The Truck Series playoff round of 10 begins with the Milwaukee Mile. The LiUNA! 175 will see a showdown between the ten best truckers this season. This will be the first playoff battle between the racers. The road to the final at Phoenix Raceway goes through some of the historic venues of the sport. The Talladega Speedway, the Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway, amongst others, will host the much-anticipated races. While some familiar names aim for the coveted prize, some racers are trying to make their mark on the division for the first time.

One such racer is Rajah Caruth of Spire Motorsports. The 22-year-old trucker has surprised everyone by winning the Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the first time that the youngster will display his skills in the playoffs. The chance of winning the championship looms ahead of Caruth, but there is a catch! The probability of bottling the occasion down is substantial for the debutant.

Bubba Wallace’s disciple reveals the playoff pressure

The 22-year-old Spire Motorsports ace racer is aware of the playoff pressure situation. Caruth has been receiving valuable guidance from 23XI racer Bubba Wallace. The most evident scene displaying the chemistry between the two dates back to a wrecking incident involving multiple drivers at the Daytona International Speedway. The young Rajah Caruth appeared disheartened after the incident, which forced him out of the top spot. After the race, Wallace and Caruth discussed the wreck, with Wallace telling him to learn from such incidents.

But will Bubba Wallace support his mentee before the playoffs? Young Rajah Caruth discussed the pressure situation he faces ahead of the playoffs. Talking about who or what motivates him throughout the season, Caruth said, “I think like the pressure for me was to give and be in this conversation in the first place and have the success to have won early in the season and also be top five in points by the end of the regular season.” With 2,009 points in the truck season so far, Caruth looks solid as he heads to the playoffs in the fifth spot.

But the youngster knows the areas where others have pulled him up and the areas where he has to learn things on his own. Reflecting on his journey so far, Caruth said, “I’ve leaned on a lot of people to get to this point right. There is a thing of you know information overloaded times and also like there is some stuff I got to learn from myself so um as far as going to the playoffs I mean outside like specific things pertaining to racetracks or truck setups or handling my driving.”

It will be interesting to see what words of wisdom Caruth will receive from Bubba Wallace with these thoughts running through his mind. The No.71 for Spire Motorsports has not been shy about admitting Bubba Wallace’s role in his career. After Wallace and Caruth exchanged thoughts following his impressive performance at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth highlighted the role Bubba Wallace has played in his racing career. The youngster said, “We were just talking about the last lap. You know what I did and didn’t do and kind of how he saw it. I mean, he’s been there from the start of my entire career. It’s been outstanding to have him on my side the whole way.”

As the Truck series progresses towards its final lap—the playoffs—several contenders have emerged on the scene this year. Fans expect young blood and experienced truck series campaigners to clash in the playoffs this year. Many racers can make the day difficult for someone like Rajah Caruth.

Truck Series playoffs: A clash between youth and experience

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Two camps divide the serious contenders for the playoffs. There are experienced campaigners like Corey Heim, the points leader. The other racers in the camp behind Heim are Ty Majeski and Christian Eckes. Majeski has already made a mark this season by winning consequential races at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond Raceway. Eckes, meanwhile, is the regular-season champion. The 23-year-old will look forward to continuing his winning ways in the playoffs.

Then there are the first-timers. Most of these racers were underdogs who performed extraordinarily well to qualify for and compete in the playoffs. Apart from Rajah Caruth, another first-timer who has impressed this season is Taylor Gray. The 19-year-old racing prodigy at the TRICON garage has finished 8th in the regular season standings. No one anticipated this for the youngster. Another first-timer in the mix is Daniel Dye. The 20-year-old started the final regular season race at the Richmond Raceway below the qualification line. He finished 8th in the race, managing to make it to the playoffs unprecedentedly.

With such a talented mix of youngsters and experienced campaigners, do you think Rajah Caruth will win the truck series championship this year? Also, how legitimate are some of his concerns before the playoffs? Let us know in the comments.