Gio Ruggiero will return for another season with TRICON Garage, giving him another chance to keep building after the team confirmed he will return to the No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for the 2027 NASCAR Truck Series campaign. The contract extension announced Wednesday keeps the Massachusetts driver in familiar surroundings for a third full-time season, giving him continuity as he works toward turning contention into a championship-level run.
However, timing matters most. Ruggiero heads into the final three races of 2026 seventh in the championship standings, and his first Chase appearance marks a step forward from his rookie campaign. Through 22 races this season, he has recorded four top-five finishes and 11 top-10 results. He has also led 59 laps, while his average finish stands at 12.27, according to NASCAR’s season statistics. Those numbers point to a driver who has stayed involved over a long schedule, even as he continues searching for his first win of the year.
Yet Ruggiero’s return also gives TRICON a known quantity in one of its Toyota entries. He joined the organization full-time in 2025 after competing in the ARCA Menards Series East, making the jump from late-model and ARCA racing into the Truck Series at a young age. The transition brought an obvious learning curve, but the No. 17 team broke through well before the season ended.
The moment he had been waiting for came at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2025, when Ruggiero earned his first Truck Series victory. He finished his rookie season with seven top-five finishes and 11 top-10s, claimed two poles and placed 11th in the final standings. He also earned the series’ Rookie of the Year honor, marking a strong first year at this level. The win proved he could convert opportunity into results, while his consistency gave him a base to build from.
This season has presented a different challenge. Ruggiero hasn’t returned to victory lane yet, but his four top-fives and 11 top-10s have put him in the postseason conversation and kept him seventh in points. His second-place finish at Daytona to open the year was his best result of 2026 so far. With Talladega next on the schedule, he returns to the track where he scored his breakthrough win, giving him a timely chance to add momentum to consistency as the laps wound down.
The extension settles one piece of TRICON’s 2027 plans, while the final details of Ruggiero’s program remain to be determined. The team has not announced a crew chief pairing for next season. The plan is clear: Ruggiero will continue developing in the No. 17, with another full campaign to turn experience into stronger results.
A third season offers more than a familiar number on the door. Ruggiero will enter 2027 with a Truck Series win already secured, a postseason appearance behind him, and two years of experience with the same organization. The next step is making that foundation count more often, and TRICON has given him the chance to do it.
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