Gio Ruggiero joins TRICON Garage for 2025 NASCAR Truck Series season

TRICON Garage announced that Gio Ruggiero will drive the No. 17 truck full-time during the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series season.

[autotag]Gio Ruggiero[/autotag] is taking a step to the next level in NASCAR. On Monday morning, [autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] announced that Ruggiero will drive the No. 17 truck full-time during the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series season. TRICON Garage needed to replace Taylor Gray, who is moving to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time at Joe Gibbs Racing.

The 18-year-old driver is regarded as one of Toyota’s top NASCAR prospects and now earns an opportunity with the manufacturer’s best Truck Series organization. Ruggiero has never driven in NASCAR’s top 3 levels, and doesn’t have much experience. Over the last two seasons, Ruggiero has 23 ARCA starts across three different levels.

TRICON Garage’s decision may seem like a surprise, but it’s clear that Toyota thinks highly of Ruggiero. In his 10 ARCA Menards Series starts, he has seven top-5 finishes and nine top-10 finishes. Ruggiero may take some time to develop in the Truck Series, but his future is expected to be really bright at TRICON Garage moving forward.

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Toni Breidinger joins TRICON Garage full-time in NASCAR Truck Series for 2025

TRICON Garage announced that Toni Breidinger will drive the No. 5 truck full-time during the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series season.

[autotag]Toni Breidinger[/autotag] has found a home in NASCAR for the 2025 season. On Tuesday morning, [autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] announced that Breidinger will drive the No. 5 truck full-time during the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series season. The 25-year-old driver has made four starts for TRICON Garage over the last two seasons, with a best finish of 15th place at Kansas Speedway in May 2023.

Breidinger will replace Dean Thompson, who has been linked to the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2025 season. In 2024, Breidinger drove full-time for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Menards Series and finished the season with a best finish of sixth place and 11 top-10 finishes in 20 races. It was a disappointing season for Breidinger after failing to finish in the top-5 spots.

Now, the former ARCA Menards Series driver finally has a full-time ride in the top 3 levels of NASCAR starting in 2025. Breidinger will bring TRICON Garage sponsorship from Raising Caneā€™s, Celsius, and Sunoco. It has been a long journey for Breidinger, but she has finally accomplished one major goal. She will be a full-time driver in NASCAR starting next year.

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Breidinger moves to Trucks full-time with TRICON Garage

Toni Breidinger will race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series in 2025, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage. Breidlinger will race with sponsorship from long-time partners Raising Cane’s, CELSIUS and Sunoco, alongside Corey …

Toni Breidinger will race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series in 2025, driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage.

Breidlinger will race with sponsorship from long-time partners Raising Caneā€™s, CELSIUS and Sunoco, alongside Corey Heim and Tanner Gray. Her move to the Truck series full-time comes after she made four starts in the series over the last two seasons. She took 15th in her first start at Kansas in 2023, in what was the best debut performance for a female driver in the NASCAR Truck series.

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ā€œRacing full-time with TRICON is a dream for me,ā€ said Breidinger. ā€œItā€™s been a 15 year process to get here, but Iā€™m so excited for this moment and ready to capitalize on it.

ā€œI wouldnā€™t have this opportunity if it wasnā€™t for Toyota, Raising Caneā€™s, CELSIUS, and Sunoco. Iā€™m beyond grateful to have these partners and team in my corner to take this next step in my career.ā€

The San Francisco native moves to Trucks with 65 starts in the ARCA Menards Series under her belt. She finished fourth in the 2024 standings with 11 top 10s and a best result of sixth ā€“ which she achieved twice ā€“ for Venturini Motorsports. Between 2018 and 2024, Breidinger achieved four top-five finishes and a further 23 top-10 results, including 10th on her debut at Toledo Speedway, in the ARCA Menards Series.

Before racing in Trucks, Breidinger was recognized at the Drive for Diversity Awards in 2021 with the Developmental Series Driver Award as the first Arab-American woman to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event.

Corey Heim returns to TRICON Garage in NASCAR Truck Series for 2025

Corey Heim will return to the No. 11 truck for TRICON Garage in the NASCAR Truck Series during the 2025 season.

[autotag]Corey Heim[/autotag] is returning to the NASCAR Truck Series for his third full-time season. On Thursday morning, [autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] announced that Heim will drive the No. 11 truck for the organization during the 2025 season. The TRICON Garage driver has six wins in 2024 and will compete for his first Truck Series championship at Phoenix Raceway this weekend.

Heim has been the class of the Truck Series field alongside Christian Eckes, who will move to Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series next year. Without Eckes’ presence, Heim could be poised to win a significant amount of races in 2025 as the clear leader of the series. Overall, Heim has 11 wins in 63 career starts, which is a 17.5 win percentage.

NASCAR silly season is beginning to take the focus with 2024 almost over, but Heim’s future is now secured. It will be interesting to see who can step up in Eckes’ absence to challenge Heim, as the drivers have a combined 10 wins in 2024. Heim will go into 2025 hoping to defend a Truck Series championship that he wants to win at Phoenix to close out 2024.

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Heim unfazed by rain and dominates Truck Series at Pocono

Corey Heim earned his series’ best fifth victory of the season in Friday evening’s rain-interrupted CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The 21-year old swept both stages and led 55 of the 70 laps to add to his trophy total, but he had to …

Corey Heim earned his seriesā€™ best fifth victory of the season in Friday eveningā€™s rain-interrupted CRC Brakleen 175 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The 21-year old swept both stages and led 55 of the 70 laps to add to his trophy total, but he had to battle competitors and climate for this win.

The Georgianā€™s No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota led Grant Enfingerā€™s Chevrolet across the finish line by 0.867s to take his 10th career victory ā€“ quickly re-establishing himself as the race leader ā€“ again ā€“ on the final re-start with three laps remaining.

 

ā€œIt started from the very beginning; weā€™ve had such a close bond,ā€™ā€™ Heim said of his strong working relationship with crew chief Scott Zippidelli and the career-best single season win mark.

ā€œWeek in and week out, so proud of these guys; canā€™t say enough about them,ā€™ā€™ Heim said.

Rain drops covered the windshields of the trucks ā€“ particularly in Turn 2 of the 2.5-mile Pocono track ā€“ and eventually brought out a caution flag for weather with only nine laps remaining in the race. After parking on pit road for just over 10 minutes of red-flag stoppage, the field returned to the track for a lap only to come back down pit road again as the rain got heavier with seven laps remaining.

Not surprisingly Heim immediately told his crew the rain was substantial. Enfinger, who was 2.2s behind Heim at the time of the initial red flag, was optimistic it was going to be a brief shower. NASCAR had already determined before the green flag that the race would be official no matter the circumstance at 8:20 p.m. ET ā€“ approximately one hour and 10 minutes after the first red flag waved Friday evening.

But the sun shone on the restart allowing enough laps to complete the race ā€“ a light rain beginning again during driverā€™s post-race interviews.

Enfingerā€™s second-place finish equals his best mark of the year ā€“ also at North Wilkesboro, N.C. ā€“ and certainly helped solidify the CR7 Motorsports driverā€™s position in the Playoff standings. He is seventh place with only two races remaining before the 2024 Playoffs begin Aug. 25 at the Milwaukee Mile Speedway.

McAnally Hilgemannā€™s Christian Eckes finished third, followed by TRICON Garageā€™s Taylor Gray and NASCAR Cup Series regular Ross Chastain, driving for Niece Motorsports.

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The closing laps featured close racing up front with many among the lead pack having to be conscious about saving fuel ā€“ a variable then made moot with the rain stoppage. Heim was trying to hold off the hard-charging, highly-motivated veteran Enfinger, who was racing for his first win of the season while Eckes had to hold off Chastain for third place.

The pole-winner Eckes led the raceā€™s opening 11 laps in the No. 19 McAnally Hilgemann Chevy and finished second to race-winner Heim in both stages. A slow pit stop during the second stage break forced Eckes to play catch-up. He restarted 10th but was up to fourth place within five laps and continued to move forward.

He rallied to that ultimate third-place showing giving him a series best 12-race streak of top-10 finishes and he still holds a 32-point edge on Heim for the regular season championship.

The first caution flag for a race incident came out with 26 laps remaining when Rajah Caruth spun on track. At the time Heim led Chastain by almost 3s . As the trucks drove under caution, drivers were alerted that rain was imminent, so the front-runners did not pit.

Chase Purdy, Stewart Friesen, Matt Crafton, Dean Thompson and Caruth rounded out the top 10.

With only two races remaining to set the 10-driver Playoff field, Daniel Dye holds a single-point edge on Tanner Gray in that 10th position and a slight four-point advantage over Friesen.

Only four full-time series drivers have won this season to claim automatic Playoff berths including Heim, Eckes, Fridayā€™s 13th place finisher Nick Sanchez and Caruth.

The Craftsman Truck Series moves to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Fridayā€™s TSport 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ty Majeski won last yearā€™s race by more than 3s over Eckes. Championship leader Heim was eighth.

RESULTS

Brenden Queen to drive for TRICON Garage at North Wilkesboro

Brenden Queen will make his NASCAR Truck Series debut in the No. 1 truck for TRICON Garage at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

[autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] teased a prominent announcement on Thursday, which met expectations. On Friday morning, TRICON Garage announced that [autotag]Brenden Queen[/autotag] will drive the No. 1 truck in the NASCAR Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 18. It will be Queen’s debut in the Truck Series.

The 26-year-old driver, who goes by the nickname “Butterbean,” won four races in the CARS Tour last season before finishing second in the point standings. Queen’s truck will carry sponsorship from Best Repair Company at North Wilkesboro. This announcement comes after TRICON Garage hired Jack Hawksworth to drive the No. 1 truck at Circuit of the Americas.

Queen hopes his Truck Series debut goes well, as the No. 1 truck has proven to be good equipment. TRICON Garage has brought fast trucks to the race track to start the 2024 NASCAR season, which provides optimism toward his effort. Queen shouldn’t be expected to win the race, but a top-10 finish would be excellent for him.

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Jack Hawksworth joins TRICON Garage for Truck Series race at COTA

TRICON Garage announced on Monday morning that Jack Hawksworth will drive the No. 1 truck in the NASCAR Truck Seires race at COTA.

[autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] has landed a big-name driver ahead of the next NASCAR Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas. On Monday morning, TRICON Garage announced that [autotag]Jack Hawksworth[/autotag] will drive the No. 1 truck for the organization at Circuit of the Americas on March 23. Hawksworth is the reigning IMSA GTD PRO champion.

The 33-year-old driver is in his eighth season of full-time IMSA competition, with 11 wins, 25 podiums, and 10 poles. Hawksworth also has championships in the IMSA GTD Sprint Cup and GTD PRO categories. He was a full-time NTT IndyCar Series driver from 2014 to 2016, with one podium. Finally, Hawksworth has made one NASCAR Xfinity Series start with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2019.

This is a massive addition for TRICON Garage, as Hawksworth is a road course ace that should run well at Circuit of the Americas. The NASCAR organization has shown enough speed to suggest that he can compete if he adapts well. Hawksworth will make the Truck Series event more exciting and could come away with his first NASCAR victory.

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TRICON Garage’s 2023 NASCAR Truck Series season in review

TRICON Garage had a good year in the NASCAR Truck Series. Here, you can check out the NASCAR team’s 2023 season in review!

[autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag], formerly David Gilliland Racing, transitioned to Toyota’s flagship team in the NASCAR Truck Series for 2023, and it came with great success. Corey Heim made the Championship 4 and was arguably the best driver all year. Heim earned three victories but came up just short of a title due to incidents with Carson Hocevar in the season finale.

Outside of Heim, there actually wasn’t much success. Dean Thompson, Tanner Gray, and Taylor Gray failed to make the playoffs but ran very well on different occasions. There wasn’t enough consistent speed to make the playoffs on points or by a win. Overall, it was still a very good season for TRICON Garage.

In 2024, the organization should expect more of the same. Heim, Thompson, and the Gray brothers are all set to return, and they should build more momentum after a year of unknowns. TRICON Garage will only become better moving forward, and Heim could be the one to lead them to their first Truck Series championship.

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Taylor Gray returning to TRICON Garage in Truck Series for 2024

TRICON Garage announced on Friday morning that Taylor Gray will return to the No. 17 truck in the NASCAR Truck Series for 2024.

[autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] announced on Friday morning that [autotag]Taylor Gray[/autotag] will return to the organization in the NASCAR Truck Series for 2024. Gray drove the No. 17 truck alongside teammate and brother Tanner Gray for 20 races after missing the beginning of the season due to age restrictions. The 18-year-old driver finished the year with three top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes.

Gray has been close to victories before with the most notably coming in 2022 at Lucas Oil Raceway. The No. 17 truck was in front with two laps to go but former Kyle Busch Motorsports driver John Hunter Nemechek dumped him. Gray will have his brother Tanner, Dean Thompson, and Corey Heim as teammates in 2024. The status of the fifth entry has not been revealed yet.

Overall, this is a good move for Gray and TRICON Garage as the driver has been running very well for his age. Gray is only 18 years old and has shown that he has potential in NASCAR. Now, he will receive his first true full-time season behind the wheel after missing the first three races of 2023.

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Tanner Gray returning to TRICON Garage in Truck Series for 2024

TRICON Garage announced on Thursday afternoon that Tanner Gray will return to the No. 15 truck in the NASCAR Truck Series for 2024.

[autotag]TRICON Garage[/autotag] announced on Thursday afternoon that [autotag]Tanner Gray[/autotag] will return to the No. 15 truck in 2024. Gray has been in the NASCAR Truck Series on a full-time basis since the beginning of the 2020 season and had one of his best years. In 2023, Gray had three top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes.

The driver of the No. 15 truck has not won a race in NASCAR yet. In his first three seasons, he drove for David Gilliland Racing, now known as TRICON Garage, and Ford. Gray has been working on becoming a better driver and another season with TRICON Garage should help. Especially alongside Corey Heim, who made the Championship 4.

Overall, this is a good move for both Gray and TRICON Garage. It doesn’t hurt to give the partnership another go and he will do so alongside his brother Taylor Gray. For now, Gray will focus on making the Truck Series playoffs for the first time, whether that be by a victory or on points alone in 2024.

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