Who Drives TRICON Garage’s No. 5 Truck in 2026

What’s Happening?

Toni Breidinger will not return to TRICON Garage’s No. 5 truck for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, leaving a major spot at a top team. So, with this move happening so late in silly season, what does TRICON do with their No. 5 in 2026?

TRICON’s 2026 Plans

For a second year in a row, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team TRICON Garage is set to see a 50% overhaul of its roster from the previous season.

First and foremost, veteran Tanner Gray and sophomore Giovanni Ruggiero will return to their No. 15 and No. 17 trucks for 2026. But beyond that, the team will have new drivers behind the wheel of their No. 5 and the No. 11 trucks for the new year.

In the No. 11 camp, 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Corey Heim is departing the team to begin the process of transitioning to the NASCAR Cup Series in the coming seasons. In his place, veteran racer Kaden Honeycutt takes over the No. 11.

For the No. 5 camp, however, 2025 Truck Series Rookie of the Year contender Toni Breidinger is moving to a part-time role with Rackley WAR in 2026, leaving a major spot open in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

So, with their 2026 plans laid out, what happens with the NO 5 truck in 2026?

Multi-Driver Rotation

One option for TRICON that may immediately come to the minds of race fans is for the team to turn the No. 5 into a rotating “All-Star“ truck.

Though teams throughout NASCAR history have often fielded full-time entries with a rotation of drivers, this has become more and more commonplace among top teams in NASCAR’s lower division throughout the past few seasons.

One team that has successfully used this method to win races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is Spire Motorsports, which, in 2025, saw both its No. 7 and No. 07 trucks win races with NASCAR Cup Series drivers behind the wheel. Though they are slimming their roster down for 2026, many expect Spire to field two full-time trucks, with part-time drivers in 2026.

This could be an option for the No. 5 team; however, there is one glaring issue with this idea, as the team already has a truck for rotating drivers, the No. 1, which is confirmed for a return in 2026 when Jimmie Johnson pilots the truck later this season.

Now, it is worth noting that despite their plans already being lined out for the No. 1 truck this year, utilizing two rotating trucks, much like Spire Motorsports, isn’t too outlandish, especially given recent rule changes that allow NASCAR Cup Series drivers to get more starts in the lower divisions of the sport.

After all, over the past few seasons, TRICON has fielded at least five full-time drivers, including the No. 1, and if they want to maintain this, a rotation could be a great option.

Known Free Agents

Given the current state of NASCAR free agency, it might be worth their while to consider running two trucks part-time, as there are a few names on the free agent market that raced full-time last season. 

First is Jack Wood, who will not return to McAnally-Hilgemann Racing after his first full-time season with the team, as Christian Eckes is set to take over their No. 91 entry. 

Wood has experience in the Truck Series, having raced full-time with GMS Racing in 2022, and part-time with others before landing with MHR in 2025; nonetheless, his statistics from last season suggest he might not be a solid bet to take over a top ride.

One major candidate still on the board is former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winner and 2025 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year contender Nick Sanchez. 

Sanchez seemed destined to return to Big Machine Racing in 2026 after a stellar 2025 rookie campaign in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Despite his efforts, the team surprisingly changed plans in mid-December, opting to bring in Patrick Staropoli for a 2026 rookie effort in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Sanchez would likely want to land back in the NASCAR OAP Series, though recent interviews suggest he seems open to racing in the Craftsman Truck Series; however, there is no indication or rumors that he could be tied to TRICON.

With just weeks until Daytona, TRICON will likely announce the driver of this truck sooner rather than later, though given their limited options, the answer to this late-Silly Season riddle could be somewhat unpredictable.

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