NASCAR: 3 possible landing spots for Matt DiBenedetto in 2021
By Asher Fair
Hendrick Motorsports
Amid speculation that it was coming, seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson made it official.
He announced in November that the 2020 season will be his 19th and final season as a full-time Cup Series driver and that he will not sign a contract extension to continue driving the #48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, which he has driven throughout his entire Cup Series career, even going back to his first three starts in 2001.
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But before the 44-year-old El Cajon, California native made this announcement, Ally Financial, which began serving as the primary sponsor of the #48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports in the 2019 season on a two-year deal, signed a three-year contract extension to continue serving as the full-time primary sponsor of the #48 Chevrolet through the 2023 season.
As a result, Hendrick Motorsports are effectively in a position to select the best driver available to replace Johnson, and there have literally been dozens of names already tossed around.
One of those names is Matt DiBenedetto, and depending on how he does in his first season at Wood Brothers Racing in 2020, he could certainly qualify.
The 28-year-old Grass Valley, California native has switched organizations after each of the last two seasons, and it’s hard to see him turning down an offer to do so again if that offer involves serving as the heir apparent to one of the three seven-time champions in Cup Series history.
A driver lineup of DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman (not under contract beyond 2020) and William Byron could also become quite difficult for opposing teams to handle in the coming years.
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Where will Matt DiBenedetto end up in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season? Will he stick around for a second season with Wood Brothers Racing, or will he leave the team, possibly staying within the Team Penske organization to drive for the three-car Ford team or possibly leaving the organization completely to replace the retiring Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports?