By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—Matt DiBenedetto turned heads Sunday during the Daytona 500 by being competitive and leading laps; however, circumstances took him out of competing with the win.
The driver of the No. 95 Toyota Camry for Leavine Family Racing led a race high 49 laps. On Lap 192, DiBenedetto was involved in a 21-car pileup in Turn 3 when Paul Menard tapped his bumper.
“It was just a racing deal,” DiBenedetto said outside the care center. “There was nothing intentional about it. I think he was trying to sneak to my outside but wasn’t quite there. When he bumped me, he clipped by right rear and sent me into the wall.
“There is nothing we could do about it. We had one helluva day going. The car was fast. I have an amazing crew chief (Mike Wheeler) and people all-around me. We accomplished a lot.”
The 27-year-old driver felt that the Daytona 500 was the most amazing and heartbreaking day of his career.
With LFR’s switch to Toyota, DiBenedetto relied on his teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing in “The Great American Race.”
“This was the most amazing and heartbreaking day all in the same day,” he said. “It’s unbelievable how fast my car was. I’ve never had a piece under me like that. I have really great teammates.
“I have to give them credit for helping me and dealing with all the questions I asked. It’s heartbreaking, but really neat to lead that many laps, have good things happen and I’m appreciative of it all.”
Despite wrecking out of the race, DiBenedetto took the
positives of the day and hopes to turn them into momentum for next weekend at
Atlanta Motor Speedway. “At the end of the day, there were still tons of
positives to take out of this day. Yes, I am heartbroken. There is a lot of
momentum going into the season.”