The end of the Craftsman Truck Series season approaches, so teams are starting to provide updates about their respective driver lineups. Tricon Garage has joined in by announcing a contract extension for Gio Ruggiero.
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According to a Wednesday announcement, the Massachusetts native will be back in the No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for a third season. He will continue to compete full-time while pursuing more wins with the organization.
The No. 17 will look familiar in ‘27.
Gio Ruggiero will be back at TRICON for a third full-time campaign! 🤝 pic.twitter.com/oall22UqT6
— TRICON (@TRICONGarage) October 21, 2026
Tricon Garage has not provided any details about the crew that will work with Ruggiero in 2027. He had Jerame Donley as his crew chief in 2025 and Jeff Stankiewicz this season.
The 22-year-old first joined the Craftsman Truck Series lineup in 2025. He took over the No. 17 Toyota as Taylor Gray moved up to the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Ruggiero learned throughout his rookie season while posting 11 top-10 finishes, seven top-fives, and an average finish of 12.4. He won his first career race at Talladega Superspeedway during the fall. He missed the playoffs last season but ended the year 11th in the standings.
This season, Ruggiero has gone winless so far. He made it into the 10-team Chase by performing consistently, and he currently has 11 top-10 finishes and four top-fives in 22 races.
Prior to moving up to the Craftsman Truck Series, Ruggiero spent his time primarily competing in the ARCA Menards Series East.
He started all eight races while driving for Venturini Motorsports, and he finished third in the championship standings. He posted six top-10 finishes, five top-fives, and one win in the No. 20 Toyota.
The 22-year-old driver returned to the ARCA Menards Series on a part-time basis this season. He joined Joe Gibbs Racing for six starts in the No. 18 Toyota.
He scored wins at Daytona International Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, and Pocono Raceway. He posted top-five finishes at Talladega Superspeedway and in the return to Kansas Speedway.
