TOYOTA RACING – Gio Ruggiero
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Quotes
CHARLOTTE (September 15, 2026) – TRICON Garage driver Gio Ruggiero was made available to the media on Tuesday as part of the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Chase Media Day.
GIO RUGGIERO, No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Who are you leaning on with this being your first Chase experience?
“I feel like someone I could lean on is Corey Heim a little bit. I can get some tips and advice from him, especially going into these next couple races, really good tracks for him in the past. So, having him as a part-time teammate at TRICON is really good. Obviously, he’s got a lot of experience, and he definitely knows what he’s doing. So, it’s good to have someone like that to look up to for advice.”
Where do you feel like your group is overall right now?
“Yeah, I feel like we’re in a good spot. Like you said, obviously would have liked to have a win, or two or three by now. I feel like we’ve had a lot of speed and had some really good opportunities to do that but just haven’t been able to close it off. So, I feel like heading into this Chase, just need to have a little bit better execution at the end of races and keep bringing fast trucks and we’re going to be in a really good spot. We have to keep having the consistency of being top five with speed and the rest will kind of come to me.”
What kind of advice have you gotten so far?
“Yeah, I think two people that I look up to as well for advice is, obviously, my driver coaches – Trevor (Bayne, competition advisor, TRD) and Blake (Koch, competition advisor, TRD). They do a really good job helping me out and helping me prepare. I think just being calm, not overthinking anything, and just locking in on the execution like I was talking about earlier. We’ve had a lot of speed. I think the preparation is there on my part. Just ready to get after it. Just got to be there at the end of the races and make it happen when it comes down to the final few laps.”
Do you think you can get a win during the Chase? If so, which one suits you best?
“I feel like these last few tracks that we’ve got on the schedule are really strong for me, so I feel confident for all of them. I think that we have the chances and opportunity to win more than one race to close out this the end of the season here. Last year, I missed the Playoffs, and then these last few, eight or ten races last year, I was really strong, running in the top 5 and top 4 every week. I feel really good about it and I’m very confident and excited to get to the track this weekend at Bristol. I feel good. I think we can win Bristol. I think we can win Kansas and I think we can win Charlotte. Just got to execute at the end of the races and show up with good speed.”
How important is to be aware of the non-Chase drivers and not make enemies with them?
“I feel like you definitely can’t be stupid and getting a beef with somebody who’s obviously has nothing to lose. You just got to be aware of your surroundings, and even other drivers in the Chase. You don’t want to kind of have an argument early in the Chase and with many races left to go. I think racing your other competitors with respect, racing them hard, but not flat-out wrecking anybody is going to go a long way.”
Do you think Bristol is going to be a cutthroat type of race?
“That’s a good question. I don’t know. We’ve been off for a couple weeks now, and everybody’s hungry to get back out there and race, and starting up the Chase, everybody’s trying to make up those points now. I feel like it’s going to be a hectic race for sure. I think everybody’s going to race each other hard and restarts there are super important because it can be a hard track to pass at, if the bottom lane’s super gripped up. I think the restarts; you’re going to see some really good racing and hopefully not too many wrecks.”
What does the break between the last race and the start of the Chase do for a driver?
“I feel like having the time off has given me more time to prepare, not for Bristol, but for the upcoming races past it. So, I feel good about that. I’ve kind of had extra time to get prepared for the Chase and extra time in the simulator working on future tracks. But it does suck to not be in the seat. I got in a Super Late Model a couple weeks ago at Tri-County and ran some laps. Felt good about that. But yeah, I’m just super excited and hungry to get back in the truck this weekend.
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