Bubba Wallace’s Protégé Divulges Why Jimmie Johnson’s Hall Of Fame Induction Is Particularly Special

Jimmie Johnson being inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame was a huge deal for several people. The 48-year-old has served as an inspiration for several drivers today both in and out of NASCAR. One such driver is Bubba Wallace’s protege, Rajah Caruth. The 21-year-old used to dress up as the 7-time Cup Series champion for Halloween and to see him being inducted into the Hall of Fame was quite special.

Rajah Caruth ran the 2023 NASCAR Truck Series campaign with GMS Racing. At that time, the 21-year-old finished in the top 10 on 4 occasions and finished the season in 16th place on the table. His plans for the upcoming season, however, are yet to be confirmed. Given that there is not much time left before the season begins, he will perhaps land a part-time seat in a NASCAR-sanctioned competition.

Former Truck Series star spills the beans on 7-time champ as a boss

One of Caruth’s biggest inspirations in motorsports is Jimmie Johnson. The 21-year-old recently attended the Hall of Fame ceremony where the 7-time champion was officially acknowledged as one of the greatest of all time. Being someone who dressed up as Johnson for Halloween, it was an incredible moment for Caruth to see his idol’s crowning moment in person.

“It’s pretty cool, honestly. I sent a text a couple of weeks ago to Winston just to see if I could pull up and he said, ‘Yeah’. So it’s really special to be here. It’s still…this is so crazy to me. I had no clue this was going to be this type of an event but personally, it’s great because Jimmie was my favorite driver growing up and to be here on this great night is really special,” the 21-year-old said.

When asked about how Jimmie Johnson was as a boss, the former GMS Racing star gave an answer that a lot of people might have expected. “The same he is as you think, like, a really good dude. Always answers whenever I’ve had questions about not just racing but life and I’ve been really thankful for that just because sometimes you meet your heroes and it’s not like that but for Jimmie, it was,” he added.

Rajah Caruth may be a big fan of Jimmie Johnson, but the 7-time Cup Series champion could be one of the reasons why he does not have a full-time seat yet in 2023. Johnson might not have directly affected how things turned out, but there certainly is a strong connection.

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GMS Racing was a team founded by Maury Gallagher in 2012, and they had a deal with Chevrolet to be their engine manufacturer. Gallagher also owns a stake in Cup Series team Legacy Motor Club, of which Jimmie Johnson is also a co-owner. Early last year, it was announced that LMC would party ways with Chevy to become a Toyota team. However, GMS could not make an immediate shift due to Toyota’s stable of 7 cars on the grid. As a result, the team announced that it would halt operations after the 2023 season.

Speaking about GMS Racing’s rich history, Gallagher said, “Every employee, new and old at GMS has always strived to be the very best. Without their effort and dedication, we would have never been able to win two Truck championships, three ARCA championships, and 68 wins.”

Rajah Caruth was one of the drivers driving for the team, as was final four contestant Grant Enfinger. While Enfinger managed to get a full-time seat for next season, the 21-year-old was left high and dry without a team. However, fans will be hoping that he makes his return to the competition as soon as possible.

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