Matt DiBenedetto Bio
Matthew Guido DiBenedetto, born on July 27, 1991, in Nevada City, California, is an American professional stock car racing driver. Over more than a decade and a half in NASCAR’s national series, DiBenedetto has competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Cup Series, ARCA Menards Series, and ARCA Menards Series East, building a reputation for perseverance and consistent improvement at every level.
Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, DiBenedetto made headlines in 2020 when he qualified for his first NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with Wood Brothers Racing. After stepping away from full-time Cup competition, he captured his first national series victory in the Truck Series at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022 and returned to the Xfinity Series with Viking Motorsports in 2024.
Early Life and Background
DiBenedetto was born in Nevada City, California, to parents Sandy and Tony DiBenedetto, and raised in nearby Grass Valley. He grew up alongside three siblings named Austin, Katie, and Kelley. Austin DiBenedetto serves in the United States Air Force.
His interest in auto racing sparked around the age of eight, when his father noticed that Matt preferred watching motorsports on television over playing baseball. Tony DiBenedetto had raced an Opel Manta in SCCA and IMSA events during the late 1970s and early 1980s. After learning that a teammate on Matt’s Little League squad was already competing in mini-karts, Tony purchased a used kart for his son, and DiBenedetto drove it to his first victory.
The family later moved into the UARA-Stars Late Model Series, where DiBenedetto gained valuable experience against older competition. In 2004, he captured the track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway, a victory that helped establish him as a rising talent in the Southeast stock car scene.
Path to NASCAR
By 2007, DiBenedetto’s family sold all of their racing equipment due to financial strain, prompting him to drive for the Fat Head Racing Driver Development Program in the UARA-Stars series starting in 2008. There, he became teammates with future NASCAR star Bubba Wallace and Brennan Poole under team owner Jamie Yelton. That same year, he was recognized as the 2007 UARA-Stars Late Model Series Rookie of the Year.
His performances in the UARA-Stars program attracted the attention of Joe Gibbs Racing, which offered him a developmental opportunity in the NASCAR Camping World East Series. DiBenedetto’s first victory in that series came in the 2009 Tri-County 150, signaling that he was ready to climb NASCAR’s national ladder.
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 JGR part-time in 2010, scoring two top-ten finishes across six starts, including a strong run at Nashville Speedway.
After being released from the K&N Pro Series East X Team Racing program due to a lack of sponsorship, DiBenedetto joined The Motorsports Group midway through 2012 and spent parts of 2012 and 2013 as a start-and-park driver. In 2014, he replaced an injured Jeffrey Earnhardt at the Subway Firecracker 250 and ran additional events for The Motorsports Group, finishing a career-best 21st in Nationwide Series points that season.
Cup Series Breakthrough (2015–2021)
DiBenedetto moved up to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2015 with BK Racing, splitting the No. 83 entry with Johnny Sauter before taking the car over full-time. His Cup debut came at Phoenix, and he earned his first top-ten Cup finish with a sixth-place run at Bristol in 2016. After parting ways with BK Racing at the end of 2016, he joined Go Fas Racing’s No. 32 Ford for the 2017 season.
At Go Fas, DiBenedetto became statistically the team’s best driver since its 2011 founding, highlighted by top-ten finishes at the 2017 Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400. He moved to Leavine Family Racing in 2019, where he nearly won the Daytona 500 after leading 49 laps and earned a career-best second-place finish at the Bristol Night Race. That same year, he returned to Joe Gibbs Racing for a one-off Xfinity Series start at Road America, leading the most laps before a late spin.
DiBenedetto signed with Wood Brothers Racing for the 2020 Cup Series season, driving the iconic No. 21 Ford. He qualified for his first Cup playoffs by edging seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson by six points for the final seed. He tied his career-best second-place finish at Las Vegas and lost the Talladega race to Denny Hamlin by twenty-three one-thousandths of a second, finishing the year 13th in points with 11 top-tens. His final Cup campaign came in 2021, when he posted a season-high fourth at Kansas before Harrison Burton was announced as his replacement.
Craftsman Truck Series (2022–2023)
On January 6, 2022, Rackley W.A.R. announced DiBenedetto would drive the No. 25 truck full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. After a learning year that included several top-ten runs, he captured his first national series victory at the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 1, 2022.
Returning to the No. 25 in 2023, DiBenedetto put together a string of six consecutive top-ten finishes to make the Truck Series playoffs. He was eliminated at Kansas, and Rackley W.A.R. removed him from the ride after the Bristol night race, ending his tenure with the team.
Viking Motorsports Era (2024–Present)
On March 20, 2024, Viking Motorsports announced DiBenedetto as the driver for five Xfinity Series races through an RSS Racing partnership, starting at Richmond. His eighth-place finish at Talladega and two seventh-place runs at Iowa and Michigan helped him finish 26th in points.
On December 13, 2024, Viking Motorsports announced it would switch from Ford to Chevrolet and renumber the car to the No. 99. DiBenedetto opened 2025 with back-to-back top-fifteens and earned a career-best Xfinity Series result of fifth at the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega. On October 13, 2025, the team announced it had parted ways with DiBenedetto, with Connor Mosack taking over the ride for the remainder of the season.
Driving Style and Strengths
DiBenedetto is best known for his aggressive superspeedway racing and his ability to capitalize on fuel-mileage gambles, a skill that nearly delivered him a Cup victory at Talladega in 2020. He pairs that pack-racing instincts with patience on short tracks and road courses, often maximizing equipment that other drivers overlook.
Notable Races and Milestones
His signature moments include leading 49 laps at the 2019 Daytona 500, finishing second at the 2019 Bristol Night Race, earning his first Cup top-ten at Bristol in 2016, and capturing his long-awaited national series win at Talladega in 2022. The 2020 Cup playoffs appearance with Wood Brothers Racing remains the high point of his top-tier career.
Matt DiBenedetto Career Wins
Across NASCAR’s national series, DiBenedetto has accumulated one Truck Series victory along with multiple regional wins. His path to that breakthrough win spanned more than a decade of national-level competition.
Craftsman Truck Series Highlights
DiBenedetto scored his first and only Craftsman Truck Series victory at the 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. The win was the highlight of his two-year stint with Rackley W.A.R., where he posted a career-best 10th-place Truck Series points finish in 2023.
Other Wins & Performances
In the ARCA Menards Series East, DiBenedetto earned three wins and four poles, including victories at Tri-County in 2009 and Bowman Gray in 2011. He also captured the 2004 track championship at Hickory Motor Speedway and was recognized as the 2007 UARA-Stars Late Model Series Rookie of the Year.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 1 | 19 | 0 |
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (Xfinity) | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 3 | 14 | 4 |
Matt DiBenedetto Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
DiBenedetto’s father, Tony DiBenedetto, raced an Opel Manta in SCCA and IMSA events during the late 1970s and early 1980s before transitioning into team ownership and development. His mother, Sandy DiBenedetto, supported the family through years of grassroots racing, and DiBenedetto has credited his parents with helping him weather the financial challenges that nearly ended his career before it began.
Personal Life
In 2015, DiBenedetto married his childhood friend, Taylor Carswell. The couple resides in Hickory, North Carolina, and owns a dog named Brian. DiBenedetto was baptized in 2021 by fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Michael McDowell.
2025 Season Performance
DiBenedetto entered 2025 as the full-time driver of the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Viking Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. After back-to-back top-fifteen finishes in the season-opening United Rentals 300 and Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250, he delivered a career-best Xfinity Series result of fifth at the Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Through the first half of the year, DiBenedetto’s switch to Chevrolet gave the small Viking Motorsports operation a renewed competitive edge. His superspeedway form remained a clear strength, mirroring the racing style that delivered his lone Truck Series win at Talladega in 2022.
On October 13, 2025, Viking Motorsports announced it had parted ways with DiBenedetto with immediate effect, with Connor Mosack taking over the No. 99 for the remaining races. The early split ended his push for an Xfinity Series playoff spot and left his next racing plans undecided at the time of the announcement.