Fast Facts: Matt DiBenedetto

credit: Getty Images/Chris Graythen

Go Fas Racing driver Matt DiBenedetto earned his fourth top 20 finish of the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season Sunday, finishing 17th at Sonoma Raceway in California. Learn more about this California native in this week’s Fast Facts.
  • Matthew DiBenedetto was born July 27, 1991 and grew up in Grass Valley, CA. He began racing go karts at a young age, wrapping up five championships before his 12th birthday.
  • The DiBenedetto family moved to Hickory, NC to improve Matt’s opportunities in racing, and at age 16 he began racing Limited Late Models at famed Hickory Motor Speedway and continued winning. He raced for his family-owned team in the UARA Stars Late Model Touring Series, and his performance earned him an invite to a driver combine in 2008, where Joe Gibbs Racing took notice and signed him to a development contract.
  • After competing for a short time in the Camping World East Series (now K&N Pro Series East), DiBenedetto made his Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series debut for JGR at Memphis in 2009, finishing 14th. After making a handful of Nationwide Series starts for JGR in 2010, the relationship ended, and DiBenedetto returned to the K&N Pro Series East for 2011, and drove for some small Nationwide Series teams for the next few years.
  • In 2015, DiBenedetto made his Cup Series debut with BK Racing at Phoenix, and led his first lap at Daytona in July. In 2016, he earned a career-best finish of sixth in the spring race at Bristol, and added top 10 finishes in the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 in 2017 to his resume.
  • DiBenedetto has two sisters – Katie and Kelley – and a brother, Austin, and resides with his wife Taylor in Hickory, NC.
  • Follow Matt at his website, www.mattdracing.com.


Fast Facts: Matt DiBenedetto Fast Facts: Matt DiBenedetto Reviewed by Paula on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Rating: 5