Rajah Caruth compares Shane van Gisbergen to road course ringer legends

Like everyone else watching, NASCAR Truck Series driver Rajah Caruth is amazed by the talent Shane van Gisbergen has on road courses. Watching SVG take another Cup Series pole award today at Sonoma, Caruth had high praise for the Trackhouse driver.

If you were watching NASCAR in the 2000s and 2010s, then two international stars probably come to mind when you think of road course ringers. Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Both drivers came into the sport and set a new standard on road course racing in many aspects. SVG might even be better. The field as a whole is better at road course racing as it has ever been. Yet, van Gisbergen drives away every time there’s a right turn.

Rajah Caruth couldn’t help but make the comparison. After all, SVG has won four straight pole awards in the last two weeks between Xfinity and Cup Series races.

“I feel like I’m watching old Ambrose and JPM clinics… We are witnessing greatness!!” Caruth posted on X/Twitter.

I feel like I’m watching old Ambrose and JPM clinics… we are witnessing greatness!!

— Rajah Kirby Caruth (@rajahcaruth_) July 12, 2025

Rajah Caruth is a driver who was once a superfan of the sport. He still is. When he isn’t racing in the Truck Series for Spire Motorsports or streaming iRacing on his Twitch channel, then he is likely watching old NASCAR Classics replays.

A driver, fan, and amateur historian of the sport in many ways, Caruth knows the sport on multiple levels. As a young driver who is online pretty often, Caruth is also a great example of what drivers can do to grow their brand, name recognition, and star power.

Earlier this season, Rajah Caruth beat Corey Heim and Layne Riggs for the win at Nashville. He is hoping to make a deep playoff run this year and see just how far he can get.

Rajah Caruth, Truck Series on break

This July, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is on a pretty long break. A nice summer hiatus for many. Rajah Caruth is on a break and has not announced any kind of major starts in Late Models or in the Xfinity Series during this time. However, he did pilot the Chevy Blazer EV around the Chicago Street Course a week ago as part of a fun demonstration.

So, this weekend, Caruth is a fan. He watched, as did the rest of us, as Shane van Gisbergen put on a show in qualifying. It was more than impressive. He went from a 1:14.83 to a 1:14.59 and he didn’t really have to do that. Chase Briscoe was second with a 1:14.84.

Rajah Caruth will be watching the action at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. He’ll probably stream or something after the Xfinity race tonight. You never know when he’ll pop up online.