Matt DiBenedetto’s father reveals the hard time his son’s facing as Viking Motorsports sacked him mid-season

NASCAR Cup Series veteran Matt DiBenedetto's father, Tony DiBenedetto, recently posted on his Facebook account to share about his son. Tony pointed out that his son has been facing significant personal and professional life challenges.

Earlier this month, DiBenedetto and Viking Motorsports parted ways with just three races left in the season. He drove the #99 Chevy for the team, but the Xfinity Series team replaced him with Connor Mosack for the Talladega, Martinsville, and Phoenix races. The former Cup Series driver ranked 22nd in the points table with a best fifth-place finish at the Talladega spring race.

Apart from his professional challenges, Matt DiBenedetto has been struggling in his personal life. His wife, Taylor, was pregnant with twins, but unfortunately, the couple lost them. His father, Tony DiBenedetto, was rushed to the emergency room for brain surgery to remove a tumor. However, he was released within 24 hours and has been recovering since then.

Reflecting on the same, Matt DiBenedetto's father stated:

"This is not a feel sorry for Matt. This is just me telling you everything. He's always told you about his life. He's never hid anything! I'm very proud of who Matt is and the kind things he does for everybody else that nobody knows about. Not many people can say in their lifetime that they cannot shine their kids shoes and I am saying this sincerely I cannot shine Matt shoes. He is a great son and I am very fortunate to have great children and wonderful grandchildren!"

Matt DiBenedetto has been with Viking Motorsports since the 2024 season. He helped the organization expand into a full-time team in the series. He stayed with the team while they switched their OEM from Ford to Chevy for their full-time debut this season.

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"My feet were just stuck in the fire": Matt DiBenedetto opened up about the Portland race fire incident

Former Viking Motorsports driver Matt DiBenedetto couldn't catch a break this season. He competed in the Pacific Office Automation 147 held at Portland International Raceway and was stuck in his burning car, which led to an early exit from the main event.

DiBenedetto ran 22nd on the last lap of stage one when he parked his #99 Chevy on the grass and jumped out. The CW captured the Xfinity Series driver's sudden exit from the car. He then sat there and removed his shoes, checking his feet. The Cup Series veteran was rushed to the infield care center and was released soon while the race was still going on.

Following his exit from the care center, Matt DiBenedetto was featured in an interview with Frontstretch Media. During the interaction, he opened up about the struggles he faced while he tried to jump out of his burning car.

"There was a fire. There was a fire down inside the, uh, at my feet. Um, my feet were really hot. There was a big fire, and I was trying I pulled off pulled off. I was trying to get out, and my lace got wrapped around the pedal—uh, my shoelace—and so I couldn't get out. So, my feet were just stuck in the fire, and, uh, thank God, on the third try, I was able to get out." [00:10]

Matt DiBenedetto's day ended in a DNF, and he finished the 144.75-mile race in P34. Meanwhile, JR Motorsports rookie driver Connor Zilisch added his eighth win and sixth pole position to his stats.

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Edited by Karan Yadav