MARTINSVILLE, Va.: Welcome back.
David Gilliland Racing (DGR) announced this week that the Mooresville, N.C.-based team will rebrand as TRICON Garage as the organization reverts back to Toyota in the wake of Kyle Busch’s and his Truck Series team departure from Toyota next season.
DGR which has been a Ford-backed Truck program since 2020 will convert its ARCA Menards Series and Truck Series operation back to the Japanese manufacturer for the recently announced 23-race NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series schedule.
As part of its manufacturer shift, the team will also rebrand its identity as TRICON Garage.
TRICON’s name change is based on the word’s tri and icon, encompassing the partners in the organization and their plans to participate and win three titles – the driver, owner and manufacturer championships next season.
The team is also involved in three different industries – racing, fabrication and transportation.
“Our goal in the truck series is to create future racing icons,” said TRICON Partner Johnny Gray. “We’ll know we did our job when several years from now our drivers are racing for Cup championships.
“As for Garage, what we do is more than just field a race team. We build chassis, we build bodies. We have a transportation company. We are marketers and content creators. We are teachers and mentors. It’s bigger than simply ‘motorsports’ or ‘racing.’ But what it all has in common is that it takes place in our garage. So, TRICON Garage just seemed to encompass what we’re all about.”
TRICON will field three full-time and one part-time team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next season with drivers Tanner Gray (No. 15), Taylor Gray (No. 17) and newcomer Corey Heim (No. 11).
The fourth team, the No. 1 Toyota Tundra Pro will compete as needed, utilizing various drivers. Hailie Deegan who has driven the No. 1 truck for DGR this season is tied with Ford Performance and won’t return with the Johnny Gray and David Gilliland-owned empire.
TRICON previously fielded Toyotas from 2018-2019. Tyler Ankrum delivered the first championship for the team in 2018 as he drove to the ARCA East championship before joining the Truck Series program in 2019 and propelling the team into the Playoffs with a stunning victory at Kentucky Speedway.
“We are excited for this new opportunity for our Toyota development drivers and partners to experience Tricon’s success and winning culture,” said Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson. “The Truck Series is very important to Toyota, and we know Tricon is going to continue to deliver for us as we begin our 20th season in the series.”
Heim joins TRICON after competing for Kyle Busch Motorsports this season. In 15 races, he has won twice at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
Former NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray will continue to compete in the No. 15 and embrace his fourth full-time year on the tour in 2023.
Younger brother, Taylor, will begin fulltime competition in the No. 17 Toyota once he reaches his 18th birthday in March. The 17-year-old will miss the first three races of the season due to NASCAR’s age restriction policy. The team has not determined who will substitute for Gray at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway and Atlanta respectively.
Gray has 12 career Truck starts with a best finish of sixth in Richmond (Va.) Raceway in August. He has also raced in ARCA this season with multiple victories on the national, East and West tours.
“I’ve seen Toyota’s dedication to the sport firsthand, and we are excited to partner with them going forward,” said team co-owner David Gilliland. “I’m sure this new partnership is going to help Tricon reach our goals of consistently competing for race wins and championships.”
TRD official sponsors JBL, Mobil 1, Safelite AutoGlass and SiriusXM will join TRICON Garage and their existing partners to sponsor the teams throughout the season.
Toyota and TRD will also continue to provide manufacturer support to Halmar Friesen Racing, Hattori Racing Enterprises and ThorSport Racing in the Truck Series.
The No. 1 truck drivers, full partner and crew chief line-up, complete ARCA Menards Series season plans will be announced at a later date.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
