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NASCAR: Drivers pledge money to help Matt DiBenedetto race at Phoenix

By Asher Fair

HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 23: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #32 Can-Am/Wholey Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2018 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, GA - FEBRUARY 23: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #32 Can-Am/Wholey Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on February 23, 2018 in Hampton, Georgia. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /
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Several NASCAR drivers have pledged money to help Matt DiBenedetto race at Phoenix this weekend after he recently lost a sponsor.

The TicketGuardian 500 is set to take place this Sunday at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The race is set to be the fourth of 36 races on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. However, one of the sport’s 33 full-time driving may not end up driving after he lost a sponsor.

Matt DiBenedetto, the driver of the #32 Ford for Go Fas Racing, reached out to his fans on Twitter as a result of the fact that he lost a sponsor following the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past Sunday.

Here is what DiBenedetto had to say about the matter on Twitter.

DiBenedetto’s plea ended up being answered by fellow NASCAR drivers. Denny Hamlin, the driver of the #11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, pledged $5,000 to DiBenedetto, and Kevin Harvick, the driver of the #4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, did the same. Former Cup Series driver Darrell Waltrip, who is now a race announcer for Fox, followed suit with a $5,000 pledge of his own.

Here is what Hamlin had to say on Twitter.

DiBenedetto offered to put the logo of the Denny Hamlin Foundation on the #32 Go Fas Racing Ford as a result of Hamlin’s pledge. According to the foundation’s website, the Denny Hamlin Foundation “is committed to raising awareness and funds for the specific needs of children with cystic fibrosis. As such, we partner with organizations that focus on cystic fibrosis research, treatment advances, and overall quality of life care. The Foundation will also support children with other chronic diseases.”

Here is what Harvick had to say on Twitter.

And finally, here is what Waltrip had to say on Twitter.

DiBenedetto, 26, was running up in 3rd place in the Daytona 500 before being involved in a late wreck that knocked him out of contention and forced him to finish back in 27th place. In the following race in Atlanta, he finished in 31st before securing a season-high 22nd place finish at Las Vegas this past Sunday.

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DiBenedetto has driven in the Cup Series as a full-time driver since the 2015 season when he made his debut driving the #83 Toyota for BK Racing. However, he did not race in the 2015 Daytona 500 and failed to qualify for the first two races after that in Atlanta and Las Vegas before finally getting to officially make his debut at Phoenix. He drove the #83 Toyota for the team throughout the remainder of the season.

In the 2016 season, DiBenedetto continued driving for BK Racing in the #93 Toyota, #83 Toyota and #49 Toyota. He recorded a career-high 6th place finish in the April Bristol race driving the #83 Toyota.

Last season, DiBenedetto began driving the #32 Ford for Go Fas Racing, and he added two more top 10 finishes en route to a career-high 32nd place finish in the championship standings. He finished in 9th place in the Daytona 500 and 8th place in the Brickyard 400.

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Will Matt DiBenedetto end up driving in the TicketGuardian 500 this year at the track where he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut, ISM Raceway? Given the fact that money is being pledged to him and there will likely be more to come, don’t be surprised to see the #32 Go Fas Racing Ford back on the track this weekend.

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