Gio Ruggiero had never raced in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series before this season’s opener at Daytona International Raceway. Now, the driver of the No. 17 Tricon Garage Toyota can add “race winner” to his growing resume.
When the checkered flag waved over Talladega Superspeedway on Friday afternoon for green/white/checkered finish, it was Ruggerio holding off a hard charging and stage-point hungry pack of competitors for the win. It was his first NCTS victory in 23 starts.
And, he did it in dominating fashion by earning the Pole Award, winning Stage 2 and leading six times for a race high 57 laps around the 2.66-mile trioval. Being that Ruggiero is a non-playoff driver means none of the Round of 8 drivers were able to race their way into the Championship 4. That leaves three positions open as the R8 ends at Martinsville Speedway next weekend.
Ruggiero Relishes First Win with Family in Attendance
“It feels great, I am so thankful to be here,” Ruggiero said in Victory Lane. “Super thankful for all the guys on the No. 17 Truck. They work their ass off and we brough the best piece today. It feels great.
“We showed it in qualifying and throughout the race there. We had the fastest piece. Thanks to everyone at Toyota and everyone who supports me. It was great to win a race with my mom and dad here, as well.
“It’s a great accomplishment. We’ve been working so hard at this all year and to win in my rookie season like this is awesome, especially with the last couple weeks with the top-five’s and top-three’s we’ve had.”
The 22-year-old native of Seekonk, MA was followed across the stripe by Tricon Garage teammate and championship contender Corey Heim. This was Tricon’s seventh win in the last nine NCTS races, with Heim earning the other six.
On Lap 83, race leaders Ben Rhodes and Luke Fenhaus spun from the front into the backstretch infield. The field went by as the caution flag came out on Lap 84 instead of the white flag, as scheduled. This set up a GWC finish with Ruggerio reclaiming the lead and holding on until the checkers waved on Lap 90.
Rounding out the top 10 were Ty Majeski, Dawson Sutton, contender Layne Riggs, Tyler Ankrum, Matt Crafton, Corey LaJoie, contenders Rajah Caruth and Kaden Honeycutt.
Riggs Endures Rough Path to Top Five
Layne Riggs and the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford team took an arduous path to their fifth-place finish.
After qualifying, the team was caught by NASCAR officials making an illegal adjustment to their Ford. This resulted in starting last in the 36-Truck field. Also, it will affect them at Martinsville next weekend as pit stall selections are based off qualifying at Talladega.
Then, during the race, Riggs and the No. 38 Ford of Chandler Smith made contact resulting in a tire rub for Riggs. This resulted in a tire going down forcing Riggs down pit road. The team made multiple stops for repairs throughout the race to keep their driver in the Playoff hunt.
“We had the speed to run in front all day,” Riggs said post-race. “That early incident with the No. 38 was just a bad push. He was trying to help me all he could. And I really thought we could get some good points in stage two until the left front tire went down. But, thankfully the caution came out right after that.
“I feel like we had the speed to grab stage points for sure, but in the end a fifth-place finish. So we’re not in a great spot, but also not in a bad spot.”
Playoff Picture
Martinsville is the last chance for Round of 8 drivers to make it into the championship-deciding race at Phoenix Raceway.
Heim, by virtue of his win at the Charlotte Roval, is locked in already. Caruth is 14 markers above the Cut Line, Ankrum eight and Honeycutt is five. Looking up is Ty Majeski by five markers, Riggs by six, Daniel Hemric by 32 and Grant Enfinger trails by 40 points.
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