Race Weekend Central

Up to Speed: Not the Last of Matt DiBenedetto

2019 Mencs Bristol Matt Dibenedetto Face Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Matt DiBenedetto had every right to be upset Saturday night. Days earlier, he and the rest of the NASCAR world found out he is not returning to Leavine Family Racing in 2020. Then, in his very next race, DiBenedetto came agonizingly close to scoring his first Monster Energy NASCAR  Cup Series victory.  It was the …

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Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2019 Bristol Night Race

2019 Mencs Bristol Denny Hamlin Burnout Nkp

Denny Hamlin filling Bristol with the scent of rubber (Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Headline(s): Rebounding from early crash damage and a loose wheel that trapped the team a lap down in the second stage, Denny Hamlin used a long green-flag run to run down Matt DiBenedetto at Bristol Motor Speedway, ruining a Cinderella story by making the final pass for the lead on lap 489 and driving …

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Matt DiBenedetto Misses Out on 1st Victory: ‘I Wanted It So Bad’

2019 Mencs Bristol Matt Dibenedetto Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

During driver introductions for Saturday’s (Aug. 17) Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto came out as the Italian Stallion Rocky Balboa. And boy, is that fitting for the California native’s week and race at the Last Great Colosseum. DiBenedetto began the race in the seventh position, though almost immediately …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR DraftKings Forecast: 2019 Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

2019 Pocono Mencs Erik Jones Face Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Are you ready for some short-track racing, where calamity lurks at every corner? It’s Bristol, baby! The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday (Aug. 17) at 7:30 p.m. ET. The “sticky stuff” is back on the track, this time in the …

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Denny Hamlin, Matt DiBenedetto Lead Cup Practices at Bristol

2019 Michigan Mencs Denny Hamlin Face Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

With the regular season winding down, Denny Hamlin and Matt DiBenedetto continued their recent hot streaks in Friday’s (Aug. 16) practice sessions at Bristol Motor Speedway. Opening Practice Hamlin laid down a lap of 128.605 mph to top the scoring pylon. He was one of four Toyotas inside the top five, with Erik Jones his …

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Massie’s Minute: Was Removing Matt DiBenedetto the Right Move?

2019 Phoenix I Cup Matt Dibenedetto Nkp

(Photo: NKP)

The business side of racing sucks sometimes, and that was certainly the case on Thursday morning (Aug. 15) when Matt DiBenedetto announced Leavine Family Racing was not bringing him back for a second season. It was an unpopular move, as DiBenedetto is loved by many fans. But it was an equally impossible situation, as there …

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Matt DiBenedetto Not Returning to Leavine Family Racing in 2020

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Despite giving Leavine Family Racing its best season to date, Matt DiBenedetto won’t be returning to the team for a second season in 2020. “I got the devastating news that I will not be able to return to Leavine Family Racing next season,” DiBenedetto said in Twitter statement on Thursday (Aug. 15). “Nonetheless, I can’t …

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Matt DiBenedetto to Race Road America for Joe Gibbs Racing

Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Matt DiBenedetto is back in a NASCAR Xfinity Series machine. The driver of Leavine Family Racing’s No. 95 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series announced Tuesday (Aug. 13) that he will be back in NASCAR’s second-tier series for the series’ race at Road America on Saturday, Aug. 24. He will be behind the wheel …

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Daily Fantasy NASCAR FanDuel Forecast: Consumers Energy 400

2019 Michigan I Cup Joey Logano Burnout Nkp

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series makes its second stop of this season at Michigan International Speedway this weekend, which makes filling out your daily fantasy NASCAR roster just a little bit easier — but it’s still not easy. The Consumers Energy 400 is Sunday, Aug. 11, and TV coverage is provided by NBCSN. In …

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The Underdog House: Road Warriors

2019 Watkins Glen Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Car Nigel Kinrade Photography

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

Top of the Class Matt DiBenedetto might need a new nickname soon. “Guido” is fun and everyone loves “DiBurrito,” but “King of the Road” might be just as fitting. The 27-year-old from Grass Valley, CA landed sixth in the final rundown at Watkins Glen International on Sunday (August 4). This coming after he raced to …

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Who’s Hot & Who’s Not in NASCAR: It’s Clobberin’ Time

2019 Watkins Glen Mencs Kyle Busch Wreck Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The theme of this weekend’s NASCAR action was “payback.” It started with the Gander Outdoors Truck Series on Thursday night (August 1) in the Eldora Dirt Derby, as Tyler Dippel got into Ben Rhodes after the checkered flag in return for being shoved into the wall in the final laps. Then in the Xfinity Series …

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Matt DiBenedetto Wants More After Another Top-10 Finish

2019 Watkins Glen Mencs Matt Dibenedetto Car Nkp

(Photo: Nigel Kinrade Photography)

2019 has been a breakout season for Matt DiBenedetto. In Sunday’s (Aug. 4) Go Bowling at the Glen, the No. 95 team picked up their fourth top-10 finish of the season. The sixth-place run was also his second straight on a road course. “I guess we’re road course aces here,” DiBenedetto said after the race. …

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