The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will mark the first time Spire Motorsports will field a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) entry at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Silverados full time in the NCTS. An all-star driver lineup will rotate throughout the 2024 season in the No. 7 Chevy. Rajah Caruth will drive the No. 71 entry and Chase Purdy rounds out the team’s fleet of Chevrolets in the No. 77.
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will be televised live on FS1 Friday, May 24, beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 11th of 23 NCTS races on the 2024 schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NASCAR RaceDay’s pre-race coverage on FS1 will take the green flag at 8 p.m. EDT.Connor Mosack – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Connor Mosack will make his second start of 2024 for Spire Motorsports driving the No. 7 Pinnacle Racing Group/Chevrolet Accessories Chevrolet Silverado Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). Mosack will be pulling double duty Friday and pilot the No. 28 Chevrolet in the ARCA Menards Series for Pinnacle Racing Group.
The Charlotte native started his racing career in 2017 shortly after taking part in an on-track racing experience at CMS when he was 18. He went on to capture a Winter Heat Pro Championship on the track’s quarter-mile oval.
Friday night’s 134-lap event will mark his first time tackling the 1.5-mile North Carolina quad-oval in a truck. He boasts four career NCTS starts with a best finish of 19th coming earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mosack qualified fifth at Kansas Speedway earlier this month and finished inside the top 10 in the opening two stages before ultimately ending the event with an undeserving 30th-place result, after a couple of racing incidents in the final stage led to a pair of flat tires.
The 25-year-old driver has made two prior starts in the ARCA Menards Series at CMS, finishing fourth in 2022 and ninth last year. He also finished 23rd in last year’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event.
Mosack has been victorious in two of his last three ARCA contests, bringing home his first career victory at Kansas Speedway last September and repeating the feat in the Sunflower State earlier this month. He competed in select ARCA Menards Series events in 2023 and put the competition on notice with a 3.5 average finish over six races, including his Kansas win last September. He is a veteran of 26 Xfinity Series races with his best results coming at Watkins Glen International (fifth) and Portland (Ore.) International Raceway (eighth).
The July 12 event at Pocono Raceway will be his next start in the No. 7 Silverado. He’ll also be back in the seat during the NCTS playoffs when the division returns to Kansas Speedway September 27 and again at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26.
Pinnacle Racing Group (PRG) will adorn the hood of Mosack’s Silverado on Friday night. PRG is a professional multifaceted motorsports team specializing in providing productive and fulfilling careers for team members, while also being a leader in on-track performance and driver development primarily in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Series (NAAPWS), zMAX CARS Tour Series and the ARCA Menards Series (AMS).
The Friends of Jaclyn Foundation will be an associate sponsor for this weekend’s race. The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for children battling pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers by pairing them with local teams, clubs and community groups. For more information, please log on to Friendsofjaclyn.org.
After 10 races, the No. 7 team sits fifth in the 2024 NCTS owner point standings. The No. 7 team has compiled two wins with an average starting position of 7.6 and an average finish of 11.8 thus far this season. Kyle Busch led a race-high 33 laps en route the team’s first victory of 2024 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February and a race-high 112 laps in the team’s most recent triumph in Texas. In its most recent outing, the team finished fifth with Sammy Smith at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In his first season at Spire Motorsports, crew chief Brian Pattie has led the No. 7 team to two victories across the first 10 events this season, both with Kyle Busch (Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway). The duo also won twice across five races last year with Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Jack Wood finished 18th in Pattie’s lone race calling the shots in Truck Series action at Charlotte Motor Speedway last May. He was victorious in Cup Series action at the track in 2012 with Clint Bowyer in the fall event.Connor Mosack Quotes
Being from Charlotte, how special is racing at your hometown track?
“It’s always special for me racing at Charlotte. It was the place I ran my first ever laps in a race car and had a lot of success there in Legends Cars on the quarter-mile track. It would mean a lot to get a win on the big track, especially with all the friends and family that will be coming out to support me.”
You’ll be running double duty Friday as you did in Kansas. How beneficial is that extra track time for you?
“Running the ARCA race beforehand is beneficial for me to continue learning the racetrack, how quickly the resin comes in and which lanes will have the momentum. A good run will also help with confidence and in the grip levels of the track.”
Despite not having a lot of Truck Series starts this year, both of your starts came on mile-and-a-half tracks. How beneficial will that be in preparing for Friday night’s race at Charlotte?
“I feel like I learned a lot at Vegas this year, and then Kansas, it was good to run near the front and get experience with how those guys race. I feel comfortable with where the truck needs to be, to be fast on this style of track, and where the limit of the tire is. That will definitely be helpful going into Charlotte.”
Rajah Caruth – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Rajah Caruth will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Caruth started 24th and finished 14th in last week’s Wright Brand 250 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
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The Winston-Salem (N.C.) State University senior has one prior NCTS start, one additional NASCAR Xfinity Series start and a sole ARCA Menards Series start at the 1.5 mile quad-oval and looks to better his venue-best third place finish.
Caruth will have his own cheering section Friday night when Winston-Salem State University hosts current students and Alumni for a WSSU Alumni tailgate before heading inside the speedway to watch him mix it up with his fellow NCTS competitors in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Caruth will enter his final semester at WSSU in September and is slated to graduate in December 2024.
The 21-year-old is currently seventh in the NCTS championship point standings after 10 races. He has logged one pole, one win, five top-10’s and nine top-15 finishes. He’s recorded a 13.0 average start, a 11.1 average finish and completed 96.6 percent of the laps contested this season.
With his first career NCTS win and pole position earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Caruth became the third African American driver, alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott and current NASCAR Cup Series regular Bubba Wallace, to win a NASCAR National Touring Series race.
Caruth raced his first full season in NCTS in 2023, earning four top-10 finishes and coming home 16th in the division’s championship point standings.
Race fans can meet Caruth for an autograph session at the Camping World in Concord, N.C., on Friday at 10 a.m.
Fans at the track can also meet Caruth at the Chevrolet display for an autograph session Friday at 3:45 p.m.Rajah Caruth Quotes
You raced at Charlotte in both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series last year, along with a great run in the 2022 ARCA race. Does that prior track experience give you a confidence boost for this weekend’s race? And, how do you translate that confidence into a strong finish?
“It absolutely helps my confidence this weekend having great runs at Charlotte. I’ve got a good Xfinity race under my belt along with almost winning an ARCA race in 2022, so definitely a good amount of experience at this track. I think we just need to execute a weekend – from me behind the wheel, to the top of the box, to over the wall. Everybody’s doing what they need to do back at the shop so there’s no reason why we can’t go and win this weekend. I know we’re strong overall and we have it in us.”
How do you adapt to this weekend’s race back at a 1.5-mile track after a short-track race last week at North Wilkesboro?
“Mile-and-a-half tracks are my comfort zone since I started racing. It’s been a journey to continue to improve on them especially when there’s so many short-track racers in the Truck Series. Hopefully, we can get back on the right track and get a top-10 this weekend or even something better.”
Chase Purdy – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado
Chase Purdy will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No.77 Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado in Friday night's North Carolina Education Lottery 200.
Purdy heads to Charlotte 16th in the NCTS driver point standings. He started in seventh and finished 24th last week at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In his three starts at CMS, Purdy has an 18.0 average starting position and an average finish of 21st. He has completed 336 of 411 laps in his Bama Buggies Chevrolet Silverado over those three starts.
On mile-and-a-half tracks this season, Purdy has one pole and one top-10 finish.
The North Carolina Education Lottery 200 will mark Purdy’s 86th NCTS start and his 11th behind the wheel of the No.77 Bama Buggies Spire Motorsports Chevrolet.
Purdy’s Crew Chief Jason Trinchere has three NASCAR Xfinity Series under his belt on the oval at CMS. Chase Purdy Quotes
Mile and half-tracks have been your strong suit this season. How do you feel going into Charlotte?
“I feel confident. I feel like we can have a good day here this weekend. We just have to be smart and keep our nose clean. If we do that we’ll come home with a great finish!”
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