The Joe Gibbs Racing lineup will feature a new driver for select races in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series.
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According to a press release, Gio Ruggiero will join Joe Gibbs Racing while expanding his schedule. Ruggiero will drive the No. 19 Toyota GR Supra during the season-opening O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona International Speedway. He will then return to the entry the following week at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta).
The race at Daytona will mark the reigning Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year's debut in the secondary NASCAR series.
Additionally, Ruggiero will compete in six ARCA Menards Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will drive the No. 18 Toyota Camry, starting at Daytona International Speedway.
Ruggiero made two ARCA starts for Joe Gibbs Racing last season. He finished fourth at Michigan International Speedway and second at Kansas Speedway while leading a combined 109 laps.
"Last season gave me a great opportunity to get my feet wet with the team, and I am excited to be able to have my debut with the winningest team in the series," Ruggiero said. "Going into this season, I feel more prepared than ever, and I'm excited to see what we can accomplish.
"This opportunity allows me to gain valuable experience on the mile-and-a-half and superspeedways, which I can then apply to the Truck Series. I also have so much fun driving the ARCA cars, and I can't wait to put the No. 18 up front again."
The starts for JGR will put Ruggiero into an interesting situation during the trip to Daytona International Speedway. He will pull triple duty during the superspeedway weekend as he will also kick off his second full-time season with Tricon Garage.
Ruggiero drove the No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro last season for Tricon Garage. He won his first career race at Talladega Superspeedway, and he posted seven total top-five finishes in 25 starts.
