(Photo Credit: Viking Motorsports)
Matt DiBenedetto is a driver who has experienced a lot during his NASCAR career.
From starting and parking to making the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs to having to prove himself again in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
The biggest challenge for DiBenedetto may have come this year. As the calendar flipped from 2023 to 2024, the 32-year-old was left without a ride. For the first time since 2015, DiBenedetto did not compete in any of the races during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway and did not have anything lined up for the rest of the season.
“You know, I was not sure what this year was going to have in store,” DiBenedetto told Black Kat Sports.
DiBenedetto would not be on the sidelines for long though, as by the end of March he would be signed to a deal in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a new team in Viking Motorsports.
The team which fields the No. 38 needed owner points, as they headed to Richmond 41st in the owner’s standings, and only had six total points.
Despite the team’s struggles, DiBenedetto was confident in what he could accomplish with the organization.
“I could see just how all in that he (team owner, Don Sackett) is in the sport, just as he has been as a sponsor, and newly as an owner,” DiBenedetto said.
In his first five starts with the team, DiBenedetto would go on to score three top-20 finishes, including a career-best (in the Xfinity Series) finish of eighth at Talladega, and moved the team up to 34th in owner points.
Which led to the team signing DiBenedetto for the rest of the season.
While there has been success early on, the team and the driver have set realistic goals for the rest of the season.
“I think the cool part is that this team is in it for the long haul,” DiBenedetto said. “They are looking at the big picture. They are looking at not only 24 but 2025. For 2024, our goals would be to gain some points and move up in the points for the future of Viking Motorsports, so we are more solidified for the start of 2025.”
DiBenedetto says the team wants to run in the top-20 weekly, with top-15s and top-10s considered wins as they build consistency.
While the year may have not started the way he liked, DiBenedetto says he is now having more fun than ever, noting that the Xfinity cars are his favorite to drive.