Dean Thompson to join TRICON Garage in 2023

TRICON Garage, formerly known as David Gilliland Racing, announced Monday that Dean Thompson will drive their No. 5 Toyota Tundra full-time in the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

Thompson will join TRICON after spending his rookie season with Niece Motorsports. He earned the ride after two straight late model championships at Irwindale Speedway in 2020 and 2021 and a handful of ARCA starts in 2021.

“We’re really excited to welcome Dean into the TRICON program for 2023,” David Gilliland said. “Our goal is to develop future stars of the sport, and he has all the intangibles of a driver with a long NASCAR career ahead of him. He shares our commitment to growing this team into a premier Truck Series organization, and we can’t wait to hit the track with him at Daytona.”

Thompson joins Corey Heim and the Gray brothers – Tanner and Taylor as the team’s four full-time drivers for 2023. The team will also field a fifth ride, the No. 1, with the drivers yet TBA.

“I am thrilled to start the next chapter of my career with TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing Development,” Thompson said. “The team and manufacturer have quickly made a statement in the Truck Series as striving to be the best of the best. I’m ready to take on the challenge and live up to the expectations of being a driver for TRICON.”

The No. 5 team will be sponsored by Thompson Pipe Group, a leading water and waste piping manufacturer across the U.S. and Canada, starting with the Feb. 17 season opener at Daytona.

Thompson will look to improve upon a rookie season that saw him finish 25th in points, with a 25.2 average finish but no wins, top-5 finishes, top-10s, poles or laps led and a career-best 11th-place finish at Las Vegas.