Gio Ruggiero scores first career NASCAR win at Talladega

Gio Ruggiero. Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Gio Ruggiero scores first career NASCAR win in Truck Series playoff race at Talladega

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Oct 17, 2025 6:51 PM ET

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie Gio Ruggiero looked like a season veteran at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday.

With the championship favorite and his TRICON Garage teammate in Corey Heim all over his back bumper on the final lap, Ruggiero stayed in front and defended a last-ditch move from Heim to score his first career Truck Series win.

Friday's race went five laps over the advertised distance after a late spin sent the race into NASCAR overtime.

Ruggiero started the race from the pole and led 37 laps.

He’ll never forget this moment.

Repost to congratulate @Gio_Ruggiero1 on his first career win in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series! pic.twitter.com/jpdbVF17E8
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) October 17, 2025

"It feels great," Ruggiero told Fox Sports. "Thanks for everybody at Toyota and everyone who supports me."

Notable Love's RV Stop 225 results

Heim, defending Truck Series champion Ty Majeski, Dawson Sutton and Layne Riggs rounded out the top-five, with Tyler Ankrum, Matt Crafton, Corey LaJoie, Rajah Caruth and Kaden Honeycutt completing the top-10.

Other notable finishers include Kris Wright in 11th, two-time series champion Ben Rhodes in 16th, Chandler Smith in 22nd, Daniel Hemric in 34th and Grant Enfinger in 36th.

The penultimate race of the 2025 Truck Series season will take place at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 24. The Slim Jim 200 will go green shortly after 6 p.m. ET, with coverage on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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