When Gio Ruggiero went NASCAR Craftsman Truck Sequence racing in 2025, he confronted an comprehensible studying curve — but nonetheless put up numbers. Simply over a yr later, the defending Rookie of the 12 months is a premier contender.
Ruggiero grew up in Seekonk, a Massachusetts suburb of Windfall, Rhode Island. He started racing at 11 on the famed Seekonk Speedway — a twice-a-year cease on the Whelen Modified Tour. However as an alternative of racing the bottom pounders, he drove Bandolero and Legend automobiles, ultimately touring throughout the Northeast earlier than first taking part in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Summer time Shootout. He then transitioned into Late Fashions, driving for Anthony Campi Racing in Florida earlier than transferring to North Carolina at simply 15 to additional pursue a racing profession.
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In 2023, Ruggiero signed with Toyota Racing Improvement and Wilson Motorsports, embarking on a brilliant late mannequin schedule. He gained the celebrated Winchester 400 that fall, establishing his debut within the ARCA Menards Sequence the subsequent yr.
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Ruggiero contested your entire East Sequence schedule in 2024, ending third in factors after successful the season opener at 5 Flags Speedway. He made a handful of further ARCA begins, ending second thrice.
Quickly after turning 18, Ruggiero had a full-time experience at Tricon Storage, piloting the workforce’s No. 17 Toyota. However he had made only one begin in any collection on ovals bigger than a mile.
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“It positively was the most important soar up to now in my profession, going from tremendous late mannequin racing proper to Vehicles,” Ruggiero informed NASCAR.com this week. “It was positively a brilliant huge studying deal for me, and had some rising pains as effectively to start out, however I believe what made it simpler was racing for Tricon and having a workforce with tremendous quick vans and actually good teammates.
“I had Corey [Heim] my first yr, which was nice to have him as a teammate and form of be capable to try to study from him. And actually the most important studying level for me for the mile-and-a-half stuff is simply the soiled air. It’s so robust at first making an attempt to determine learn how to arrange passes, and actually simply race craft is a lot completely different than short-track racing, in order that was the most important a part of the training curve for me, and I really feel like as soon as I figured that out, I positively had much more success and simply higher outcomes.”
Regardless of the steep adjustment, Ruggiero almost made the playoffs in his maiden marketing campaign. He completed the common season with three top-six finishes within the remaining 4 races however finally missed the postseason by simply 12 markers.
Two months later, Ruggiero wheeled to a win at Talladega Superspeedway, main 37 of 90 laps and bookending a stretch of three consecutive top-four outcomes. For somebody who had by no means raced within the draft earlier than 2025, he’s fairly good at it. He has two profession second-place Daytona finishes, in addition to a win within the ARCA race there this spring.
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And Ruggiero’s truthfully unsure why that’s a robust go well with.
“Our vans simply had a lot velocity on the superspeedways, and that made it so much simpler for me,” he mentioned. “You need to be cautiously aggressive, and I really feel like that’s one thing I used to be good ultimately yr, and simply being actually affected person on the superspeedways is vital. Simply beginning off within the vans, I used to be in all probability slightly bit extra timid than I’m now, and I believe that will have simply form of helped me on the superspeedways.”
Across the identical time as Ruggiero’s Talladega victory, Tricon added veteran crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz to the group’s competitors employees, later saying him as crew chief of the No. 17 Toyota. Ruggiero labored with Jerame Donley in 2025, with Donley transferring to the workforce’s No. 1 all-star truck for this season.
Stankiewicz beforehand served as shot-caller for Grant Enfinger, earlier than that working with Sheldon Creed in ARCA, Vehicles and the O’Reilly Auto Components Sequence. With Creed, he gained the 2020 Truck Sequence title.
gio ruggiero races within the craftsman truck collection
“[Tricon] felt like they have been eager to do one thing completely different with Gio, try to get a greater working relationship with him,” Stankiewicz informed NASCAR.com. “I didn’t actually know a complete lot about Gio when [competition director Matt Puccia] first introduced it to my consideration, and I form of did some analysis on him and seemed on the stats and was truthfully fairly impressed along with his rookie, first-year stats within the Truck Sequence.
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“It’s a studying curve. I received to maintain reminding myself that he’s solely 19 years previous, and he nonetheless has a protracted option to go. However he’s excelling actually quick, and I’m very impressed at how exhausting he works at this.”
Up to now, so good for the first-year pairing. By 11 races, Ruggiero has 4 high fives and 6 high 10s, rating fifth in factors and above former champions like Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes. However that also doesn’t inform the total story.
At Texas, Ruggiero drove from fourth to the lead earlier than a warning with three laps to go arrange an time beyond regulation restart. Carson Hocevar cleared him on the soar, however whereas battling three-wide for second on the ultimate lap, Ruggiero slid up the observe and plummeted outdoors the highest 10. Every week later at Watkins Glen, Ruggiero was penalized for leaping a restart from the lead, with confirming afterward he mustn’t have been penalized. At Dover, a flat tire derailed a possible top-five effort.
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“Simply actually need to complete these races off, decrease errors and simply execute a superb day throughout from all views,” Ruggiero mentioned. “Generally that’s simply the way in which it goes in racing. You lose some that it’s best to have gained, and typically you’ll run right into a win [where you] shouldn’t have gained the race. The best way that I take a look at it, I’ve all the time form of had this analysis of it, however for those who’re going to win three races, you in all probability ought to have been in rivalry for 5 – 6 of them to get that three. That’s simply how racing works. There’s all the time a lot that would go unsuitable or proper, and you really want to have velocity a number of occasions simply to get one win.”
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Ruggiero’s common begin is greater than 4 positions higher than final yr. His common operating place is up over two positions as effectively, good for third amongst collection regulars. He additionally ranks third in high quality passes and fourth in driver score.
Why the massive soar, and why proper now?
“Simply in all probability going again to the identical race tracks once more with notes,” Stankiewicz mentioned. “Him with the ability to return to that race observe, perceive the tendencies of the race observe, perceive the tendencies of the race automotive from the beginning of the race to the tip of the race, too, has been an enormous factor for him to grasp, what the tracks do once they take rubber.
“Once we unload and execute, we’ve got a possibility to run within the high 5 week in and week out … There’s slightly disappointment on the entrance we haven’t gained, however we additionally really feel very assured that we’re sustaining high 5 in factors, getting good stage factors, unloading with good velocity off the truck.”
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Stankiewicz believes the workforce isn’t removed from championship-caliber. Michigan Worldwide Speedway lies forward this Saturday (1:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), a spot the place Ruggiero contended and led laps final yr earlier than struggling harm in a late crash. Nevertheless it gained’t be till late September when the tailgaters return to intermediates. Two highway programs and a slew of quick ovals lie forward, together with his residence race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Regardless of the place the collection goes, Ruggiero’s confidence is evident. He’s hungry and trying to preserve constructing his meteoric — but presumably missed — rise in NASCAR.
“The competitors and the collection is so robust, which is why I really like the Truck Sequence,” Ruggiero mentioned. “I actually like racing with all of the Cup guys and I really feel like I’ve realized so much simply actually final yr, however as effectively within the first few races this yr racing with Cup guys and simply racing up entrance for the win a pair occasions for the lead of those races has taught me so much.
“I’ve a brilliant huge drive to succeed and win, which I really feel like lots of people do have, but additionally not as many as you might suppose have the dedication that I really feel.”
