The dominoes of Silly Season continue to fall, this time in the form of Matt DiBenedetto. On Friday afternoon, he tweeted he and Go Fas Racing will part ways after the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to let everyone know that after two exciting years at GoFas Racing, Archie, Mason St. Hilaire, and I have decided to move in different directions for 2018,” he stated in the tweet. “I would like to thank Archie, Mason and all of our partners for the support that allowed the #32 team to exceed everyone’s expectations over the past two seasons.”
DiBenedetto joined GFR in 2017 after a two-year stint at BK Racing. In 61 races so far with GFR, including a best finish of seventh at the 2018 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. In 129 career Cup races, he has four top tens, including two at non-restrictor plate tracks: a sixth at Bristol Motor Speedway in spring 2016 and an eighth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2017. The other, a ninth at the 2017 Daytona 500, came in his first start for GFR.
In 2018, he currently sits thirtieth in the Cup points standings and is currently recording a career-best 26.5 average finish. Besides the top ten, he also has four top-twenty runs in 2018.
The former Joe Gibbs Racing development driver drew attention when he finished sixth at Bristol in 2016, an impressive feat at a short track considering the quality of BK Racing’s equipment. Although he is not in a top-contending car, he has become a popular face on social media, particularly becoming a fan favorite on the /r/NASCAR subreddit, whose members joined together in an effort to vote him into that year’s All-Star Race. A year later, they attempted to do so again, but once again fell short; in spite of this, DiBenedetto and GFR unveiled a Reddit-themed car in appreciation.
During the 2018 season, the team created a program called #TeamBurrito, allowing fans to sponsor the #32 car in exchange for various perks like hot passes and race experiences.
“I believe that this gives me the best opportunity to further my career and showcase my talent and ability at the highest level. Winning races has always been the goal and now I’m taking a leap of faith and betting on myself to prove it. Watching other drivers get opportunities has definitely been a driving force in my decision, knowing that I can get it done if given the chance.”
DiBenedetto nor Go Fas have announced their plans for 2019.
