MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Dean Thompson will pilot the No. 5 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2023 for TRICON Garage.
The 21-year-old will compete full time, beginning with the opening contest at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
“I am thrilled to start the next chapter of my career with TRICON Garage and Toyota Racing Development,” said Thompson. “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.”
Thompson completed his rookie NCTS season in 2022, sporting a best finish of 11th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Anaheim, Calif. native is an accomplished late model racer, having had his breakout season in 2020, claiming the Irwindale Speedway Late Model Championship with six wins and 14 top-five finishes.
In 2021, he repeated as Irwindale Speedway Late Model Champion while making a handful of ARCA Menards Series West appearances. Thompson would capture two poles, a top-five and two top-tens alongside an eighth-place run at Kansas Speedway in the flagship ARCA national series.
“We’re really excited to welcome Dean into the TRICON program for 2023,” said Partner David Gilliland. “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.”