Days after her NASCAR announcement, Toni Breidinger gets a new teammate as Tricon Garage expands its Truck Series roster

After signing Toni Breidinger as a full-time driver, Tricon Garage has added Gio Ruggiero to their team. Ruggiero will partner with Breidinger in the No. 17 Toyota Tundra for the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

However, the upcoming NASCAR season won't be the first time that the two drivers race under the same team. This year, Toni Breidinger and Gio Ruggiero competed in the ARCA Menards Series with Venturini Motorsports, with the latter driver only entering 10 of the 20 races.

In a statement via NASCAR, Gio Ruggiero expressed gratitude on getting the full-time seat for 2025.

“I am super thankful to have the opportunity to run full-time with Tricon in 2025,” Ruggiero said. “I look forward to getting to work with all of the guys on the 17 team and contending for wins this season.

Meanwhile, Tricon partner David Gilliland said:

“Gio has shown a lot of promise in his young career, and we are super excited to welcome him into our program [...] Jumping into the Truck Series is no small feat, but Gio has proven that he adapts quickly, and we have no doubt that he will have a successful rookie season with us as he takes over the 17 truck.”

During the 2024 Arca Menards Series, Gio Ruggiero had seven top-5s and nine top-10s in 10 starts. Contrary to Toni Breidinger who had a full schedule, the 25-year-old Californian didn't score a top-5 finish but had 11 top-10s, enough to rank fourth in the overall standings.

While Ruggiero is set to drive the No. 17 Tricon Garage Toyota, Breidinger will pilot the No. 5 truck. Both drivers will make their debut as full-time drivers in the pickup truck-based racing series next year.

They will team up with Corey Heim (No. 11) and Tanner Gray (No. 15).

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Toni Breidinger shares her expectations as a rookie in 2025

Toni Breidinger opened up about her expectations as a rookie for the 2025 Truck Series season. She acknowledged the learning curve involved in transitioning from stock cars to stock pickup trucks.

Speaking with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X (formerly Twitter), the 25-year-old driver said:

“I mean, obviously trucks is that next step up, so there's going to be a learning curve to it. But I feel like running Daytona this year in the Truck Series, and the few starts I made last year, I kind of was able to get a feel for what to expect for next season if I were to run it full time."

She added that Tricon Garage and Toyota have been helping her prepare for the 2025 season.

"Talking to Toyota and Tricon, they really made me feel confident that they can help me prepare and kind of bridge the gap, the learning curve, in the off-season so I can feel super confident and ready to go once we hit for Daytona."

Toni Breidinger will make her Truck Series debut at the Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2025. She will run the full schedule containing 25 races, which has been expanded from 23 races this year.