Background <p>Recovery management checkups done in primary care settings (RMC-PCs) can be an effective intervention to link individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) to treatment and help them stay engaged with treatment. There is reason to question, however, whether RMC-PCs are as effective for those who have been recently incarcerated or for those holding a minoritized racial identity, such as people of color.</p> Methods <p>We examined data from a United States-based randomized controlled trial of RMC-PCs compared to a control condition among primary care patients with SUDs (<i>N</i> = 266).</p> Results <p>Multilevel analyses of 4-wave data (3, 6, 9, and 12 months after baseline) indicated that RMC-PCs were more effective than the control condition, especially early in the 12-month study period. The relative effectiveness of RMC-PCs was stronger, however, for participants with fewer days in jail just prior to baseline as well as for White participants (versus participants of color).</p> Conclusions <p>These findings suggest the utility of examining potential mediators of these moderated effects in future research as well as tailoring SUD interventions to better meet the needs of these populations.</p> Trial registration <p>ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03746756).</p>