By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Following the last off-weekend in the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season, a life-changing decision was made by Matt DiBenedetto.
After a two-year run with Go Fas Racing, the 27-year-old decided to leave the family-owned Ford team in pursuit of more competitive opportunities in 2019, announcing the leave via Twitter on September 7.
The confidence of the decision came as a surprise for DiBenedetto.
“I woke up one morning thinking about it and suddenly it became 100-percent clear,” DiBenedetto said. “This is exactly what I need to do. I have learned that fate has to happen naturally and it’s out of my control. There have been many miracles to get me this far. This decision came to my mind for a reason, I woke up with that clarity for a reason.”
Though the first-generation racer has had a journeyman career in both XFINITY and Cup, the decision was a surprise for outsiders, especially in its timing and reasoning.
“It’s definitely not the easiest of decisions to make. Very risky,” he said. “But it’s one I think is completely necessary. I’m taking this risk, stepping away from a full-time Cup ride where I get steadily paid.
“People know we at Go Fas have made the most out of our cars. You got to showcase what you can do and that’s in top-notch equipment.”
Though funding has been a consistent issue for small teams across all three national series, for DiBenedetto, it was not the leading factor in leaving Go Fas. Instead, it was based around his goal to compete up front in competitive equipment.
“There was definitely work that needed to be done but we probably could have made that happen,” he said of 2019 with Go Fas. “It’s just tough in the Cup Series with a small family team to make that next step forward. The next person in front of us in points runs literally on two or three times out budget. Just to move one position, literally double to triple.
“I’m not financially set in life where I’m loaded with money. I’m in a position where I’m clawing and working to get to the top. I’m still in that journey.”
What sparked this change of heart for Californian? A change of the guard in the XFINITY Series, where the likes of Ross Chastain and Ryan Preece, two underdog drivers from small-team backgrounds, being pushed into competitive rides. Alex Bowman, too, went from small Cup teams to JR Motorsports, a stint that prepared him for full-time Cup with Hendrick Motorsports in 2018.
These stories have given DiBenedetto confidence that there is a change in the air for talented, experienced, underfunded drivers.
“It reassured my decision watching a guy like Ross Chastain get in the No. 42, win the pole, two stages, up front,” he said. “Alex Bowman ran underfunded equipment, made the most of what he had. Finally, when he had the chance to run top-notch equipment, he showed what he could do.
“If a good XFINITY ride would come about — that’s why I use guys like Bowman, Ross, Ryan Preece. That was my driving force behind this decision. If a winning ride comes out to showcase my ability to win races, which is what I know I can do, that would absolutely be a wonderful option.”
Though DiBenedetto is looking high for 2019, sadness is still present in this driver’s mind, as leaves the team who boosted his experience and kept him in the sport for the last two years.
“I’ve become very invested in everything single organization I go to,” he said. “I put my heart and soul into every team, especially a family team where I feel so close. Mason [St. Hillaire] is one of my best friends, that’s outside the track, great friends in general.
“It makes it emotional, you become emotionally attached to your guys. But in a business decision, I know what I need to do for myself personally.
“I have done everything I can possibly do at the level I am at. I can’t prove anything else.”
Showing his best in the equipment he’s been given, DiBenedetto knows there is no Plan B in his NASCAR career.
“I’ve been asked 10 million times,” he said, “out of curiosity, ‘What would you do if you weren’t racing?’ I’ve now had 27 years to find out the answer and have never figured it out. It’s because I have zero passions other than racing. That’s the only thing I think I’m good at. So, yeah, racing has to work.
“I’m not good at anything other than racing. That’s a problem.”
Though he sees this as an issue, the singular path has given DiBenedetto the confidence to make a decision of this magnitude.
“I’ve been able to become very well-rounded and confident in my ability after four full years in the Cup Series,” he said. “I know in my mind I am way beyond ready to climb into some top-notch equipment and show everyone what the heck I can do.
“A couple years ago, I still had a couple things to learn. But now, I’m young but very experienced at this point, that’s why it was time to make this bold of a decision.”