The NASCAR racing season is officially back, and everything kicked off with the Truck Series. Parker Kligerman drew first blood after he won the Fresh from Florida 250 at Daytona. However NASCAR clearly did not agree, as he failed the post-race inspection, and Corey Heim benefitted. This being the Truck Series, there is usually a lot of chaos associated with it, and poor Rajah Caruth was in the thick of it.

During the final stage, he was caught up in an incident that wiped out a few drivers. It all started when the #11 of Heim tried to make a third lane and checked up. This created a bit of a chain reaction, resulting in the #91 of Jack Wood sliding into the wall. Wood then collected Caruth, who was trying to avoid him.

As a result, the #71 car was totalled and he was out of the race. It was a shame because he had been running fairly high up the 0rder, hovering near the Top 10. Naturally, Rajah Caruth was absolutely gutted because he felt that he had a shot in the race.

Rajah Caruth broke down how his accident played out

Caruth told Bob Pockrass, “I’m not sure that’s entirely what happened to cause the stack up. I was okay and then I got ran over from behind. It’s plate racing, I caused a big one here, last year, so it’s part of this deal. Hate it for my HendrickCars.com and Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, for all the men and women at the automotive group in Spire. I felt that we deserved a little better, but it’s Daytona so it happens. Slowed down more than I thought, so didn’t hurt as bad as it did, so all good.”

This incident happened with 20 laps to go in the season-opening race at Daytona. Apart from Caruth, the likes of Michael McDowell, Matt Crafton, and Toni Breidinger were some of the big names who got collected. A total of eight drivers were affected by this big one, and Rajah Caruth certainly found himself on the bitter end of the Daytona stick this time around. Given how well Caruth had been able to position himself, he could’ve had a top 10 or who knows a top 5 finish with the late race chaos.

The 22-year-old was disappointed knowing that his team could’ve had a strong start to the season. From P3 last year to P30 in 2025, this was a bitter blow for the entire No. 71 Spire Motorsports team. “But hate it for my HendrickCars.com and Spire Motorsports Chevrolet for all the men and women at the automotive group at Spire for that result. Because I felt like we deserved a little better. But it’s Daytona so it happens.” Caruth added.

Well, it wasn’t only Rajah Caruth who had a bitter end to his race at Daytona. Although Parker Kligerman was the one who took the checkered flag, the win was transferred to Corey Heim, as the No. 75 Chevy Silverado couldn’t clear post-race inspection.

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New Year same old troubles for Kligerman

The former Xfinity Series driver has had a tough time when it comes to securing wins in NASCAR races. Last year, a controversial officiating call at Charlotte Roval deprived him of his first Xfinity Series win. Just as he crossed the start-finish line, the officials in the tower hit the caution lights. It was just a matter of mere inches and seconds, and just like that, he saw his first-ever win being snatched away from him. All thanks to a sketchy officiating procedure.

Well, the driver tried his luck in the Truck Series and once again he took the checkered flag leading the pack at the Daytona International Speedway. This time around he did have a chance to celebrate this win, but they were quickly cut short once they completed the post-race inspection on the No. 75 truck. The height of the truck was too low on both sides and the rear of the vehicle and this is what led NASCAR to deliver a harsh decision.

“Biggest win of my life. Thank you all for the wonderful messages. Over 700 texts. I will not be commenting any further until we are able to present what I believe is very, very valid case. Until then, I’m fully focused on my job with @TheCW_Sports and @NASCAR_Xfinity because the drivers and teams deserve my full focus on the massive stage ahead of them.” Kligerman shared this message via X.

Henderson Motorsports also took to their social media handles and confirmed that they are going to appeal the disqualification of the No. 75 truck after the Daytona race.