NASCAR: Matt DiBenedetto out at Wood Brothers Racing for 2022

Matt DiBenedetto finds himself in a familiar position, as he is officially out at Wood Brothers Racing following the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

For the last several NASCAR silly seasons, Matt DiBenedetto has found himself as a focal point with an uncertain future.

In 2018, he made the decision to leave Go Fas Racing after the 2018 season in an attempt to land a more competitive ride. He was successful, as he signed with Leavine Family Racing for the 2019 season, and Bob Leavine’s team formed a technical alliance with the Toyota powerhouse of Joe Gibbs Racing.

But this was always seen as somewhat of a one-year seat rental for DiBenedetto, given the fact that Christopher Bell was waiting in the wings at Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series program.

Indeed, Bell was confirmed as DiBenedetto’s replacement for the 2020 season, leaving the Grass Valley, California native without a ride.

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However, he again found himself in somewhat of a favorable position. Paul Menard stepped away from his role as the driver of the #21 Ford at Wood Brothers Racing, and he specifically told the team that they should go after DiBenedetto as his replacement.

So they did. But toward the end of the 2020 season, the plan was for Team Penske Xfinity Series driver Austin Cindric to replace DiBenedetto at the Team Penske-affiliated Wood Brothers Racing organization for the 2021 season. Fortunately for DiBenedetto, a string of solid performances late in the season led Team Penske to change their minds, and he netted himself a second season behind the wheel of the #21 Ford in 2021.

But it was also announced that Cindric would replace him for 2022.

Now we know that Cindric won’t actually replace him for 2022, as he is set to move straight to the Team Penske Cup Series operation next year with Brad Keselowski vacating the #2 Ford to take a driver/co-owner role at Roush Fenway Racing (Roush-Fenway-Keselowski Racing).

However, DiBenedetto has still been informed that he will not be back for a third season with the Wood Brothers in 2022, as they have confirmed that Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver Harrison Burton is set to take over behind the wheel of the #21 Ford.

DiBenedetto shared the following message upon finding out this news on Thursday.

While there are a number of open seats left in the Cup Series for next season, including a second seat at Trackhouse Racing Team, a potential second seat at 23XI Racing, and a seat at Stewart-Haas Racing, DiBenedetto’s future in the Cup Series is not seen as certain, with other candidates seen as the leading candidates to fill these seats.