- 3 hours ago
Raising a Pro explores the love, sacrifice, and resilience behind the next generation of NASCAR talent. Featuring the mothers of Rajah Caruth and Lavar Scott, alongside NASCAR leader Latasha Causey and driver Lavar Scott, this conversation examines motherhood, representation, leadership, and the support systems that help turn dreams into reality both on and off the track.
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00:00Hey, best friends!
00:02Listen, I'm just here to let you know that behind every driver on the track
00:10is a story of love, sacrifice, and resilience.
00:17This next conversation is about raising a pro and the women who make that possible.
00:23Best friends, this segment is brought to you by NASCAR.
00:28Yes, we all love NASCAR.
00:30So please welcome NASCAR, Phoenix Raceway President Latasha Kazi,
00:38driver LaVar Scott, and mother Sonia Scott and Samantha Carruth to the main stage.
00:49Thank you. Thank you so much.
00:52Hello, everyone. How's everybody doing?
00:56All right, we got to get the energy up here.
00:59We're so excited to be here. I am Latasha Kazi.
01:02I am the president of Phoenix Raceway and just truly honored to be here with LaVar Scott,
01:08his mom, Sonia Scott, and Raja Carruth's mom, Samantha Carruth.
01:13So we are going to have a conversation about black motherhood, but as well just motherhood within NASCAR, the sport,
01:22and all the things that you all have been doing and preserving and just really just relentlessly out there making
01:29sure that we have these young, beautiful black men like LaVar Scott out there and just successful.
01:35So were you guys ready to get into it? All right. Perfect. Very good. All right.
01:41Samantha, I'm starting with you because we really want to know where it all began. So talk to us.
01:47Absolutely. So if anyone has a little one at home, you know, sometimes boys, they love cars.
01:53They love planes. They love trains. And it's just what they're interested in. Well, my child saw the Disney Pixar
01:59movie cars and it stuck.
02:01So he did all the other things that they typically do play soccer, ran track, play basketball, schoolwork, all of
02:07that.
02:07But NASCAR just was his focus as his passion. At 16, he said, I'm going to do this for my
02:14career.
02:15And his dad and I looked at him and said, we know nothing about this. We don't know where to
02:20start.
02:20I said, this is not real. I haven't seen any drivers like him in the sport. Is this a place
02:26for us?
02:28And we said, well, how are you going to lay this out for us? So he decided to start on
02:33iRacing like simulator.
02:35Sometimes we think of it as video games. And he started there and then set a pathway to then eventually
02:41get into a development program, which LeVar was also a part of, and then eventually get into a car.
02:47And now from that day to now, he's 24. He is living his dream in real time.
02:54Yes, I love that. And he started on iRacing at 16 years old.
02:59And we know that a lot of NASCAR drivers start very early, really, really young.
03:03But it's also generational, right? It comes through their family.
03:06So you can confirm that no one in the Carruth family was a NASCAR driver.
03:10Not near one of us.
03:13Okay, perfect. Well, very good.
03:15Well, Sonia, talk to us a little bit about LeVar and how he got started in NASCAR and in racing.
03:22So for LeVar, for the longest time, we supported his passion and watched him do what he loved to do.
03:35It wasn't until we got a call from Rev Racing that we knew that his hobby could be more than
03:44a hobby, but an actual opportunity, a clear path to racing.
03:51And I knew from there all he needed was a chance.
03:55So when they invited him to do a compete in the combine, I knew that's all he needed was just
04:03to have a chance to show what he had.
04:06Yeah, absolutely. And LeVar, how long have you been racing now?
04:09So I'm 22 now and I started racing when I was five years old, officially, but got pushed around in
04:15the race car when I was three and four.
04:17So for a very, very long time.
04:19Yes, yes, absolutely.
04:21Well, talk to us a little bit now.
04:23You know, I am, you know, part of the NASCAR family as well.
04:26And when I am out there at all of the races, we are like a huge family, right?
04:30We all travel around.
04:31We have 38 race weekends for those who do not know.
04:34And so you're on the road every weekend.
04:36You guys definitely roll deep.
04:39And so LeVar, talk to us a little bit about that and your support system.
04:43You have multiple siblings.
04:44You have, you know, aunties.
04:46You have everybody, right, that is out there and they are there supporting you.
04:50So talk to us a little bit about that support system.
04:52Yeah, it's amazing to have that support.
04:53You know, growing up, you know, racing was always a family sport for us.
04:59You know, my grandpa built my race cars.
05:02My mom, my grandfather would take us to the racetrack and me, my brother, my little cousins, you know, my
05:08sister tried it.
05:09You know, we all everybody with the Scott name has raced at some point in their lives.
05:13It all stemmed from my mom, my grandfather, you know, their love and passion for the sport.
05:16So now at this level, a lot of races my family comes to force me still, whether it's, you know,
05:23Dover, Pocono or Daytona.
05:25You know, you're going to see probably, you know, 40 people there that has a LeVar Scott shirt on and
05:31they're my family.
05:32And it means a lot.
05:33You know, they're really dedicated in every single race that I compete in.
05:36You know, they all watch and, you know, every single one of them text me.
05:39Good luck.
05:40I love you. I'm going to be watching.
05:42So it's really cool.
05:44And I definitely would not be here or anywhere close to here without obviously my mom.
05:49But, you know, my grandfather and everyone in my family.
05:51Right. They support me in different ways.
05:52Absolutely.
05:53We know that it takes a village right for just to raise kids in general, but certainly to support them
05:58as they're, you know, working on their craft.
06:01And so, Samantha, I want to come back to you.
06:03Talk to us a little bit about what does it take to raise a pro?
06:06It takes a whole village, the family out at the track.
06:11For me, I'm, you know, I have one sister, but I have many sisters and dear friends and they are
06:17Raja's aunties.
06:18So they roll deep.
06:19They are there either in person at the track or they're watching online and they are sending messages and they
06:25are loving on him there and afar from there and from far.
06:28And so we can't do it without our community.
06:30So it's our biological family.
06:32It's our extended family, our family.
06:35It's all the support that we see everywhere.
06:38And it's also about Raja, I think, and Lavar to understand that they don't do it alone.
06:44They come with their family, their extended family.
06:47They also come with their community.
06:49And so my son says, you know, I'm a driver.
06:52I'm black.
06:53I have a Caribbean background, but I also know how important it is to be here.
06:58And so it's not lost in him when he talks to younger ones and remembers that he was that kid
07:03who was a fan, that it's as important to him as what he does on the track and off the
07:08track and just representing himself.
07:10And as mom, I just want to make sure his heart is intact and he is not just physically safe,
07:15but also emotionally safe and strong.
07:17And that if this changes tomorrow and he's not in a race car on driving and watching on TV, that
07:24he is still his soul is still intact.
07:26So Sonya, you know, really the same question to you as you were thinking about raising this pro, you know,
07:32what does that mean to you?
07:33And what, you know, what have been the signatures or your staples as you have been raising Lavar Scott?
07:40My signatures and staples?
07:41Yes, to raising a pro.
07:49So as a parent, I feel that it's my job to fuel his belief to know that his biggest dreams
07:58are in reach, but also to keep him grounded in his work ethic.
08:05Yes.
08:06I love that.
08:07I love that.
08:07And we know you are grounded in your work ethic.
08:09Do you take any days off?
08:11No.
08:11When do you get a day off, Lavar?
08:13I don't really take days off.
08:15And a lot of that comes from her.
08:16You know, watching her grow up, you know, she never has a day off.
08:21You know, yesterday she was in Chicago at my race.
08:23You know, I flew in this morning to be here.
08:25She flew in this morning to be here.
08:27I know she's going to fly home tomorrow and go straight to work.
08:29And I'm going to do the same thing when I get back to Charlotte.
08:31So, you know, growing up, I was up early to go to work with her because we have a family
08:37business at home.
08:38And so I would see the sacrifice that she would make for herself and for her family.
08:41But it would lead down to us because she would go to work every day and leave work and take
08:45us to a race and practice or a wrestling practice every single day.
08:50I have siblings.
08:50Right.
08:51So, you know, I have goals and dreams.
08:53My siblings have goals and dreams, too, that she had to kind of manage and help out.
08:55So, you know, she's never had a rest day for the past, you know, probably 30 years.
09:01So there's no excuse for a reason for me to have them right now as well.
09:04Yes.
09:04All of your races.
09:05Your mom is there, but she's not just there.
09:07She's like out there with a headset on and she's like doing her thing.
09:11Right.
09:11Like she's the boss out there on the LeVar Scott team.
09:14Right.
09:14And so she's out there.
09:15Yeah.
09:15My mom is way more dialed in than people realize.
09:18Like, you know, you can see her now.
09:20She's just want to smile and laugh.
09:22But, you know, when we leave the racetrack and we have our talks and debriefs, like she knows what's going
09:27on and what's happened.
09:28And she heard what people were saying.
09:29We're going to talk about it.
09:30So and actually somebody just said that to me this week.
09:33Like they were so like kind of impressed with her, how like she hears all the positive and negative.
09:38But like her emotions or her face never changes.
09:42Right.
09:43She knows what's going on, but she's just happy and happy all this is happening.
09:46But she's dialed in.
09:47Yeah.
09:47And we know that this is not easy.
09:49This is not a walk in the park.
09:51But people also don't know what it takes in order to even get on the track.
09:54So, Samantha, can you talk to us a little bit about the sacrifices that you all have had to take
09:59in order for Raja to get to where he is?
10:02Absolutely.
10:02I mean, it starts with the first summer that he wanted to he got into the development program and we
10:09live in D.C.
10:10And there's no racing in D.C.
10:12And the program was in North Carolina.
10:15And my husband and I were like, are we doing this?
10:17Are we figuring this out?
10:19OK, I guess we're packing up and we're going to North Carolina for a few months and pinching all the
10:24pennies and making it work and tagging along my daughter.
10:27So little sister was like, I guess I'm here.
10:29So I think it's not lost on us.
10:31That is a whole family commitment.
10:34It is a full time job.
10:36My husband is in was in Chicago with my son racing and LeVar last night.
10:40That's why he's not here.
10:42It is a full family commitment.
10:44And so it is begin our family become our family business.
10:49But it is our joy to just to be supporting him.
10:53Absolutely.
10:54Like you said, you have you also you have a daughter as well.
10:57And then Sonia, for you, you have five kids.
11:00And so talk to us a little bit about what your biggest sacrifice has been as LeVar has navigated to
11:05where he is.
11:07So although there are sacrifices, it's definitely a blessing to be able to make them.
11:13The biggest sacrifice I would just say is really just LeVar growing up like missing different events and different experiences
11:22because everything revolved around racing.
11:27Luckily, with his family and our village, anything like we have control over planning, like it's always planned around his
11:35schedule.
11:35So then men still.
11:38Yeah.
11:39Yes, I love that.
11:40So LeVar, talk to us about what do you what's the biggest sacrifice that you appreciate the most from your
11:46mom and your family?
11:47And don't get emotional because then I'm gonna start getting emotional.
11:50Yeah, I would say there's never been an off day for her or for, you know, anyone in my family.
12:09I work very hard to be here, but I say this all the time because I really mean it.
12:14There was no way without her, my grandfather.
12:19They work extremely hard.
12:21And, you know, there's a lot of, you know, personal.
12:23My mom, she rarely ever gets her nails done.
12:25Her hair done is rarely little she does for herself to make sure that I can live my goals.
12:30So there's a lot of small things that they do that I see and I don't say it often, but
12:34I know it's there.
12:35Yes, let's give it up for the Scots and for, you know, for the fact that LeVar and his mom
12:42are on a panel together.
12:43So Sonia does not do panel.
12:45She does not do speaking engagements.
12:46And so it's taken a lot for me to keep myself together up here as well as they're up here
12:50getting emotional because it is a real thing for you and what you have done.
12:55Both of you for your children, for your sons to be out there to be in a sport where we
13:00are actually not.
13:01We are not there on a regular basis.
13:03And so not only are you navigating them being in their sport that they would like to be in, but
13:08you're also navigating the representation.
13:10Samantha, if you could talk a little bit about just being black right in the sport and the importance of
13:16representation.
13:18Oh, so important.
13:19And so when we first started and Roger was racing on small tracks and more less urban areas, and we
13:26were the only people who looked like us out of the track.
13:29And maybe the first time we went to the track, the people who weren't there would look and go.
13:35And then he would get on the track and they go.
13:38And then we go back again.
13:40Oh, those must be the caroots because there was no other family.
13:44And so each time he would show up and they would say I would hear sometimes folks with a deep
13:51southern accent.
13:52Oh, he can drive.
13:54And so he represented himself well.
13:57And we would just quietly move in the spaces, show up, meet everybody, talk to everybody.
14:03And then all of a sudden people were familiar with us.
14:08And then over time, as he moved up, LaVar can probably speak to this, too.
14:13We realized that as you move up in the sport, there are very few black drivers.
14:19That's what people see on TV.
14:21But there are a lot of black people that work in this sport.
14:25There are engineers.
14:27There are media experts.
14:28There are communications folks.
14:30There are the peer crew members that are all former professional athletes or college athletes.
14:36And they are higher ups and VPs and presidents at NASCAR.
14:41And you have Latasha Causey right here, who is the president of the Phoenix Raceway.
14:45I want to come to you about representation.
14:47You know, one of the first events that I ever did as I started four years ago.
14:51You know, you were one of my first phone calls and you went out to a high school predominantly black
14:56and brown kids.
14:57Right. And you and Raja were there and they were so in awe of both of you.
15:01And so talk to us a little bit about just that representation and what that actually means to you as
15:07the driver.
15:07Yeah, I would say it mean a lot to me and Raja.
15:10You know, back when we did that event together back in Phoenix a few years ago, I would say even,
15:15you know, that was, I think, 2023.
15:17And me and Raja, we've been tight since like 2019.
15:19And I would say since 2020, when we kind of the same team together, we've always said, like, if me
15:24and you stay in this together, we can literally change the whole game for like the rest of NASCAR.
15:28Right. And, you know, we said to each other, I mean, we have conversations about this way more than people
15:33think, like weekly, because we know exactly what we do and how we handle ourselves on and off the track.
15:38It's going to affect the next generation coming up.
15:41And we both prioritize, you know, kind of keeping everyone in the youth engaged, whether it's, you know, answering certain.
15:46So all really DMS that, you know, could help another driver coming up or, you know, doing different events around
15:51the country 24 seven to kind of, you know, show what racing is and motorsports.
15:55And, you know, not necessarily being a driver, but just being within motorsports, you know, there is a career and
16:01a path here for everyone, everyone.
16:04There's a career and a path here that if you, if you want to succeed in it, you can.
16:07What do you do to prepare and what is it that's important to you outside of the track?
16:10You know, when you're outside the race car, you know, someone like myself, it's working on your brand, right?
16:15Trying to get sponsorships.
16:17When you're not at the racetrack driving, you're at home when you're similar to trying to get better for a
16:21race car driver, right?
16:22So there's so, there's, I always say there's, there's seven things, six things that if I'm not doing something at
16:28a certain point, I can be doing something else, right?
16:31And that's like six of those things that keep you busy throughout the week as a driver.
16:34But throughout the off, the off year, you know, I like to travel home to New Jersey and spend time
16:38with the family because, you know, right now, I think we're in July.
16:42I've been probably been home twice for about three days.
16:45So it's not a lot of time with my whole family.
16:47So I prioritize them when I'm not at the racetrack or getting prepared for a race.
16:51Yes, absolutely.
16:53So Sonya, let's talk to you a little bit about that.
16:54You're on the road, right?
16:55Just as he is as well.
16:57And so what is important to you too during the off season?
17:00Like, what do you do when you're not out there on the track?
17:09It's always something behind the scenes.
17:12There's never an off season.
17:14You know, I agree with that.
17:16You know, a lot of people always say when we're not racing, right?
17:19Those couple of months that we're not, you know, they're always like, well, what do you guys do?
17:22Nothing?
17:22You guys on vacation or is it quiet?
17:24No, we're getting prepared or we're taking just a little time to get prepared for the next season.
17:29Well, tell us, what do you like to do then for fun?
17:31What's the fun thing that you like to do when you're not out there on the track following LeVar around?
17:37So if I'm not at the track following LeVar around, one of my other kids definitely has an event or
17:43something they would like to do.
17:45So I definitely find something else, you know, fun to do.
17:48Yes, absolutely.
17:50Absolutely.
17:50And Samantha, talk to us too as well.
17:52You know, as you're thinking about the importance of off the track, I mean, you and I have talked about
17:56this quite a bit of, you know, just the exposure, experiences, brand, all of those types of things.
18:01What is it that you're doing when we're not on the track and, you know, to ensure not only Raj
18:06is prepared, but the Carruth family is prepared as well?
18:10Absolutely.
18:10LeVar mentioned that he's in the gym every day and they're physically training and mentally training and preparing.
18:16So there's so much that goes into it, including media and conversations and interviews, raising the visibility of the sport
18:25and showing that there are black men in the sport.
18:27You know, Samantha, again, Raj is technically just getting started.
18:31I mean, he has been doing so great.
18:33Not actually, but he really is.
18:35And you know that he has so far to go.
18:38And so as you think about, you know, where he is currently and then where he's going, talk to us
18:44a little bit about just what would you like to see in regards to his legacy and his accomplishments?
18:49What makes you the most proud around those things?
18:51I think the legacy is showing up, putting in the best work, giving it your all every day and whatever
18:59the results.
19:00You can be proud of that when you put your head on the pillow at night.
19:02What would that be for you?
19:05For LeVar's legacy, I would hope people just remember him as being hardworking with a never giving up attitude, positive.
19:18I love that.
19:19LeVar, you get the final word.
19:20When you think about your legacy and your accomplishments, what would that be?
19:24What would that mean for you?
19:25I would second that.
19:26I would definitely say, you know, hardworking and, you know, someone that, you know, tried to maximize every opportunity that
19:32was put in front of me on and off the racetrack.
19:34You know, there's a lot of things that I'm trying to get involved in.
19:37You know, obviously, you know, racing comes first.
19:39I want to be a NASCAR Cup Series champion one day.
19:41And, you know, I work hard every day, you know, inside the gym, the simulator and, you know, inside my
19:46shop to make it happen.
19:47But even outside the track, things I do, I try to maximize that as well.
19:50So just someone that, you know, for opportunities there, you know, someone's going to go there and work hard and
19:54maximize it.
19:55I love it.
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