LINCOLN, Ala. – After Matt DiBenedetto announced his departure from Rackley WAR Racing at the end of the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season on August 30, the team made the decision to release him early from his contract after his 10th place run at Bristol Motor Speedway.
This past week, it was announced that Chandler Smith would take the wheel at Talladega Superspeedway, the race that DiBenedetto won last year.
“I’m super-grateful for Rackley W.A.R. giving me the opportunity to run their truck this weekend at Talladega [Superspeedway],” Smith stated in the team’s press release. “Being able to represent Rackley Roofing, W.A.R. Shocks, and this entire organization, is extremely cool.
“I’m definitely proud of and looking forward to the opportunity.”
It will mark Smith’s first start of the 2023 season with five career victories at the Truck level. He currently runs full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing where he sits fifth in the Playoff standings, 32 points above the cutoff in the Round of 12 with one race remaining in that segment. As the Xfinity series has an off-weekend, Smith traveled out to Alabama in search of his first career superspeedway win.
Rackley WAR released this statement after the course of announcements of driver changes.
“Rackley W.A.R. has reached a decision to make a driver change for its No. 25 NASCAR Craftsman® Truck Series (NCTS) entry for the remaining three (3) events of the 2023 race season, including Talladega Superspeedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.”
Matt DiBenedetto released this statement on social media.
“No words can express the disappointment I’m feeling right now and also not being able to finish the season out. 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!”
Smith qualified 28th for Saturday’s Love’s RV Stop 250. Green flag is set to wave at 12:14 p.m. local time.