Matt DiBenedetto appreciation thread

StandOnIt said:
Pretty relevant if sitting in Newman's seat. Matt wins and it puts him on the playoff bubble. Haven't you been listening to the head gerbil? EVERY POINT MAAATTERS! :p
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I'm not happy that the contact with Newman mat well have cost Matt the race, but I don't fault Newman one bit for racing him that hard. Newman is fighting for his playoff life, and that is what he gets paid to do. There was a LOT on the line for him there.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
And if the caution had come out, as it does occasionally at Bristol? Big difference between being on the lead lap and restarting 11th in line vs. getting the lucky dog and restarting at the back of the pack.
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Same spot!
 
Alright, Toyota leads the Manufacturers and Drivers Championships, Matty D. had a great run, TRD powered Hambone won, KB had a horrible night and finished 4th--poised to win another Regular Season Championship which is important to some when it is not KB, MY TRD powered Camrys are fast as hell, we are in Chase spec, and nobody is screaming for wind tunnel tests. Life is good. Have a great day!
 
Formerjackman said:
I'm not happy that the contact with Newman mat well have cost Matt the race, but I don't fault Newman one bit for racing him that hard. Newman is fighting for his playoff life, and that is what he gets paid to do. There was a LOT on the line for him there.
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Newman had motive for what he did, but I thought his execution sucked. He's had a lot of practice but I think he blew this one. :D Maybe not though, the bent fender made it easier for Hamlin to pass him, but I think Hamlin had him anyway..Mothership wins.
 
I wonder if he will end up in the 1, or 14.

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jaqua19 said:
I wonder if he will end up in the 1, or 14.

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The obvious seat right now is the one that David Ragan vacated. FRR would be nuts to not try to get him. But who knows what seats might open up and who could be calling him. I don't think you can judge the FRR car by what Ragan is doing in it.
 
StandOnIt said:
The obvious seat right now is the one that David Ragan vacated. FRR would be nuts to not try to get him. But who knows what seats might open up and who could be calling him. I don't think you can judge the FRR car by what Ragan is doing in it.
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It's too bad. We all went to see him in a top ride. FRR doesn't seem like that. But who knows. You are right, it is hard to judge

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jaqua19 said:
It's too bad. We all went to see him in a top ride. FRR doesn't seem like that. But who knows. You are right, it is hard to judge

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Problem is, despite a good fan base, Matt doesn't have a deep pocket sponsor so a team like FRR might have enough funds. That's why he is losing his ride and Toyota is going to supply another driver for Leavine and boot$ to go with it. Getting around the 4 car rule? Bell is obviously under Toyota or the ghost company TRD contract. I wouldn't think he could be under JGR, that would violate the 4 car rule it would seem unless there is something, some clause that they can do that.
 
Anyone know how serious barstool sports is about sponsoring DiBenedetto ?

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you mean like the 77 car was????
StandOnIt said:
Problem is, despite a good fan base, Matt doesn't have a deep pocket sponsor so a team like FRR might have enough funds. That's why he is losing his ride and Toyota is going to supply another driver for Leavine and boot$ to go with it. Getting around the 4 car rule? Bell is obviously under Toyota or the ghost company TRD contract. I wouldn't think he could be under JGR, that would violate the 4 car rule it would seem unless there is something, some clause that they can do that.
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How many drivers do we have in moderately good equipment that are simply wheel-holders and keep getting resigned?

Drivers that are way passed their prime but have nascar fan household names and can bring sponsor money based on that alone rather than existing talent?

Yet Matt D. has an unknown future and is likely staring down the barrel of taking a step back in equipment. NASCAR is broken.
 
Chip Ganassi saw something in Ross Chastain and took a punt on him, and was duly rewarded.

Chastain is now emerging as a potential NASCAR series champion.

Leavine Family Racing is not on the level of Chip Ganassi Racing, but their decision to have Matt come aboard for a season was similar, and has reached a similar turnout. If the owners are paying any attention, Matt DiBenedetto will be in a better car next season. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the 14. It would continue the trend of real personalities wheeling the 14 around the track, only this one would be better than what SHR has right now. Clint Bowyer is a guy that needs to be shown the door. It's a wonder he even has a shot at the playoffs right now. Put Matt DiBenedetto in a seat like that and see what happens. As someone else pointed out, we're speaking on a guy who netted a top-ten in a BK Racing car at a track other than Daytona or Talladega. That's grit, defiance, and pure driving skill if I have ever seen it. Last night was no different, and even better.
 
Ventisca said:
Matt D is trying to make NASCAR a soap opera or maybe Oprah. Too many hardened NASCAR fans in here melting when they see the Matt D sappy emotions -- it's a bad look. It's even worse than watching Natalie D grab a hat and throw it down.

And if I were his owner/string puller -- Bob, Joe, TRD, Toyota, Sponsors or whatever else is in your imagination -- and Matt D is trying to amp up pressure to keep him in the ride, I'm probably cutting him loose just to get the clingy emotional wreck away from my team climate and race cars.

There's always more to the story of why one driver is chosen over others. Austin Dillon at RCR is pretty simple to figure out. Chase in a top ride is easy to figure out.

But Matt D? Who knows what else Bob knows or considers when navigating the elephants in the room for keeping his team competitive. I don't live in NASCAR circles, but there's always seems to be more to the story when it comes to high profile big money decisions.
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StandOnIt said:
Pretty relevant if sitting in Newman's seat. Matt wins and it puts him on the playoff bubble. Haven't you been listening to the head gerbil? EVERY POINT MAAATTERS! :p
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Yep why cant Matt be as mature as Kyle and Denny has always been.
 
StandOnIt said:
Problem is, despite a good fan base, Matt doesn't have a deep pocket sponsor so a team like FRR might have enough funds. That's why he is losing his ride and Toyota is going to supply another driver for Leavine and boot$ to go with it. Getting around the 4 car rule? Bell is obviously under Toyota or the ghost company TRD contract. I wouldn't think he could be under JGR, that would violate the 4 car rule it would seem unless there is something, some clause that they can do that.
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Is having 5 drivers under contract in violation of a rule?

I think not.
 
StandOnIt said:
Problem is, despite a good fan base, Matt doesn't have a deep pocket sponsor so a team like FRR might have enough funds. That's why he is losing his ride and Toyota is going to supply another driver for Leavine and boot$ to go with it. Getting around the 4 car rule? Bell is obviously under Toyota or the ghost company TRD contract. I wouldn't think he could be under JGR, that would violate the 4 car rule it would seem unless there is something, some clause that they can do that.
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He's a JGR contracted driver but that doesnt proclude him from driving for another team.
 
Maybe Pop Pop can sign Matty D to drive one of his two Cup cars....hell with the popularity Matt has you can even put him in the 3 and not face any blowback.
 
aunty dive said:
Is having 5 drivers under contract in violation of a rule?

I think not.
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yeah we saw that with the 77, the JGR west car. The sons of guns got away with murder. I wonder with the new leadership some of that gets changed. Leavine said they were talking about getting rid/changing alliances. Lines are getting pretty blurry when you supply the driver who is under contract, the equipment and the sponsorship.
 
ChexOrWrex said:
How many drivers do we have in moderately good equipment that are simply wheel-holders and keep getting resigned?

Drivers that are way passed their prime but have nascar fan household names and can bring sponsor money based on that alone rather than existing talent?

Yet Matt D. has an unknown future and is likely staring down the barrel of taking a step back in equipment. NASCAR is broken.
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I would say those guys have been weeded out...the only veterans left are Harvick, JJ, Kurt and Newman. Would you say JJ and Newman are the wheel holders because Harv and Kurt are still producing at a high level
 
Charlie Spencer said:
It can be difficult for competitors to appreciate what they've just done when they're focused on what they just missed. Sometimes a few hours will let them see what they did from the perspective of their entire careers, and not just in terms of a single event. I hope the Stallion feels better this morning about what he pulled off last night.

Before they get lost in the shuffle, I want to point out that the #95 pit crew was turning competitive stops all night. I dunno if that's due to JGR support or if they've been that good all along and I haven't noticed, but they're working much better than a crew normally associated with a lower-budget team.
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Fully agree with you Charlie, of course, for him during the moment, he is disappointed, and rightfully so.
 
StandOnIt said:
yeah we saw that with the 77, the JGR west car. The sons of guns got away with murder. I wonder with the new leadership some of that gets changed. Leavine said they were talking about getting rid/changing alliances. Lines are getting pretty blurry when you supply the driver who is under contract, the equipment and the sponsorship.
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You didn’t answer the question.
 
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