By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
Despite their finishing order, Matt DiBenedetto believes that the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing team is performing during the race where they need to be.
After coming out of the gate strong at Daytona International Speedway, DiBenedetto has an average finish of 23.1 with his best finish coming at Auto Club Speedway where he finished 18th.
“Overall yes, I would say so,” DiBenedetto said. “Just based on the fact that a lot of the races we’re able to race and run up there in the top 15. Phoenix was really good. Fontana we were around that area. I’d say we’re performing around where we should for the most part. Of course, finishes are not what we want due to various circumstances.”
The biggest thing the team needs is to have the right luck and circumstances to get to where they need to be on the finishing order, but they all want things to start getting on track after the first seven races.
“Not that it’s all luck,” he said. “It’s little things like the deal at Phoenix is obviously – we can’t call that luck. That was just an error with the alternator deal happening. I can’t quite call that luck. It stinks either way. Atlanta getting hit on pit road, that was sort out of out of our control. Just tough luck. Daytona obviously leading the most laps and then getting wiped out there, that’s just Daytona. I just want things to start getting on track and clicking off finishes that we deserve.”
With a new team and manufacturer, the 27-year-old driver believes that his responsibility has risen from where he was previously.
“I’m doing a lot more. I’m sent a whole lot more pre-race study,” DiBenedetto said. “I’m at the simulator every single week, meetings at the shop, so just a whole lot more on that end and then throughout the weekend looking at a lot more data and resources than I’m accustomed to having in the past. The job is a lot more stressful and more pressure in a good way, which makes me in turn better as a driver.”
With the communication and support from Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, DiBenedetto and LFR know that the finishes are coming.