Gio Ruggiero finishes second in NASCAR Truck Series debut

Most NASCAR drivers simply want to finish all their laps in their respective debuts. 

That wasn't the case for NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Gio Ruggiero, who led 11 laps en route to a third-place finish in his Truck Series debut at Daytona International Speedway. 

Ruggiero started 34th in his Truck Series debut, but he climbed his way up to 10th by the end of Stage 1. In Stage 2, Ruggiero faded to 16th, but it was in Stage 3 that his No. 17 Toyota Tundra began to flex its muscle. 

Ruggiero led with as little as seven laps to go, but he was shuffled from the lead. From there, his race became focused on surviving whatever Daytona carnage lay ahead. 

When the carnage played out and the dust settled, Ruggiero crossed the line third but ended up being the runner-up after initially-declared winner Parker Kligerman was disqualified. A post-race inspection found Kligerman's No. 75 truck to be too low. TRICON Garage teammate Corey Heim was named the winner, while Ruggiero has been credited as finishing second.