Matt DiBenedetto appreciation thread

Revman said:
Tell ya what....Walk into your local Toyota dealership, and there will not be one person in there who knows who Matt is. Enough said. Remember what Senior said about booing....You know that.
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shill away dude. I guess those Toyota commercials during the race are just for the hell of it. And both Earnhardts had limited edition special GM collector cars out of the goodness of the general's heart. Still waiting for the KDB edition.
 
StandOnIt said:
Toyota of course thru preacher Joe who could use some good PR should announce two cars for their puppet alliliate Leavine family racing and give that team more support than table scraps.IMO.
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I do wonder if some of Toyota's decisions in the last 18 months cause other manufacturers' owners reason to stay where they are.
 
Revman said:
Lots of money on a guy who has yet to prove that he will run in the top 10, and contend every week. D
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Insert the name of Christopher Bell here instead of Matt DiBenedetto, and you are a LOT closer to the truth. A LOT of hopes are being pinned on a guy that hasn't turned a wheel in a Cup car, while a guy with a proven record of overachieving in one has to go out and knock on doors.
 
Revman said:
I agree, but it concerns me. Denny overthought New Hampshire IMO....it nagged him for a week. He cannot second guess himself.
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We don't know that he second guessed anything at Bristol. I've regretted having pets put down but I didn't second guess the decisions.
 
For what it's worth tho.....Bob Leavine has been on Twitter saying it was his and the teams choice and no one forced him to do it. So, maybe it isn't JGR's fault. Unless Bob is just trying to cover for Joe.
 
Revman said:
....meaning that they wouldn't sign with Toyota?
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Yep. It's doesn't look like Toyota is interested in adding more teams to the stable soon anyway. Maybe there aren't any owners being courted. Still, I assume a potential convert must wonder how much control he'll have of his team and drivers. There may not be any fire at all, but there sure is a lot of smoke. The only way we'll know for sure is if a team switches to Toyota WITHOUT also getting tied to JGR.
 
Formerjackman said:
Insert the name of Christopher Bell here instead of Matt DiBenedetto, and you are a LOT closer to the truth. A LOT of hopes are being pinned on a guy that hasn't turned a wheel in a Cup car, while a guy with a proven record of overachieving in one has to go out and knock on doors.
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You have a very good point....one that I was discussing with my wife last night. Take the 60K foot view....Better chance for a championship with Matt D. or Christopher down the line? The JGR/TRD direction is clear.
 
Blaze said:
For what it's worth tho.....Bob Leavine has been on Twitter saying it was his and the teams choice and no one forced him to do it. So, maybe it isn't JGR's fault. Unless Bob is just trying to cover for Joe.
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How bout this. Your just barely getting by, and Toyota comes up to ya and says hey run the Bell kid, we have so in so sponsors signed, we can up your support, pay for your crew like we are doing now, yada yada..Yeah nobody forced him to do it. You forgot about the sweet deal they cut Barney to run Jones? BTW his crew chief Wheeler is working under a JGR contract.
 
StandOnIt said:
How bout this. Your just barely getting by, and Toyota comes up to ya and says hey run the Bell kid, we have so in so sponsors signed, we can up your support, pay for your crew like we are doing now, yada yada..Yeah nobody forced him to do it. You forgot about the sweet deal they cut Barney to run Jones? BTW his crew chief Wheeler is working under a JGR contract.
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Like I said, I'm going by what Bob himself said. He said it's his team and wouldn't let anyone force him to do something he didn't want to do. Like I said he could be lying but I ain't going to just doubt the man like that. Do I think Toyota and Gibbs maybe said something to him? Sure, but he said it was his choice.
 
I think what it may boil down to is the amount of money Toyota has already invested in developing Bell, and they want a payoff on their investment, but otherwise, they are taking an educated guess if they think Bell is better long term than Matt. Bell MIGHT be the second coming of Kyle Busch. On the other hand, he could be the next Austin Dillon or Ricky Stenhouse. I always keep in mind that Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart basically stunk in Busch cars, but went on to win 15 Cup titles. Meanwhile, only five drivers have ever won the Xfinity AND the Cup title, and three of them did it AFTER they were full time Cup drivers.
 
The history of manufacturer involvement in NASCAR includes SEDCO - The Southern Engine Development Company.

This stuff has been going on for a long time.

"The 1957 “Black Widow” was a perfect example of a way to create a factory race car without factory support. GM brought former Hudson lead race engineer Vince Piggins into the company and sent him to Atlanta where he created SEDCO, the Southern Engineering and Development Co."

https://www.chevyhardcore.com/news/the-history-of-gm-factory-backed-racing-on-off-and-on-again/
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Yep. It's doesn't look like Toyota is interested in adding more teams to the stable soon anyway. Maybe there aren't any owners being courted. Still, I assume a potential convert must wonder how much control he'll have of his team and drivers. There may not be any fire at all, but there sure is a lot of smoke. The only way we'll know for sure is if a team switches to Toyota WITHOUT also getting tied to JGR.
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A fair point....anybody who comes will have to accept the #2 behind JGR as well.....I do believe that TRD would like to expand, but they are very particular about who....I thought that they might be adding a team, but honestly, it is looking less and less likely. David Wilson has said that an announcement on next year's plans will be coming at the end of the month. I do think that a team without an affiliation to JGR would be the only way to go as I am not sure that they would be willing to take on another team. This certainly narrows the potential field of candidates substantially.
 
Formerjackman said:
I think what it may boil down to is the amount of money Toyota has already invested in developing Bell, and they want a payoff on their investment, but otherwise, they are taking an educated guess if they think Bell is better long term than Matt. Bell MIGHT be the second coming of Kyle Busch. On the other hand, he could be the next Austin Dillon or Ricky Stenhouse. I always keep in mind that Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart basically stunk in Busch cars, but went on to win 15 Cup titles. Meanwhile, only five drivers have ever won the Xfinity AND the Cup title, and three of them did it AFTER they were full time Cup drivers.
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I agree completely.
 
Blaze said:
Like I said, I'm going by what Bob himself said. He said it's his team and wouldn't let anyone force him to do something he didn't want to do. Like I said he could be lying but I ain't going to just doubt the man like that. Do I think Toyota and Gibbs maybe said something to him? Sure, but he said it was his choice.
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Yeah, there is an existing narrative about team owners lying to cover for Gibbs and Toyota. Makes for good reality TV. I choose to take these guys at their word, but their word supports my narrative.....
 
Revman said:
Yeah, there is an existing narrative about team owners lying to cover for Gibbs and Toyota. Makes for good reality TV. I choose to take these guys at their word, but their word supports my narrative.....
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:p oh that you can reply to! I SEE YOU TOYOTA BOY!

jk don't get mad at me haha.

But like honestly it could be a bit of both. Toyota and Gibbs surely probably had some part in it without a doubt, but I don't think Bob was forced to do so. He just knows Gibbs and Toyota will give him better cars and more support with Bell in the car over Matt.
 
Blaze said:
Like I said, I'm going by what Bob himself said. He said it's his team and wouldn't let anyone force him to do something he didn't want to do. Like I said he could be lying but I ain't going to just doubt the man like that. Do I think Toyota and Gibbs maybe said something to him? Sure, but he said it was his choice.
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It is much the same as what happened to Barney. Wheeler is Leavine's crew chief. His paycheck is signed by JGR not Leavine. Barney had the same thing going on, he lost control of his business, and as long as it was convenient to have Barney around they kept him. It's no different here, Leavine is a low buck team barely making it and he has already lost control of his business. Having at least one very key player in your organization answering to someone else like Wheeler is doing and no telling how many others that will have to ask JGR first before they do anything for Leavine? Puppet company IMO.
 
Blaze said:
:p oh that you can reply to! I SEE YOU TOYOTA BOY!

jk don't get mad at me haha.

But like honestly it could be a bit of both. Toyota and Gibbs surely probably had some part in it without a doubt, but I don't think Bob was forced to do so. He just knows Gibbs and Toyota will give him better cars and more support with Bell in the car over Matt.
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Truth. :D Your point that Gibbs and Toyota will give LFR more support with Bell is spot on, and very underestimated in the big scheme of things. If you were Bob, what would you do? It's obvious.
 
StandOnIt said:
It is much the same as what happened to Barney. Wheeler is Leavine's crew chief. His paycheck is signed by JGR not Leavine. Barney had the same thing going on, he lost control of his business, and as long as it was convenient to have Barney around they kept him. It's no different here, Leavine is a low buck team barely making it and he has already lost control of his business. Having at least one very key player in your organization answering to someone else like Wheeler is doing and no telling how many others that will have to ask JGR first before they do anything for Leavine? Puppet company IMO.
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Matt D. and Leavine are in better shape today than they were yesterday, and that has everything to do with TRD and JGR. We will see how your forecast plays out, but I doubt that you will be right as facts are limited in your perceptions. Your conspiracy theories connect dots, but remain just that...theories. We shall see.....
 
I’m
Charlie Spencer said:
There are plenty of people on the Internet who would rather hate something without liking any of the alternatives.

I saw a guy at Richmond years ago who gave Jeff Gordon the finger all night. He was in my line of sight to turn 4 and every time I looked over there, he was watching the #24 to flip it off. He didn't have a hat or shirt from another driver. $125 and 400 laps watching someone he supposedly hates.
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funny you say this..a few sections over from where I was sitting on Sat night...I’d say more than half the laps every time Kyle Busch drove by, he stood up and gave him the double finger Salute. My wife and I kept laughing like why would you spend your time doing that...Kyle can’t see you. And the kicker is I couldn’t make out what driver gear he was wearing! I think he was just wearing a Bristol hat
 
StandOnIt said:
It is much the same as what happened to Barney. Wheeler is Leavine's crew chief. His paycheck is signed by JGR not Leavine. Barney had the same thing going on, he lost control of his business, and as long as it was convenient to have Barney around they kept him. It's no different here, Leavine is a low buck team barely making it and he has already lost control of his business. Having at least one very key player in your organization answering to someone else like Wheeler is doing and no telling how many others that will have to ask JGR first before they do anything for Leavine? Puppet company IMO.
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So, you think Bob just flat out is 100% lying?


Revman said:
Truth. :D Your point that Gibbs and Toyota will give LFR more support with Bell is spot on, and very underestimated in the big scheme of things. If you were Bob, what would you do? It's obvious.
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I mean, with seeing how great Matt's done in older JGR stuff....sometimes better than the JGR drivers themselves, I'd try to find some more money to buy better stuff personally. Just think what he'd be doing if he had the same stuff Kyle, ,Denny, Jones, and MTJ has. Cause if you paid attention to the race the other night, he doesn't.
 
Snappy D said:
I’m

funny you say this..a few sections over from where I was sitting on Sat night...I’d say more than half the laps every time Kyle Busch drove by, he stood up and gave him the double finger Salute. My wife and I kept laughing like why would you spend your time doing that...Kyle can’t see you. And the kicker is I couldn’t make out what driver gear he was wearing! I think he was just wearing a Bristol hat
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Not a whole bunch different from what I see around here.....I have no clue who some like, but I know who they hate.
 
Snappy D said:
I’m

funny you say this..a few sections over from where I was sitting on Sat night...I’d say more than half the laps every time Kyle Busch drove by, he stood up and gave him the double finger Salute. My wife and I kept laughing like why would you spend your time doing that...Kyle can’t see you. And the kicker is I couldn’t make out what driver gear he was wearing! I think he was just wearing a Bristol hat
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Judging from the loud volume of Boo's when they introduced Kyle Busch, I would say he wasn't high on the list with a lot of fans there.
 
Blaze said:
So, you think Bob just flat out is 100% lying?
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Your missing my point. If somebody offered you X amount of money a substantial amount to walk down the street naked, wouldn't ya do it and it would be your idea to do so. In other words take what Leavine said with a grain of salt, it was a no brainer on his part, he was offered what he thinks is a better deal. BUT that came about from Toyota, so was it really his decision, same as the first statement involving a substantial amount of money. He's not lying, he was influenced to do so.
 
Blaze said:
So, you think Bob just flat out is 100% lying?




I mean, with seeing how great Matt's done in older JGR stuff....sometimes better than the JGR drivers themselves, I'd try to find some more money to buy better stuff personally. Just think what he'd be doing if he had the same stuff Kyle, ,Denny, Jones, and MTJ has. Cause if you paid attention to the race the other night, he doesn't.
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Matt would not be in the same space as Kyle, Denny, MTJ, or Jones in my opinion in completely equal stuff. It has been emphasized to me on this forum numerous times that we don't want this series car dependent. We want teams and drivers to be players in a car's performance....THE players. Kyle and Denny had equal stuff Saturday night, and Kyle wasn't close to him. Why might that have been? Set up, etc....If everything was equal every race, driver to driver, Matt is not what those guys are....but in fairness, his potential is not yet fully realized.
 
StandOnIt said:
Your missing my point. If somebody offered you X amount of money a substantial amount to walk down the street naked, wouldn't ya do it and it would be your idea to do so. In other words take what Leavine said with a grain of salt, it was a no brainer on his part, he was offered what he thinks is a better deal. BUT that came about from Toyota, so was it really his decision, same as the first statement involving a substantial amount of money. He's not lying, he was influenced to do so.
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You do know that's exactly what I said right lol. I said that they played a part in it sure, but it was still up to him. So people should not just be mad at JGR/TRD...but you read what you want to read so I'm use to it.
 
StandOnIt said:
Your missing my point. If somebody offered you X amount of money a substantial amount to walk down the street naked, wouldn't ya do it and it would be your idea to do so. In other words take what Leavine said with a grain of salt, it was a no brainer on his part, he was offered what he thinks is a better deal. BUT that came about from Toyota, so was it really his decision, same as the first statement involving a substantial amount of money. He's not lying, he was influenced to do so.
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Enter the Visser narrative....I knew it was coming. Rich, powerful men abused by a corporate giant and a man of God. Next, on Dateline NBC.
 
Revman said:
Matt would not be in the same space as Kyle, Denny, MTJ, or Jones in my opinion in completely equal stuff. It has been emphasized to me on this forum numerous times that we don't want this series car dependent. We want teams and drivers to be players in a car's performance....THE players. Kyle and Denny had equal stuff Saturday night, and Kyle wasn't close to him. Why might that have been? Set up, etc....If everything was equal every race, driver to driver, Matt is not what those guys are....but in fairness, his potential is not yet fully realized.
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He did better than 3 of the 4 drivers in less equipment tho.....that's pretty damn impressive. Matt can drive, he just needs a team to take that chance so he can prove it.
 
Blaze said:
He did better than 3 of the 4 drivers in less equipment tho.....that's pretty damn impressive. Matt can drive, he just needs a team to take that chance so he can prove it.
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I agree, but who knows how it would play out long term?
 
Revman said:
Truth. :D Your point that Gibbs and Toyota will give LFR more support with Bell is spot on, and very underestimated in the big scheme of things. If you were Bob, what would you do? It's obvious.
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Then just be honest about it. Just come out and say that Toyota is going to pay them to run Christopher and not Matt, and that's just the way it has to be instead using silence and obfuscation. If Toyota has the courage of their convictions, they shouldn't have a problem with Leavine saying it, but I think they know what an unpopular move it is and nobody wants to be the bad guy.
 
Revman said:
I agree, but who knows how it would play out long term?
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Same can be said for Bell as well, or any driver. Some do good in lower series, and suck when moving up. some suck in the lower series and do good when they move up. I really hope something good comes along for Matt that let's him prove himself. Cause dude has been great in plenty of races this year. When he does win a race, I won't be shocked.
 
Formerjackman said:
Then just be honest about it. Just come out and say that Toyota is going to pay them to run Christopher and not Matt, and that's just the way it has to be instead using silence and obfuscation. If Toyota has the courage of their convictions, they shouldn't have a problem with Leavine saying it, but I think they know what an unpopular move it is and nobody wants to be the bad guy.
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Toyota knows that it would probably piss off the masses, so why would you do that? Toyota has been very, very careful about their image ever since entering. Truth is an overestimated virtue in NASCAR---just check out the inspection line......
 
Formerjackman said:
Then just be honest about it. Just come out and say that Toyota is going to pay them to run Christopher and not Matt, and that's just the way it has to be instead using silence and obfuscation. If Toyota has the courage of their convictions, they shouldn't have a problem with Leavine saying it, but I think they know what an unpopular move it is and nobody wants to be the bad guy.
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It's what I have been saying since Barney, it's a 5th team with a puppet owner. Collapses like a house of cards when it to the advantage of the corporation footing most of the bills. In contrast, none of the other owners in the sport have the OEM running their show. It is what it is, but all of this lying and alibiing and looking the other way insults the intelligence
 
StandOnIt said:
Breaking news!!!, Leavine sold his soul to preacher Joe.
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...and made money ensuring the future of his company and employees in doing so. I know you want the little engine that could, but this is the big boy league right here.
 
Revman said:
Toyota knows that it would probably piss off the masses, so why would you do that? Toyota has been very, very careful about their image ever since entering. Truth is an overestimated virtue in NASCAR---just check out the inspection line......
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you don't know what Toyota knows shill. ridiculous. Toyota paying ya or what. At least that would be credible if they were.
 
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