DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – (Dec. 27, 2022) “The King” will have company during the 2023 Rose Parade® presented by Honda.
NASCAR announced today that NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth will join Richard Petty on “Always Forward” – its float that celebrates NASCAR’s 75th anniversary and the upcoming Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum.
“NASCAR’s 75th anniversary is all about honoring our past, celebrating our present and looking to our future,” said NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Services Patrick Rogers. “It’s only fitting that a driver like Rajah, who represents NASCAR’s now and beyond, joins our all-time winningest driver on this historic day for our sport.”
Caruth, who started his driving career on a computer, certainly represents a modern-day NASCAR success story. The 20-year-old from Washington, D.C., parlayed his success on the virtual iRacing platform to an invitation from NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program at the age of 16. That led to real-life driving opportunities at Rev Racing, which fielded cars for Caruth at the grassroots level and led to a full-time season in the national ARCA Menards Series last year. He finished third.
Now, Caruth finds himself on the threshold of his first full-time season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. He’ll drive the No. 24 Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing with sponsorship from the Wendell Scott Foundation. The foundation, named in honor of the late NASCAR Hall of Famer, provides resources and services to underprivileged African American youth communities near Scott’s hometown of Danville, Virginia.
“This is going to be a great way to start 2023,” Caruth said. “It’s nothing short of an honor to ride along with Richard Petty in the Rose Parade and help introduce our sport to new audiences in Southern California and around the world.”
The float that will carry Caruth and “The King” on Jan. 2 features Petty’s iconic No. 43 race car, along with the No. 3 made popular by Dale Earnhardt and the No. 24 driven by Jeff Gordon. With the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s Peristyle and Olympic cauldron serving as a breathtaking backdrop, the cars race around a track surrounded by checkered flags, ribbons, palm trees and more.
Designed and constructed by Artistic Entertainment Services® (AES), the float is 25 feet tall, 55 feet long and headed by NASCAR’s 75th Anniversary diamond logo.
(CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE FLOAT’S DESIGN).
The annual Rose Parade celebrates 134 years of success with its upcoming celebration on Jan. 2, led by the volunteer-driven, non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses® Association. In addition to participating in the 2023 parade, NASCAR will also be providing the Association’s 935 volunteers with a special Busch Light Clash and Auto Club Speedway ticket offer, in recognition of their dedication to America’s New Year Celebration®.
The Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, as a part of the destination’s “Coliseum Forever” celebration to honor the historic stadium’s centennial anniversary and will air live on FOX at 8 p.m. ET. After an action-packed 2022 season, the 2023 NASCAR season-opener is bound to be another thrilling event in a momentous year.
For more information about the Busch Light Clash and details on ticket pricing, please visit nascarclash.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Pinty’s Series (Canada), NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 12 countries and more than 30 U.S. states. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
