Fan favorite NASCAR driver Matt DiBenedetto can breathe easily for another year.
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The 29-year-old will return for a second season driving for Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series after signing a contract extension for 2021 with the Team Penske-affiliated outfit. He will be replaced by Austin Cindric in 2022, who currently drives for the Team Penske Xfinity Series team.
DiBenedetto is having his best season ever with two second-place finishes, and he also qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs in 16th place in the regular season standings, but was eliminated after the first round.
DiBenedetto came close to claiming his first Cup Series win and the 100th for the legendary team at Talladega last Sunday, but Denny Hamlin beat him across the finish line by a nose. However, DiBenedetto was later penalized for forcing William Byron out of bounds on the last lap and relegated to 21st place.
After the race, an emotional DiBenedetto said he was driving with “pure desperation” and just wants to get the car to victory lane.
“That’s how I drive every race, every time I set foot in a race car. I’m appreciative for the challenges that I face, because that’s what it teaches you,” he said.
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Despite the solid performance, his future at Wood Brothers Racing has been up in the air as he doesn’t yet bring in the kind of major sponsors to a team that some top drivers can.
"Matt has been able to find success this year under very difficult circumstances," said team president and co-owner Eddie Wood said in a press release. "Since he joined our team, he only had limited time working with our group due to the pandemic. While it’s been an entirely new organization, he found a way to consistently run up front and make the Playoffs. We have learned a lot together this year and we look forward to continuing to build with Matt in 2021."