NASCAR Cup Series: Top 5 pending free agents for 2021
By Asher Fair
5. Matt DiBenedetto
Matt DiBenedetto constantly finds himself as a pending free agent in the NASCAR Cup Series, sometimes by his own doing and sometimes via circumstances that are out of his control. His status as a free agent following the 2020 season, however, is unlike what it was before.
After spending two seasons with BK Racing in 2015 and 2016, he made the move to Go Fas Racing ahead of the 2017 season. He could have returned to the team for a third year in 2019, but he opted to take a gamble and leave the team, seeking a better ride. He finished in 32nd and 29th place in the 2018 and 2019 championship standings, respectively, so the move made sense.
He landed with the Joe Gibbs Racing-affiliated Leavine Family Racing, but that ride had all the makings of a one-year rental from the start, with Christopher Bell looming at Joe Gibbs’s Xfinity Series team. Sure enough, despite a dramatic increase in his and the team’s performance throughout the 2019 season, Leavine Family Racing opted to replace him with Bell.
Paul Menard made the unexpected decision to retire after the 2019 season, and before he did, he told Wood Brothers Racing that DiBenedetto should replace him behind the wheel of the #21 Ford, and that’s how the 28-year-old Grass Valley, California native got to where he is now.
DiBenedetto is with the team on a one-year deal, but he should have no shortage of possibilities for 2021 given how he has performed. He has already been talked about as a possibility to replace retiring seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson at Hendrick Motorsports, although several other drivers have been discussed as well.
Team Penske have a technical alliance with Wood Brothers Racing. Having recently re-signed Ryan Blaney through at least the 2022 season and having already signed Joey Logano through at least the 2023 season, all eyes will be on Brad Keselowski, who has also been rumored to Hendrick Motorsports.
If Keselowski leaves Team Penske, would the team hire DiBenedetto or opt for Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric?
Regardless, this Silly Season will probably end up being even more interesting than past Silly Seasons for DiBenedetto because it shouldn’t be a matter of whether or not he gets a ride, but where he gets a ride.