Caesar Bacarella Partners with Tommy Joe Martins to form Alpha Prime Racing, Signs Rajah Caruth to Part-Time Xfinity Deal

FROM ALPHA PRIME RACING: Caesar Bacarella is partnering with Tommy Joe Martins to form a new NASCAR Xfinity Series team in 2022. Beginning next season, Martins Motorsports will become Alpha Prime Racing.

The team’s first driver signing: ARCA standout Rajah Caruth.

The news comes just weeks after Martins Motorsports Owner/Driver Tommy Joe Martins announced he wouldn’t compete full time in the 44 car next season, opening up the seat to other potential drivers. For Alpha Prime CEO and NASCAR Xfinity Series part-timer Caesar Bacarella, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

“I want to build something,” Bacarella said. “I love this sport. That’s why I do it.” Caesar continued, “I’ve known Tommy and his dad since 2018, and when I saw the news about them going part time, I started asking questions. It led to a discussion about ownership, which is something I’d already been thinking about.”

Martins shares the excitement with his new co-owner.

“Caesar is such a great dude,” Martins said. “He actually called me asking about what would it take to start a team. I told him a whole lot,” Martins laughed.

“I mentioned my dad and Rodney [Riessen, co-owner of MMS] wanting to take a step back and proposed the idea of a partnership,” Martins continued. “It’s a perfect situation for both of us. He brings so much business knowledge and marketing savvy to the table for us, and obviously I’ve been through the school of hard knocks racing wise. I think we complement each other really well.”

The first order of business for APR? Filling out the driver roster for the 2022 schedule. Baccarella will run a limited Xfinity schedule while competing for a Lamborghini Blancpain World Challenge America GT3 championship with TR3 Racing. Martins expects to run between 10-15 races for the team. But both owners seem to be most excited about their new prospect, Rajah Caruth.

“Rajah is the future for us,” Martins said. “I’ve had the privilege of getting to know him and his dad, Roger, over the last few months and they are exactly the type of people we want to be a part of Alpha Prime Racing. Rajah has his whole career in front of him. I’m just honored they trust us to be one of his first steps.”

Bacarella was more matter of fact about the young driver.

“He’s going to be a star,” Caesar said. “No question about it.”

Rajah’s confirmed schedule in the 44 car includes Martinsville Speedway, Dover International Speedway, and Richmond Raceway. Martins left the door open to additional races for the young driver at Pocono Raceway and Kansas Speedway pending additional sponsorship. A focus of the schedule is maintaining Rajah’s rookie status in the Xfinity Series heading into the 2023 season.

“I’m extremely honored to have the opportunity to continue my progression as both a racer and a young man in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2022 with Tommy, Caesar, and Alpha Prime Racing,” Caruth said. I’ve had the great fortune of having such great people surrounding me thus far in my career, and i’m ecstatic to add some more to that circle with APR.”

Caruth, 19, has been a member of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program since 2018. He currently competes full time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing where he’s scored four top 10’s and two top 5’s in six starts. He’s also competed part time in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly series scoring wins at Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway this year.

“2021 has been a great season for us at Rev Racing in both the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and the ARCA Menards East,” Caruth said. “I’m excited to finish out our year stoutly.”

Martins currently sits 18th in the NASCAR Xfinity Driver standings with four top-15’s and thirteen top-20 finishes in 22 starts. According to Bacarella, the strong performance of the small family team is what drew him in.

“They’ve been running so good,’ Caesar said. “I mean, they’re fast every week. They’ve got great people. They’re doing it the right way. That’s what I want Alpha Prime Racing to be. I want to help take it to the next level.”

Alongside making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut next year, Caruth will also jump up to the ARCA Menards Series with Rev Racing full-time in 2022.

Sanchez and Caruth look to tackle Milwaukee Mile race in-tandem

August 24, 2021 

Concord, NC – NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development Drivers Nick Sanchez, driver of the No. 2 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet, and Rajah Caruth, driver of the No. 6 NTI/UTI Chevrolet, will head to the Milwaukee Mile in the second ARCA Menards Series combination race of the year.

In the last ARCA combination race at Iowa Speedway, Sanchez and Caruth showed their strong chemistry, drafting with each other and trading positions throughout the entirety of the 150 laps. The duo came home P5 and P9, respectively. 

Going into Milwaukee, Sanchez and Caruth have been preparing in their own ways.

“Even though we are teammates, Rajah and I really do our own things when it comes to preparation. But, we do communicate with each other just so that we are on the same page come race day. That’s why we are so good together.”

Caruth feels the same.

“We race very hard on the race track, and we always do a good job of communicating with each other on and off the track. It also helps that we are friends, too.”

Sanchez, who races in the ARCA Menards Series, has been having a near-spectacular rookie season full of Top-10 and Top-5 streaks. But, there’s one thing preventing his “near-spectacular” season from being a “spectacular” season: a win.

And Sanchez is the hungriest he’s ever been for one.

“We’ve been picking up a lot of speed since Winchester, partly because of how we build our cars at the shop, and the decisions we make at the track. It’s nice to be running P3 and P2 at these recent races, but I want to win. This team wants to win. But there’s one car in our way every race, and in order to beat [him], we have to execute our races flawlessly from start to finish.

And I think we are very close to doing so.”

On the contrary, Caruth, who races in the ARCA Menards Series East—one step below Sanchez—has not had an ARCA race since that very race at Iowa. But Caruth is unphased. 

“Milwaukee is a new race track for the both of us, so I’m extremely excited. It will be really awesome to see not one, but two Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolets running up front.”

With only one race left this year after Milwaukee, Caruth has had some thoughts on his rookie season in the ARCA Menards Series East.

“At the beginning of the year, I was cautious. I had to learn a lot going into my rookie year in ARCA. But, I think we had some shining moments this season. Really, I just want to finish strong in the points and prepare myself for next year. As for next year…well, you’ll see soon.”

Before heading to the race, Sanchez and Caruth will stop by Sprecher Brewing Company to partake in a brewery tour and meet with Sharad Chadha, Sprecher’s CEO.

On August 29th, Nick Sanchez, Rajah Caruth, and Rev Racing will race at the historic Milwaukee Mile in the Sprecher 150. Practice will begin at 10 a.m. CT, with qualifying at 11:30 a.m. CT. The race will air on MAVTV and Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold, with a radio broadcast on MRN and SiriusXM at 2 p.m. CT. 

About Rev Racing: Rev Racing seeks to obtain the highest quality applicants representing diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. Started by Max Siegel in 2009, Rev Racing manages the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program. Rev Racing currently operates and manages drivers in the ARCA Menards Series East, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and a youth racing initiative.

Sanchez bounces back big at Watkins Glen, hopes momentum will take him to victory lane at Michigan

August 19, 2021 

Concord, NC – NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development Driver Nick Sanchez, driver of the No. 2 Max Siegel Incorporated Chevrolet for Rev Racing, heads to Michigan in hopes of reaching victory lane, and to pay homage to America’s rich racing history.

After a tough wreck at Winchester Speedway cost him a shot at the win, Sanchez rebounded at Watkins Glen with a P8 finish—his tenth Top-10 finish of the year. Now heading into Michigan, Sanchez is still as optimistic as ever (if not more so) about nabbing his first win.

“Racing at Michigan will be such a cool experience. I don’t think I have ever been on a track quite like this, honestly. There will be a lot more on-throttle time compared to Kansas and Charlotte, and aerodynamics will play a big role in the outcome of the race for sure. And, a track like this provides very many opportunities for great restarts and lots of hard battles. If we capitalize on those opportunities, we could bring Max Siegel his first ever ARCA Menards Series win.”

Even more exciting for Sanchez and the team is the fact that Sanchez will be racing in a brand-new car with brand-new equipment.

“The guys in the shop have put together some fantastic cars. We’ve been able to go toe-to-toe with all of the championship contenders and we have shown consistent speed. And now that we have some brand new equipment going into the race at Michigan? I’m really excited to see what we can do.”

But it’s not all business for Sanchez this weekend. Prior to his race at Michigan, Sanchez and fellow teammate and friend Rajah Caruth will visit The Henry Ford Museum to talk with media members, compete against them and museum staff on racing simulators, and then take a guided tour of the museum’s new permanent motorsports exhibit, Driven to Win: Racing in America, presented by General Motors.

“Funny enough, my dad and I actually collect cars on the side, so I’ll probably feel right at home at this museum!”, says Sanchez. “I know Rajah and I are definitely excited to learn about the rich automotive history of Detroit.”

On August 20th, Nick Sanchez and Rev Racing will head to Michigan International Speedway to race in the Henry Ford Health System 200. Practice will begin at 4 p.m. ET, followed by an autograph session at 5:15 p.m. ET. The race will air on MAVTV and Trackpass on NBC Sports Gold, with a radio broadcast on MRN and SiriusXM at 6 p.m. ET. 

Sanchez looking forward to bouncing back at Watkins Glen after a tough finish at Winchester

August 5, 2021

Concord, NC – Rev Racing NASCAR Drive for Diversity Development Driver Nick Sanchez, driver of the No. 2 Max Siegel Incorporated Chevrolet will head to Watkins Glen to bounce back after a difficult finish at Winchester. 

Going into Watkins Glen, Sanchez has six Top 5’s on the season, including one at The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the only other road course race of the ARCA Menards Series season. Sanchez was also on a nine-race Top 10 streak and was 96-points behind Ty Gibbs for the championship points lead going into Winchester. At Winchester, Sanchez showed P1 speed in qualifying, and even went toe-to-toe with Gibbs and fellow championship points contender Corey Heim early in the race just before a mechanical issue sent him into the wall around Lap 35. While the damage from that collision was not day-ending, getting collected in a wreck involving Taylor Grey and Daniel Dye was. Sanchez dove down low to avoid the wrecking cars, but was clipped on the right rear corner panel by Dye, sending him backwards-first into the Turn 1 wall at a a dangerously high speed.

Sanchez walked away from the injury unharmed, but devastated that his career day had come to an end.

“We got caught in someone else’s mess, really”, said Sanchez, speaking to Trackpass reporter Dave Reiff. “I’m just thankful for my team, they build really safe race cars. We’ll come back stronger.”

Sanchez knows his time to get a win this season is running out, but despite all of this, his positivity and optimism remains unchanged.

“Out of every race weekend this year, I think this was our actual first legitimate shot to contend for the victory. Knowing that we had that opportunity, I don’t think I could have been any happier with how the weekend turned out. Hopefully this is a building block for us in these final 8 races.”

Like his race at The Mid Ohio Sports Car Course, this will be the first time Sanchez has ever raced on this course, but he is not phased.

“I feel like if we have a car with speed, everything else will take care of itself. I like road racing, it’s where I started racing on go-karts. So, it’s something I know well, just not in a big stock car. This is a race I have been looking forward to, and am ready for.”

On August 6th, Nick Sanchez and Rev Racing will head to historic Watkins Glen International to race in the Clean Harbors 100 at The Glen. Qualifying will begin at 3:15 p.m. ET, followed by an autograph session at 5:15 p.m. ET. The race will air on FS1 and Fox Sports Go, with a radio broadcast on MRN and SiriusXM at 6 p.m. ET.