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Matt DiBenedetto, like everyone else, looks back on life and wishes he could have done certain things differently. In his case, one of those things happened very publicly in 2021 when he learned that he was losing his ride in the No. 21 Wood Brothers NASCAR Cup Series car. He was not happy and took to social media to share his frustrations.
Almost four years later, the driver admitted that it wasn’t his finest hour.
“If I went back in time, I would have been more focused on being grateful for the time there and knowing that I still have a long career ahead,” DiBenedetto acknowledged. “And, I wouldn’t have focused so much on the sadness for me, I’m not returning to the 21.
“It’s really important to have a winning, like killer mindset in all you do. And knowing that everything works out the way that it’s supposed to in life. And I would have been more enthusiastic and more just appreciative and grateful and more positive.
“Not so much like, ‘Oh, I’m bummed. I’m not returning to 21.’ I would have been more like, ‘Man, hate I’m not returning to the 21, but gosh, so cool that I got to drive there and I’m excited and looking forward to what’s next,’ you know?”
Matt DiBenedetto Expressed Frustrations in Video
DiBenedetto was referring to a personal video that he filmed in July 2021 when he discussed being replaced in the No. 21 car. At the time, his emotions were raw and he didn’t sugarcoat what was on his mind.
“I’m going to be real with you guys. I’m going to be super honest. I’m not going to try and hide how I feel and what I feel. You guys know what you see is what you get. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad,” the driver began in the more than four-minute-long video.
“So, yeah, found out yesterday and when I found out I tried to be like, ‘OK, I’ve been through this before. How do I handle this? I know God has a plan for me. There’s a greater plan. Always has been. Blah, blah, blah.’ But you know what, I didn’t really sleep a lot last night and I thought about it and woke up this morning and you know, it’s ok to have human emotion.
“And I’m not going to lie to you, it’s ok to be pissed off, angry, bitter, all of the above. It just is what it is. We’re humans. We’re not perfect. That doesn’t change my faith in knowing there’s a plan for all this. But you know it doesn’t make it not suck because it does suck.”
DiBenedetto Uses Social Media to Connect With Fans
DiBenedetto sharing his feelings on social media wasn’t anything new. The driver has embraced social media for years and it helped grow his fanbase. A prime example is his activity with NASCAR on Reddit, regularly participating in Q&A sessions and the community trying to help get him voted into the All-Star Race in a car sponsored by the platform.
While his online activity has declined in recent years, he’s still a fan of it, including seeing what other drivers are doing.
“Yeah, I was on Reddit,” he said. “I’m still on there. I just enjoy the content and the platform in general. I don’t interact as much as I used to on there. I think I’m just not on my phone as much in general. The social media as a whole and that community on Reddit, it’s just like so unique and so cool. So thankful for all that that group on there.
“And then social media as a whole, my approach to it all always and still today is that I want people to feel like they’re not following me. I want people to feel like they’re friends with me. Just like if I had a personal Facebook where I have, you know, a couple hundred friends. I want to pretty much just share and do the same stuff.
“Even me, I’m a race fan. I love it, it’s in my blood, and I love seeing drivers when they share the racing side and the behind-the-scenes and what all goes into that. But also love just knowing about people. Knowing who they are as a person and their spouses. Because their wives may not get enough credit of all the work that they put in and the support behind the scenes.”
Is DiBenedetto Eyeing a Potential Return to Cup Series?
DiBenedetto has driven for small Cup teams. He’s driven for one of the most historic teams in the sport. He’s currently running full-time in the Xfinity Series No. 38 car for Viking Motorsports. Does he see himself one day returning to NASCAR’s top level?
“I think I don’t really try and control it as much as I used to, or I think I’m just more at peace with it and enjoying it,” he said. “What I see right in front of me is a really hungry all-in group that’s insanely committed to the sport and that shows through their sponsorship in the sport and through Viking Motorsports what their plans are, what are all of our talks are. So I have a very hungry group around me that wants to continue to build a really good Xfinity series program.
“I’m pretty darn happy being a part of Viking Motorsports. I’m an all-in kind of personality — to a fault many times. But when I have a group, an owner that believes in me 100% and I believe in them 100%, that usually is a recipe for a lot of success when you really believe in each other and you’re of one mind with one goal, the same vision, and building the same thing.
“So I am 100 percent all in and committed to this team to help grow and build the vision here and to make this into a playoff-contending really good team. And it’s been a lot of fun. The Xfinity Series is super, super fun too. The cars are personally my favorite to drive because they’re slick. They don’t have a lot of grip. I think they reward kind of that dirt racer background and such. So I really enjoy the series.”
DiBenedetto may never make it back to the Cup Series. If he doesn’t, he seems to be at peace with that. If it does somehow happen, he’ll at least have a different perspective and be able to appreciate it that much more.
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