Raja Carruth makes his debut at Hendrick Motorsports –

Hendrick Motorsports has officially announced the addition of two more races to its Xfinity Series program.

The No. 17 Chevrolet Camaro carries the number ES.

And behind the wheel are two absolutely amazing drivers.

Veteran Boris Said will get a chance on the line.

The 61-year-old New Yorker has competed in a total of 149 races on the NASCAR national stage, two of which he finished in victory lane, in the form of the Truck Series at Sonoma in 1998 and the Xfinity round in 2010 at Montale.

He made his last NASCAR start at the 2022 Cup Series GP at EchoPark Texas at COTA, where he finished 26th in the MBM Motorsports #66 Ford.

Said – who was a long-time business partner of Rick Hendrick – achieved his real success in the world of sports cars. In 1997 and 1998, he won his class at the 24 Daytona, and in the latter year, he also finished first in his class at the 12 Hours of Sebring.

In 2005, he made history when he became the first American to win a one-day race at the Nürburgring.

Rookie Raja Carruth will take the HMS 17 to the field in Phoenix.

The 21-year-old from Georgia is currently completing a full season in trucks with GMS Racing, with his best results being sixth places at Darlington and Bristol. He also runs a part-time program at Xfinity. His best finish to date in the second division is 12th at the 2022 Dead on Tools 250 at Martinsville.

The primary sponsor of the car will remain HendrickCars.com.

After two decades, HMS last year brought back the No. 17, with which Ricky Hendrick, son of Ricky Hendrick, who died tragically in 2002, measured himself in the Truck Series, earning a single victory.

The competitor and businessman died two years later, at the age of 24, in a plane crash. Besides him, his uncle, his two nieces, his close friends and some business partners of HMS were also victims.

To date, Team Cup drivers have been included in the program without exception. Their best result is 2nd place thanks to Kyle Larson (2022 – Road America), Alex Bowman (2022 – IMS road) and William Byron (2023 – COTA).

However, they can now no longer rely on major class competitors, as according to the rules, full-time Cup drivers cannot enter organized rounds in the Xfinity Playoffs.