Matt DiBenedetto Bio
Matthew Guido DiBenedetto, born on July 27, 1991, is an American professional stock car racing driver from Nevada City, California. He has competed across many of NASCAR’s top national series, including the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. DiBenedetto earned the 2007 UARA-Stars Late Model Series Rookie of the Year award and later won his first national NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022. He most recently drove the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Viking Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series during the 2025 season.
Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, DiBenedetto has built a reputation as a determined and hard-working driver who often outperformed underfunded equipment. He is also well known for his close connection with race fans, including an active presence on social media and within the NASCAR Reddit community. Throughout his career, he has been a familiar face in the garage area and a respected competitor among his peers.
Early Life and Background
Matt DiBenedetto was born in Nevada City, California, and raised in nearby Grass Valley. He is the son of Tony and Sandy DiBenedetto. His father, Tony, raced an Opel Manta in the SCCA and IMSA in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which helped shape Matt’s early interest in motorsports. When Matt was about eight years old, his father bought him a used kart after noticing a teammate on his Little League squad was already racing. Matt won in that kart and never looked back.
DiBenedetto grew up watching automobile racing on television more than baseball, and he quickly moved up the ladder from karts into late model stock cars. He won the track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2004 and continued developing his skills in the UARA-Stars Late Model Series. In 2007, his family sold off most of their racing equipment due to financial strain, a setback that pushed him to find new opportunities.
Path to NASCAR
Beginning in 2008, DiBenedetto drove for the Fat Head Racing Driver Development Program in the UARA-Stars series, where his teammates included Bubba Wallace and Brennan Poole. His performances there caught the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing, and he eventually moved into the NASCAR Camping World East Series with the organization. This step marked his entry into NASCAR’s development pipeline and set the stage for his national series debut.
His progression through the early stock car ranks also included time in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he picked up his first short track wins. The experience and exposure he gained at the regional level prepared him for the demands of NASCAR’s larger tracks and longer races. By 2009, DiBenedetto was ready to make his NASCAR national series debut in the Nationwide Series at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Matt DiBenedetto Career
Early Career (2009-2014)
DiBenedetto made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2009 at Memphis Motorsports Park, driving the No. 20 Pizza Ranch-sponsored Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. He continued with Joe Gibbs Racing in a part-time role in 2010, posting a pair of top-ten finishes across six starts. The following years were difficult, as he bounced between teams like The Motorsports Group and Vision Racing, often running as a start-and-park driver simply to gain seat time.
During the 2014 Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona, DiBenedetto stepped in for the injured Jeffrey Earnhardt in the No. 4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet. He later returned to The Motorsports Group for additional starts and finished a career-high 21st in the Nationwide Series standings that season. These years taught him how to manage limited resources while continuing to chase a breakthrough opportunity at the top level of the sport.
NASCAR Cup Series Breakthrough (2015-2021)
DiBenedetto moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015 with BK Racing, where he finally qualified for his first race at Phoenix after failing to make the field at Atlanta and Las Vegas. He split time between the No. 83 and No. 93 entries and declared for Rookie of the Year honors. In 2016, he earned his first career Cup top-ten finish with a sixth-place run in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, which was also the first top-ten for BK Racing since 2012.
After parting ways with BK Racing at the end of 2016, DiBenedetto joined Go Fas Racing for the 2017 season, driving the No. 32 Ford Fusion. He delivered a ninth-place finish in the Daytona 500 that year and added an eighth-place run at the Brickyard 400. In 2019, he moved to Leavine Family Racing, where he nearly won the Daytona 500 by leading 49 laps and later earned a career-best second-place finish at the Bristol Night Race. That same year, he also returned to Joe Gibbs Racing for the Xfinity Series race at Road America, leading laps before a late spin dropped him out of contention.
DiBenedetto signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 season, taking over the iconic No. 21 Ford. He earned his first Cup Series playoff berth that year, edging seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson for the final seed by six points. He tied his career-best finish of second at Las Vegas twice and added a series of strong runs that pushed him to 13th in the final standings, his best result to that point. His final Cup season came in 2021, when he finished 18th in points with a season-best fourth-place run at Kansas Speedway.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2022-2023)
On January 6, 2022, Rackley W.A.R. announced that DiBenedetto would drive the No. 25 truck full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He opened the season with a tenth-place finish at Daytona and a sixth-place run at Las Vegas, both strong results for the small team. He struggled at times mid-season but continued to battle for top-ten finishes, including a fourth-place run at Kansas Speedway and a tenth at Texas Motor Speedway.
On October 1, 2022, DiBenedetto scored his first national NASCAR victory by winning the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The breakthrough came in his rookie Truck season and validated years of perseverance through difficult circumstances. In 2023, he returned to Rackley W.A.R. and made the Truck Series playoffs, finishing the regular season ranked inside the cutoff. He was eventually eliminated at Kansas and was removed from the team after the Bristol night race, ending his time in the Truck Series with one win, 19 top-tens, and 0 poles.
Viking Motorsports Era (2024-2025)
On March 20, 2024, it was announced that DiBenedetto would return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Viking Motorsports, initially driving the No. 38 entry with RSS Racing. He posted a top-ten finish at Talladega and added two more seventh-place runs later in the year at Iowa Speedway and Michigan. He finished the 2024 Xfinity season ranked 26th in points as the team transitioned from Ford to Chevrolet.
In December 2024, Viking Motorsports announced that DiBenedetto would return to drive the newly renumbered No. 99 Chevrolet full-time in 2025. He opened the season with back-to-back top-fifteens and later earned a career-best Xfinity Series finish of fifth at the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega. On October 13, 2025, Viking Motorsports announced that the team had parted ways with DiBenedetto, with Connor Mosack taking over the No. 99 for the remainder of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
DiBenedetto is widely respected for his smooth driving style and his ability to extract maximum performance from underfunded race teams. He has long been known for his short track craft, with strong runs at venues like Bristol Motor Speedway, and for his calm, calculated approach in superspeedway packs. His longest and most successful crew chief partnership came with Gene Nead during the Go Fas Racing years, and he has continued to develop positive working relationships with his crews throughout his career.
Notable Races and Milestones
Some of DiBenedetto’s signature performances include his second-place run in the 2019 Bristol Night Race, his near-win in the 2019 Daytona 500 where he led 49 laps, and his first national series victory in the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega. He also scored a memorable second-place finish in the 2020 Las Vegas race, missing the win by just twenty-three one-thousandths of a second, and earned a fifth-place run at Talladega in 2025 that stands as his best Xfinity Series result.
Matt DiBenedetto Career Wins
DiBenedetto’s career victory list is highlighted by one NASCAR national series win, captured in the Craftsman Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022. Before that breakthrough, he built a strong record at the regional level, including three ARCA Menards Series East wins. He has also posted top-ten finishes at some of NASCAR’s biggest tracks, including the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, cementing his reputation as a consistent overachiever.
Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, DiBenedetto earned one win, 19 top-tens, and 0 poles across 19 starts from 2022 to 2023. His first and only win came at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022, a breakthrough moment that came in just his first full season in the series. In 2023, he made the Truck Series playoffs and posted a best career Truck Series points finish of 10th.
Other Wins and Performances
DiBenedetto also recorded three wins, 14 top-tens, and 4 poles in the ARCA Menards Series East, with his first victory coming in the 2009 Tri-County 150 and his most recent in the 2011 Army Strong 150 at Bowman Gray. He finished a career-best fourth in the ARCA East standings in 2011. Across his time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, he has recorded 6 top-tens and 0 poles without a series win, and in the NASCAR Cup Series he posted 31 top-tens and 0 poles without a victory.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 1 | 19 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 3 | 14 | 4 |
Matt DiBenedetto Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
DiBenedetto was born in Nevada City, California, to parents Tony and Sandy DiBenedetto, and was raised in nearby Grass Valley. He has three siblings, Austin, Katie, and Kelley, with Austin serving as a member of the United States Air Force. His father’s background in SCCA and IMSA racing with an Opel Manta in the late 1970s and early 1980s gave the family a deep connection to motorsports that helped launch Matt’s career.
Personal Life
In 2015, DiBenedetto married his childhood friend, Taylor Carswell. The couple currently resides in Hickory, North Carolina, and they own a dog named Brian. In 2018, he made a cameo appearance on the television series Lethal Weapon, playing a character named Carl Edwards, which he later noted was coincidental. In 2021, he was baptized by fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season saw Matt DiBenedetto return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time with Viking Motorsports, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro SS after the team switched manufacturers from Ford to Chevrolet. He opened the year with back-to-back top-fifteens at Daytona and Atlanta, building early momentum for the newly formed driver and team combination. His standout moment came at the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, where he earned a fifth-place finish, his best result in Xfinity Series competition.
Despite the strong runs, consistency was a challenge for both driver and team throughout the year, and DiBenedetto was never a serious threat to make the Xfinity Series playoffs. He continued to provide steady feedback for the developing Viking Motorsports program while building chemistry with his crew. The 2025 campaign ultimately served as a reset year for the organization, with valuable data gathered for future seasons.
On October 13, 2025, Viking Motorsports announced that it had parted ways with DiBenedetto effective immediately, with Connor Mosack taking over the No. 99 for the final races of the season. The split ended DiBenedetto’s most recent full-time NASCAR ride and left the next chapter of his racing career open. As of the end of 2025, his future team plans have not been publicly announced.
