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NASCAR Cup Series: Top 5 storylines heading into the 2019 season

By William Richard

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Chocolate Bar Toyota, leads during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Chocolate Bar Toyota, leads during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway on February 10, 2019 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 09: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #95 Procore Toyota (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 09: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #95 Procore Toyota (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

#4: How will Leavine Family Racing and Matt DiBenedetto perform?

The most intriguing driver heading into the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season is Matt DiBenedetto. One of the fan favorites in the garage is finally getting his big break in the sport.

The 2019 season will be DiBenedetto’s fifth full-time season at the Cup Series level. After driving for BK Racing in his first two seasons, he moved to Go Fas Racing for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Now, in 2019, his big break comes in the form of driving for Leavine Family Racing.

In case you missed some of the biggest news of last season, Leavine Family Racing formed a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing similar to the one that Furniture Row Racing had with them before shutting down. This technical alliance will not only elevate Leavine Family Racing, but it will provide the opportunity for DiBenedetto to become a household name.

The two biggest questions circling this situation are whether or not a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing means guaranteed success and whether or not DiBenedetto has the talent to be a mainstay in the Cup Series garage.

The success of Furniture Row Racing highlights the potential for Leavine Family Racing to go from being zeroes to heroes, but obviously all situations are different. There is no guarantee that this alliance will take off as quickly as it did for Martin Truex Jr. and company.

Lastly, DiBenedetto has a lot to prove. He has never really been impressive in anything NASCAR-related. A few years ago, he had an opportunity to compete in some Xfinity Series races for Joe Gibbs Racing, and he failed to match up to his counterparts.

My eye will be firmly placed on the #95 Toyota throughout the 2019 season.

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