-best second-place finish at Iowa. His performance at Daytona means that JR Motorsports now has four full-time drivers in the Chase, with Caruth being the final seed and No. 3 seed in the owner's standings.