Ruggiero Finishes Second in Wild Daytona Truck Race

Toyota Development Driver narrowly misses second career win in dramatic finish

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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Gio Ruggiero battled for the win in a wild green-white-checkered finish at the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, ultimately finishing second. Ruggiero, a Toyota Development Driver, led four Tundras in the top-10, including Cup Series driver John Hunter Nemechek in fifth, while Kaden Honeycutt was eighth and Stewart Friesen, making his first Truck Series start since an injury, finished 10th.

Why it matters

Ruggiero's strong performance at Daytona, a premier superspeedway event, showcases the talent of Toyota's development program and the competitiveness of their Tundra trucks. The close finish also highlights the excitement and unpredictability of NASCAR Truck Series racing, which continues to attract top-level drivers and teams.

The details

In the dramatic finish, Ruggiero nearly captured his second career win, battling for the lead in the final laps. However, he was edged out by non-Toyota driver Chandler Smith. Ruggiero expressed frustration with fellow Toyota driver John Hunter Nemechek, who he felt had made contact with him during the race. Despite the narrow defeat, Ruggiero and the Toyota team are optimistic about their prospects for the upcoming superspeedway race at Atlanta.

  • The NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway took place on Friday evening, February 14, 2026.
  • Ruggiero will run both the ARCA and O'Reilly Auto Parts Series races on Saturday, February 15, 2026.

The players

Gio Ruggiero

A Toyota Development Driver who finished second in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona, narrowly missing his second career win.

John Hunter Nemechek

A Cup Series driver who finished fifth in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona, driving a Toyota Tundra for Halmar-Friesen Racing.

Kaden Honeycutt

A Toyota driver who finished eighth in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona.

Stewart Friesen

A Toyota driver who made his first Truck Series start since suffering an injury in a dirt racing accident last July, finishing 10th at Daytona.

Chandler Smith

The non-Toyota driver who won the NASCAR Truck Series race at Daytona.

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What they’re saying

“It was tight there at the end of the race. Everybody was just trying to do whatever it takes to win and that's what I did for myself and my team. I probably would've pushed John Hunter (Nemechek) to the win there, but he just wrecked me twice.”

— Gio Ruggiero (Toyota Racing)

“I haven't seen the whole replay yet, but pretty frustrated with myself. Just hard to cover all of the lanes there – should have got to the middle and blocked the 17 (Gio Ruggiero) faster than I did. Didn't anticipate it quite as I probably should have off of turn four, but man, it was one heck of a race.”

— John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota Racing)

What’s next

The Truck Series returns on-track for more superspeedway racing next Saturday at Atlanta's EchoPark Speedway.

The takeaway

Ruggiero's strong second-place finish at Daytona demonstrates the competitiveness of Toyota's Truck Series program and the talent of their development drivers. The close finish also highlights the excitement and unpredictability of NASCAR Truck Series racing, which continues to attract top-level drivers and teams.