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Most everyone who goes to Las Vegas -- namely, the many who come to the American cultural and economic center of gambling and games of chance -- make the trip seeking to win. But in a city where a fair share have triumphed, certain victories mean far more and reach far wider than just the scope of what happens in Vegas.

This weekend, Rajah Caruth -- a rising NASCAR star in his third year as a full-time Craftsman Truck Series driver -- returns to Las Vegas one year after the biggest moment of his racing career thus far. Last March, Caruth took full advantage of a pole-winning truck to lead 38 laps, including the final 21, to earn his first career Truck Series win. It was a seminal moment for Caruth, a 22-year-old from Washington D.C., as he has taken a non-traditional path from being a NASCAR fan from an urban background to becoming one of the sport's most promising up and comers in only a few short years.

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Sitting down with CBS Sports ahead of trying to defend his Vegas victory, Caruth spoke of fond memories and confidence entering the third race of the 2025 Truck Series season, particularly given his Spire Motorsports team will be unloading with a truck similar to the one he won with, but with improved balance.

"We were on the really fast side of things, but just a little bit too loose," Caruth said. "I feel good about the changes we've made through our simulation and reviewing our notes, because we're not going that much different than last year. So I feel good about going to Vegas this weekend."

Like with any young driver in NASCAR's ladder system toward the Cup Series, Caruth's first win marked a massive individual achievement. That first win, though, was unlike most in that it put Caruth in a select category in NASCAR's history books and led to him being taken note of well beyond the circles of stock car racing.

When he took the checkered flag, Caruth became the third African-American driver to win a race in one of NASCAR's national touring series, joining Hall of Famer Wendell Scott and Cup Series star Bubba Wallace and earning him national media attention. Caruth was soon featured on NBC Nightly News, and his name is continuing to spread throughout avenues both far and near to him -- particularly in Black America, as Caruth was recently given a shoutout by Roy Wood Jr. on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" as Wood relayed his experience attending his first NASCAR race weekend in Atlanta.

In retrospect, however, Caruth feels he may have been too focused on his next task -- getting to the next race and competing for the Truck Series championship -- and downplayed things too much to fully revel in what he had done.

"I think I was too focused on kind of dismissing it and going to the next race, the next obligation, that I lost a lot of presence in how big of a milestone that was. And I think if I had the chance to do it again, I would've definitely cherished that win a little bit more," Caruth said. "Hopefully the next time we win, I'll have that opportunity to just celebrate it more. … I think my interviews next time around will be a little different just because of cherishing and celebrating that a little bit more versus being as kind of dismissive and not trying to minimize the accomplishment.

"In addition, what also really told me that it was a big accomplishment was just how big of an impact it really had in my culture, in the entertainment industry, music, acting, other sports, pop culture as a whole. And to see just how it really kind of scratched the surface, it's super motivating just to achieve that goal again."

The Vegas win proved to be the high water mark in Caruth's hot start to the 2024 season, which gave way to a second-year leap that proved more gradual than explosive. He ran up front and was consistent in doing so, picking up five top fives and 12 top 10s in the 23-race season. But in terms of raw speed, he was a step behind the top drivers and teams in the series and came a race short of making it to the Championship 4 at the end of the playoffs, having not won again after his early season victory.

Following his elimination from championship contention at Martinsville, Caruth had acknowledged the best four drivers -- Corey Heim, Christian Eckes, Grant Enfinger and eventual champion Ty Majeski -- had made it to the final round. In retrospect, Caruth said the 2024 season was about learning how to make the most out of his equipment and take advantage of when he has a fast truck underneath him.

In 2025, the key for Caruth to reach the next frontier lies in understanding what his trucks are capable of, how they stack up to the other trucks in the series -- he pointed to Corey Heim, who won a series-high six races in 2024, as a measuring stick for himself -- and knowing what he himself can do to go from sporadically being a match for the fastest trucks to being one of them.

"I think to be one of those four guys this year, it'll take me just getting a little bit more aggressive -- I think I was on the other side of being not as aggressive last year -- and just kind of finding a fine line," Caruth said. "And also really harnessing the strengths and weaknesses or habits and behaviors of my trucks and knowing this is a time to capitalize and then this is a time for me just to make the most of the day."

As has been the case in Caruth's career to date, there is great excitement for what he could be not just as a race car driver, but also as someone who carries NASCAR forward into the future -- particularly in shattering ideas of who NASCAR is made up of, what they look like, and where they come from. One year ago, becoming a winner offered a glimpse into what that could look like, and of everything that goes with Caruth becoming a successful driver and ambassador for his sport.

For Caruth, that sort of responsibility is a privilege and a great motivator. But he knows full well what the main thing is, and what he wants more than the distinction of being one of stock car racing's faces of the future.

"I think the bottom line is winning and being successful. None of it matters if I can't perform well," Caruth said. "I don't want any of that other stuff if I can't perform, if I'm not where I need to be. ... None of it matters if I'm not finishing in the top five, if I'm not a threat every week.

"I need to be one of those guys for it all to matter. So that's what's most important to me."