Matt DiBenedetto was already set to depart Rackley WAR after the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, but will instead do so three races before it concludes. On Tuesday, the team announced they have “reached a decision to make a driver change” for the final races of the year.
Despite a solid two-year tenure in which he won his first national series race at Talladega in 2022 before making the 2023 playoffs, DiBenedetto announced in late August that he would test the free agency market at the end of the season. He was eliminated from playoff contention after the first round, and scored a tenth-place finish at Bristol on Thursday in his last race for the team.
Rackley WAR did not immediately reveal a replacement in the #25 Chevrolet Silverado RST, instead stating they “will release further details of the transaction once they are finalized.”
DiBenedetto’s departure marked the second time that Rackley WAR has parted ways with a full-time driver midseason. They signed Timothy Peters for their début campaign in 2021, but dropped him after a difficult first ten races in favour of a rotation that included Josh Berry, Brett Moffitt, and team co-owner Willie Allen. The team signed DiBenedetto, who was coming off a seven-year stint in the Cup Series, for 2022.
“No words can express the disappointment I’m feeling right now and also not being able to finish the season out,” tweeted DiBenedetto after the news broke. “I really want to thank my fans for always being there for me, it means the world to me and I’ll always be there for you. Thank you NASCAR and Craftsman for such an awesome series that I love competing in with all my heart! Working on 2024 and will update you all soon!”
The final three races will take place at Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Phoenix Raceway.
UPDATE: Story has been updated to include DiBenedetto’s statement.
