NASCAR: Hendrick Team picks up Boris Said, Rajah Caruth
Hendrick Motorsports will enter two additional 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season with its No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro. Veteran road racer Boris Said will drive in the Oct. 7 Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL event while Rajah Caruth will be in the seat at the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 4. Both will be sponsored by HenrickCars.com
Said is a former sports car series champion with victories in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. In 2005, he became the first American to win the prestigious 24 Hours of Nürburgring. Said has 29 starts in the Xfinity Series, which includes a win at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal in 2010. Known as a road-course ringer throughout his 149 national series starts, the 61-year-old driver’s last NASCAR start came in 2022 at Circuit of The Americas (COTA).
Across the last two years, Caruth has 15 appearances in the Xfinity Series with a career-best 12th-place finish at Martinsville Speedway in 2022. In 20 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts this season, the 21-year-old driver has three top-10 finishes, including two sixth-place results at a pair of demanding tracks: Darlington Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports has made five starts in the Xfinity Series this year. NASCAR Cup Series regulars Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman have each made at least one appearance in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro with a combined three top-five finishes, four top-10s and one pole position. The starts came at COTA, Sonoma Raceway, Pocono Raceway, Watkins Glen International and Darlington.
In its history, Hendrick Motorsports has earned one Xfinity Series championship (2003) and 26 race wins in the Xfinity Series. The organization’s four starts in 2022 marked its first action in the series since 2009 when Tony Stewart took home the checkered flag at Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 17 car number carries a rich history and special significance to the organization. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip drove it to nine Cup Series wins for the team from 1987 to 1990, including in the 1989 DAYTONA 500. The car number was also driven by Ricky Hendrick in various races, including in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2000 and 2001. This year, the HendrickCars.com paint scheme is again based on the No. 17 truck driven by Hendrick during his 2001 rookie season.