AVONDALE, Ariz. – Rajah Caruth will line up 13th for Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. His lap of 131.680 mph will place him in row seven.
Qualifying for the 200-lap race took place on Saturday afternoon, a day after the series had a 50-minute practice session. Caruth was the 17th-fastest driver in practice with a lap of 127.945 mph.
In his young career, the 21-year-old driver has made 18 starts in the Xfinity Series and will finish up his rookie year in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series on Friday evening.
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The No. 17 car number carries a rich history and special significance to the organization. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip drove it to nine Cup Series wins for the team from 1987 to 1990, including in the 1989 DAYTONA 500. The car number was also driven by Ricky Hendrick in various races, including in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2000 and 2001. This year, the HendrickCars.com paint scheme is again based on the No. 17 truck driven by Hendrick during his 2001 rookie season.
In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has won one Xfinity Series championship and earned 26 wins in the series. The organization's four races in 2022 marked its first action in the series since 2009 when Tony Stewart took home the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway. This weekend’s start will mark the sixth of the season for the No. 17 team. NASCAR Cup Series regulars Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman have each made at least one appearance in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro with a combined three top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole position. The starts came at Circuit of The Americas, Sonoma Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Darlington Raceway.
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Tune in on Saturday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. ET for the 200-mile main event with coverage on USA Network.