 Initially given to the Rookie of the Year, it was rededicated to honor his spirit and determination, shown in winning the Silver Crown championship in the year of his death from cancer.Caruthers died of cancer at the age of 30 only a month after competing in his final Championship Car race.He had received cobalt treatment (an early form of chemotherapy) in the winter of 1974-1975 in order to return to racing for the 1975 season.