Bob Dylan’s famous words “the times they are a changin'” apply to every single aspect of life today and motorsports are no different. There was a time when drivers needed to start learning to drive race cars on track from a very young age to have a chance of making it into motorsports. But with the introduction of sim racing, things have gotten easier for those who did not grow up with a racing background. Sim racing has facilitated several drivers into NASCAR who are successful today, including Rajah Caruth and William Byron.

After making history in the NASCAR Truck Series a few days ago, Caurth hopes that more sim racers will get the chance to drive at the highest level of the real thing. Both he and Byron are an inspiration for sim racers who wish to make it big. In the international context, the dominant Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen, one of the greatest motorsports athletes, also uses sim to hone his racing skills.

Sim racing: a gateway for those not coming from a motorsports background 

Verstappen did not start with sim racing. His father, Jos, was a Formula 1 driver as well. But for the likes of William Byron and Rajah Caruth, sim racing is everything. Speaking on a recent episode of the ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ podcast, the Truck Series history-maker spoke about how sim racing helped him, coming from a non-racing background. He also mentioned that top sim racers can get hired in other roles on a race team as well.

“I feel like one of the beautiful things about sim racing is that…I’m a city kid. I didn’t grow up going to the racetrack, I didn’t have family or anything doing this so, that’s one of the great things about it is that got in the door. Very few people get to drive race cars and I’m very lucky that I get to do so but I think it’s a blessing because there’s so many people that can get engineering jobs,” Caruth said.

“You have guys that can get to the top of the sim racing level and go work anywhere whether it be in NASCAR, overseas…I don’t know that much about sports car racing or IndyCar and stuff like that but I think for sure the top sim racers should and will get more opportunities. It’s just hard because there are so few drivers,” the Spire Motorsports racer added.

The 21-year-old made history at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and became the third Black driver to win a race in NASCAR history. He didn’t just inspire sim racers, but also people from his culture to aim for the stars. But that’s not the only thing different about his career.

Read More – William Byron Vents His Frustration After a Trash Bag Chops His Las Vegas Dreams

Rajah Caruth reveals how his family is different from most others in NASCAR

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In NASCAR, history has shown that family often plays a massive role in one’s success. Most racers at the highest level come from a racing background but that is not the case with Rajah Caruth. While speaking about his family, the 21-year-old said that his parents attend almost every race but the rest, his extended family, are still pretty far away from his tracks.

“My family includes not only my parents or my little sister but also my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandma, friends, extended friends, and family. They’ve all really elevated me, so it’s been great to have the support of my village from the start. I feel very blessed. My parents go to most races now, so it’s pretty nice. But everyone else kind of goes to whichever one’s nearby. I genuinely don’t know if they even like it. I mean, obviously I’m driving, they’re like, ‘I see him after’ and stuff and get to visit after the fact, but otherwise I don’t honestly know,” he said in an interview with Andscape.

Well, if you don’t have anyone to take you to race tracks or facilities every week to help improve your racing and knowledge, you gotta make do with what you have. And Rajah Caruth has done that exceptionally well. His journey is one to inspire many.

Read More – “We’re Not Hendrick, We’re Not Gibbs”- Mr. H’s Truck Protege Uncovers Spire Motorsports’ Chances of a Cup Series Win