In A Nutshell
It was only a matter of time before we saw Gio Ruggiero in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory lane.
Ruggiero scored his first career Truck Series victory on Friday (Oct. 17) at Talladega Superspeedway to cap off a career day where he also qualified on pole, won stage two and led more laps than anyone on the afternoon. Ruggiero held off a super late charge from TRICON Garage teammates Corey Heim to take the win.
Ruggiero is also the first rookie since Layne Riggs late last season to find victory lane. Riggs won Rookie of the Year honors last season, much like Ruggiero is set to do this season.
The Top Truckers at Talladega Superspeedway
Winner, Polesitter, Stage 2 Winner, Most Laps Led (37 of 90): Gio Ruggiero
Stage 1 Winner: Rajah Caruth
Fastest Lap (49.783 seconds, 192.355 mph): Ben Rhodes
Biggest Mover: Layne Riggs (started 35th, finished fifth)
Top Storylines of the Race
- Frankie Muniz returned to the track after missing the last four races due to a broken wrist from falling off a ladder. He was able to bring home a top 20 for his troubles. Muniz also told Frontstretch he will be racing next year for Ford, though the series, team and status (full-time or part-time) he will be racing is yet to be announced.
- Norm Benning’s engine blew late in the race, resulting in a scary fire engulfing his No. 6 truck. Benning climbed out of his truck under his own power but was assisted next to his burnt-up truck by emergency crews. Benning eventually was checked and released from the care center.
The Winning Move
For most of the final run after the Benning incident, Ruggiero sat third behind the ThorSport Racing teammates of Ben Rhodes and Luke Fenhaus. Ruggiero had help from two of his TRICON teammates in Heim and Tanner Gray. The trio seemed content with riding behind Rhodes and Fenhaus until the final few laps.
With less than five laps to go, the outside lane, then led by Corey LaJoie, got enough of a shove to allow Heim and Ruggiero to jump up in front of him, leaving Gray behind. As Fenhaus and Rhodes tried to cover the lanes, it all came to a head with two laps to go, when both ThorSport trucks went sideways off of turn 2.
Ruggiero and Heim then paired up again on the overtime restart, fending off the Spire Motorsports duo of LaJoie and Rajah Caruth as they hit the tri-oval. At that point, Heim got himself clear of the outside lane and tried to make a move, but Ruggiero blocked him all the way to the line to score career win No. 1.
Playoff Rundown
Ruggiero did not make the playoffs this season, so he becomes the first (and quite possibly the only) playoff upset of 2025. Additionally, no one new locked themselves into the Championship 4 on points.
As expected, Talladega did a number on the playoff drivers. It started on lap four when Grant Enfinger got turned in front of the field and collected heavy damage that ended his day.
Other playoff drivers who incurred some form of damage included Daniel Hemric (who also failed to finish), Ty Majeski and Riggs. Coincidentally, those four drivers are the four below the cut line entering the final race of the Round of 8.
Here’s a look at the standings heading into the last race to make the Championship 4. Hemric and Enfinger are in all but must-win territory, while Majeski and Riggs can still point their way in.
Rookie Report
Rookie of the Race: Is it even a question? Ruggiero had a career day at Talladega, winning the pole, winning stage two and leading 37 of the race’s 90 laps. In the process, Ruggiero officially clinched the 2025 Rookie of the Year Award. Without a doubt, the Massachusetts native is this week’s well-deserved Rookie of the Race.
No. 5 — Toni Breidinger* (33rd)
No. 17 — Gio Ruggiero* (winner)
No. 26 — Dawson Sutton* (fourth)
No. 33 — Frankie Muniz* (20th)
No. 35 — Greg Van Alst (25th)
No. 44 — Andres Perez* (17th)
No. 69 — Tyler Tomassi (27th)
No. 74 — Caleb Costner (35th)
No. 81 — Connor Mosack* (14th)
*Denotes 2025 Rookie of the Year Candidate
One Big Takeaway From This Race
As stated earlier, it was only a matter of time before Ruggiero broke through, especially with the dominant day that he had.
You know what they say: all it takes is one.
Ruggiero has consistently had the speed week in and week out, and he had done basically everything but find victory lane. Now he’s done that, and it feels like that might open the floodgates for driver No. 17.
If Ruggiero sticks around in the Truck Series next season (and I have no reason to believe he won’t), he might be a force to be reckoned with now that the monkey is off his back. And with teammate Heim (hopefully) moving up next season, that could leave a lane for Ruggiero to become the top dog at TRICON.
Interestingly, Ruggiero is only the second driver to win for the team under the TRICON banner behind Heim. The last time a driver not named Corey Heim won for the team, it was Ryan Preece in 2022 — that was back when the team was still called DGR-Crosley and fielded Fords instead of Toyotas.
Earlier in the season, I wrote a column about how TRICON has to start preparing for a world without Heim in it, as he will inevitably not be driving a truck at some point, maybe even as soon as next season.
With Ruggiero ending his season (almost) on a high note in victory lane, look for the 19-year-old to be dangerous in 2026.
Talkin’ Truckers
Riggs (fifth) and Kaden Honeycutt (10th) break down their chaotic afternoons:
LaJoie (eighth) talks about what more he needed to get his first career NASCAR win:
Caruth (ninth) frustrated with his finish after having a truck capable of winning:
JJ Yeley (13th) puts together a solid race in a surprise one-off with Spire:
Rhodes (16th) and Fenhaus (23rd) discuss what happened that led to both drivers spinning out of a potential win:
Benning (32nd) is okay after his scary engine failure and fire:
Hemric (34th) explains why a flat tire caused him to DNF due to the Damaged Vehicle Policy:
Enfinger (36th) details what happened in the lap four crash:
Paint Scheme of the Race
ThorSport Racing unveiled a new look No. 99 for Rhodes this week, announcing that he would be sponsored by TYM at the 2.66-mile speedway.
Bright red was the right choice to pair with TYM’s white logo and the hints of black smattered throughout the truck. What really sells this paint scheme is the red rims to really complete an eye-popping look for the two-time Truck Series champion.
Rhodes started seventh and finished 16th in this beaut after the late spin from the lead. Rhodes also scored the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.
Next Stop
One last chance to make the Championship 4.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Martinsville Speedway next Friday, Oct. 24, for the final race of the Round of 8. Christian Eckes won last year’s race, but as a full-time Xfinity Series driver in 2025, he will not defend his race win. Hemric won the spring race.
Coverage for the newly-renamed Slim Jim 200 at Martinsville Speedway begins at approximately 6 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 24. Television coverage remains on FOX Sports 1 (check your local listings) while the NASCAR Racing Network continues its exclusive season-long radio coverage of the Truck Series.
Follow @AnthonyDamcott on X.
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.