Nick Sanchez pictured before the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 presented by Federated Car Care for the ARCA Menards Series East at Ohio's Toledo Speedway on June 13, 2020. (Barry Cantrell/ARCA Racing)
Nick Sanchez pictured before the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 presented by Federated Car Care for the ARCA Menards Series East at Ohio's Toledo Speedway on June 13, 2020. (Barry Cantrell/ARCA Racing)

Rajah Caruth, Nick Sanchez To Compete In ARCA As Part Of NASCAR Drive For Diversity Class

www.arcaracing.com February 3, 2021

Eight young drivers from various backgrounds were selected to the newest class of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, NASCAR and Rev Racing announced today.

Two of the drivers will compete on the ARCA Menards Series platform in 2021.

Rajah Caruth, a prominent, 18-year-old iRacer who made his transition to the track in 2019, is advancing to compete in the ARCA Menards Series East while also continuing to race in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series in 2021.

Additionally, 19-year-old Nick Sanchez will race full-time in the ARCA Menards Series after a successful rookie season in the East Series last year.

“We are thrilled to welcome these accomplished drivers to our successful development program,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR Director, Racing Operations and Event Management. “We’re enthusiastic about their future and look forward to working with each driver as they advance their racing careers.”

Caruth, a Washington, D.C., native, returns to Rev Racing after winning at Greenville Pickens Speedway in Easley, South Carolina, in a Late Model stock car in 2020. He also finished sixth in points at the Charlotte Summer Shootout in the Semi-Pro Division.

Caruth is entered in the East Series season-opener at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, set to drive the No. 6 UTI-NTI Chevrolet for Rev Racing. The race is scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 8, and will broadcast live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

Sanchez earned a fourth-place finish in his ARCA Menards debut last season in the East Series race at New Smyrna. The Miami, Florida, native finished third in the 2020 ARCA Menards Series East point standings with two top fives and three top 10s.

Sanchez will drive the No. 2 Max Siegel Inc.-Eibach Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 13. That race is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. ET and broadcast live on FS1.

In addition to Caruth and Sanchez, Isabella Robusto, Lavar Scott and Regina Sirvent are Rev Racing veterans returning to the program in 2021. This season will mark the first year of NASCAR Drive for Diversity participation for drivers Justin Campbell, Andres Perez de Lara and Jaiden Reyna.

Traditionally, drivers are selected after participating in a two-day NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Combine sponsored by Honda Generators that includes on-track assessments. The 2020 combine was canceled due to the impact of COVID-19, so candidates were evaluated based on applications, references, historical success and previous on-track performance by a panel comprised of NASCAR industry members. To apply, interested drivers submitted a racing resume and video highlights to NASCAR and Rev Racing.

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program was created in 2004 to develop and train ethnically diverse and female drivers both on and off the track. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez and Kyle Larson are alumni of this program, which is operated by Rev Racing in Concord, North Carolina.

“We could not be more pleased with the 2021 class selection,” said Max Siegel, Rev Racing Owner. “Each year the competition in the sport continues to rise and so does the talent of our applicant pool. We feel very confident in our ability to be competitive and look forward to a successful season.”