Gio Ruggiero’s first trip to Texas Motor Speedway has come to a spectacular halt after a vicious multi-truck accident on Lap 30 of Friday’s SpeedyCash.com 250.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie was having a fantastic showing in his No. 17 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, running inside the top-10, when he ran through the grass in the tri-oval.
Ruggiero had been lucky enough to survive running through the grass earlier in the event, but the second time, the 18-year-old driver wasn’t as lucky, tearing the left front off his TRICON Garage machine.
As the Seekonk, Massachusetts-native ricocheted off the infield grass, he slid up the racetrack and collected Kaden Honeycutt, Brandon Jones, and Stewart Friesen, destroying several trucks.
This incident brings out the yellow on Lap 31. pic.twitter.com/Niroxbadcc
— NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Trucks (@NASCAR_Trucks) May 3, 2025
Unfortunately for Ruggiero, making just his eighth start in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the incident was the result of a rookie mistake.
“It was, misjudged the run there on my part, being off to the right of Hocevar there, and trying to set myself up to have a run and get underneath him getting into [Turn 1] and make a pass, and just too aggressive turning down there,” said Ruggiero. “Clipped it just enough to where I lost control and had no brakes to slow it down after that.”
Ruggiero, Honeycutt, and Jones were all forced to retire from Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, and would score finishes of 30th, 31st, and 32nd.
Honeycutt, who was running a special throwback paint scheme to Niece Motorsports’ debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series a decade ago, was irate about the error.
“I’m pised because this is my home races, and this is our tenth year as a company and we got wrecked out on lap frickin’ 30 of a kid hitting the infield and destroying our racetrack,” said Honeycutt. “I’m not very happy about it, I’ll cool off and go to Kansas. I just can’t believe it, I’ve never seen anything like that and destroyed so many trucks, and a good one like ours.”
All of the drivers involved in the accident at Lap 30 were checked and released from the infield care center, and were all uninjured.
