TRICON Garage is Toyota’s top Craftsman Truck Series team, and that makes it a coveted race seat for any young driver racing for Toyota. Which drivers are candidates to compete for a full-time seat for 2024 across both the current crop and the new crop?
Corey Heim’s future is bright, but how quickly will he make his rise to the top? Bob Pockrass reported that the expectation is that Heim will spend one more year in the Truck Series. However, Toyota is in a tough spot for 2024 with both of their Xfinity Series drivers leaving Joe Gibbs Racing for 2024.
Heim may be planning to stay in the Truck Series in 2024, but, things can change. Maybe Toyota has trouble finding the driver they want, and they tap Heim to move up. JGR has done it before with drivers like Daniel Suarez after the surprise retirement of Carl Edwards.
Jesse Love has absolutely dominated in the ARCA Menards Series this season. Then again, he is driving in a series where there are very few cars even close to his on a week-to-week basis. However, he has a connection with TRICON Garage given that he has run two races for the team this year.
The next logical step is to move up to the Truck Series, and it seems next year may be the year. However, someone will have to step out from TRICON in all likelihood for this to work.
If there is any driver likely to be booted from TRICON Garage based on performance alone, Dean Thompson may be the most likely candidate. He was not even remotely in contention to make the Truck Series Playoffs this year, and he has only four top-10s with no laps led.
At some point, Toyota is going to want some of their other younger drivers to step into their prime seats. Maybe they give Thompson a second season, but, his performance is not there at the moment. Then again, he is still someone who could come back next year because this is his best statistical season in Trucks so far.
Toni Breidinger has not only improved by leaps and bounds on the track in the ARCA Menards Series this season, but she certainly has the following to make the jump upward. She brings in a lot of sponsorship, and she brings in a large fanbase. She definitely has earned at least a chance to move up the ladder.
TRICON seems to be the logical place for her given her few starts for the team this season. Her Truck Series starts have not been particularly impressive, but she has potential. As a result, she may have something open up for her in 2024.
Tanner Gray has been loyal to David Gilliland throughout his Truck Series career. While Gray has not been spectacular, he has had his moments as a driver. However, he has yet to make the Playoffs in the Truck Series.
Given how important a team like TRICON Garage is to Toyota, how long of a leash will Gray be given? Then again, if someone like Corey Heim moves on, then they could keep Gray in a seat because of his loyalty to Gilliland.
It’s unlikely, but, Noah Gragson is being linked by fans to almost every ride available right now. The biggest thing to note is that Gragson was reportedly being looked at to be replaced by John Hunter Nemechek before the suspension happened. Would Toyota even want Gragson in one of their very important NASCAR developmental rides?
However, Gragson would love to step into a ride that he knows he can win right away. TRICON Garage could offer that, albeit in a lower series.
Taylor Gray is the younger brother of Tanner, and it seems pretty likely that Taylor will get a chance next year with the team. He missed the first two races of the season because of being too young, and he still has found a way to get into the top 15 in points.
With that in mind, it seems likely that Taylor will get another chance at TRICON next year. His second year should be one of the most intriguing ones to watch given that he has shown flashes of brilliance in the Truck Series at such a young age.
TRICON Garage could change a lot, or not at all in 2024. Who will drive full-time for the team in the future?
