DGR, which has been a Ford-backed Truck program this season, will switch back to Toyota in 2023 and rebrand itself as Tricon Garage.
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.
The new entity will field fulltime Truck Series teams in 2023 with drivers Tanner Gray, Taylor Gray and Corey Heim and also run a part-time fourth team utilizing various drivers. The organization will also field a team in the ARCA Menards Series.
“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.”
The “Tricon” name change is based on the words tri and icon, encompassing the partners in the organization and their plans to compete and win three titles – the driver, owner and manufacturer championships. The team is also involved in three different industries – racing, fabrication and transportation.
Current TRD development driver and leading 2022 rookie of the year contender Corey Heim will drive the team’s No. 11 Toyota. In 15 races this season at Kyle Busch Motorsports, he has already won twice – at Atlanta and Gateway.
Former NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray will continue to compete in the No. 15 and his 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 fourth truck, the No. 1 Toyota, will feature several drivers throughout the season on a part-time schedule.
“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 full driver-crew chief alignment, ARCA plans and the substitute driver for the three Truck races Taylor Gray will miss will be announced at a later date.
