XFINITY: Trevor Bayne, Rajah Caruth Score One-Off Deals to End 2025

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

2011 DAYTONA 500 champion Trevor Bayne is returning to competition in the NASCAR Xfinity Series later this season, partnering with Sam Hunt Racing. Bayne will drive the No. 24 Toyota GR Supra at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 11.

“It’s always exciting to bring in an experienced driver that has competed at the Cup level,” said Sam Hunt, owner of Sam Hunt Racing. “Trevor not only understands where we are as a team; but wants to be a part of our team’s growth process. He’s a great guy and will be a great teammate for Dean to lean on. We are all excited to get to the track together.”

The 34-year-old driver hasn’t competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series since the tail-end of the 2023 season, when he contested a three-race program with Joe Gibbs Racing. A two-time winner in the series, Bayne recently returned to NASCAR National Series competition at Darlington Raceway, scoring a top-five result for TRICON Garage in the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro.

Bayne has remained a fixture in NASCAR throughout this short hiatus behind the wheel, serving as the Driver Optimization Leader for NASCAR Cup Series team LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, which involves working with drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones. The Knoxville, Tennessee-native is also engrained within the Toyota GAZOO Racing camp, helping TRICON Garage drivers with simulation work, which has led to successful campaigns for Corey Heim, Gio Ruggiero, Tanner Gray, and others.

The No. 24 Toyota GR Supra has featured a rotating cast of drivers this season, including Ryan Truex, Corey Heim, Patrick Staropoli, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Kaz Grala, Alon Day, and now Trevor Bayne. Las Vegas in October will mark the 15th event for the second Sam Hunt Racing entry.

The Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will take place on Saturday, October 11 at 7:30pm ET on The CW, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.


Rajah Caruth Joins Hendrick Motorsports for One-Off at Kansas

Rajah Caruth Spire Motorsports NASCAR Truck Series
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Rajah Caruth, a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, is set to get another opportunity with powerhouse organization Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the team confirmed on Thursday.

Caruth will get behind the wheel of the No. 17 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Kansas Speedway, taking place on September 27. HendrickCars.com will serve as the primary sponsor for the Washington, D.C.-native’s second run with the team, and first since the 2023 season-finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“I feel extremely excited and thankful for the opportunity, and for me, I think about how much I’ve grown since the last time I was fortunate enough to drive a race car out of this building,” Caruth said. “I believe my experience I’ve accumulated the last few years in the [CRAFTSMAN] Truck Series, and my partial Xfinity stuff will put me right where I need to be to run up front and hopefully have a good race.”

The 23-year-old driver has spent the last two seasons competing for Spire Motorsports in the NASCAR Truck Series, driving the HendrickCars.com-sponsored No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado. In his 70 career starts in the Truck Series, Caruth has scored a pair of victories at Las Vegas (2024) and Nashville (2025), as well as eight top-five finishes.

Caruth is one of 10 drivers currently fighting for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, by virtue of his win at Nashville Superspeedway in June.

“Kansas is a track I’ve loved since the first time I was there in ARCA,” Caruth added. “I’ve had pace there in ARCA and probably should’ve won a race or two, and same with the Truck Series. But that’s a place you have to be versatile with how many different lanes you can run and utilize the seams and pay attention to how the rubber lays down. The creativity you can have will show at a track like that. So, I’m excited for what it will be like… I’m excited to plan and prepare like any other race.”

The Kansas Lottery 300 will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 4:00 PM ET. Coverage will be on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Joseph Srigley
JOSEPH SRIGLEY

Joseph Srigley covers NASCAR for TobyChristie.com, Racing America, and OnSI, and is the owner of the #SrigleyStats brand. With a higher education in the subjects of business, mathematics, and data analytics, Joseph is able to fully understand the inner workings of the sport through multiple points of perspective.

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