Matt DiBenedetto – No. 95 Horizon Transport Toyota Camry Preview
Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
No. 95 Horizon Transport Toyota Camry Notes:
DIBENEDETTO BY THE NUMBERS: In four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career starts at Indianapolis, Matt DiBenedetto has an average start of 32.0, an average finish of 29.0, and he’s completed 422 of 661 (63.8 percent) career laps at the Brickyard.
HOMESTATE HORIZON TRANSPORT: In the early 1980’s, Melvin Schrock, founder of Horizon Transport, was a delivery driver for Coachmen Industries, delivering new RV’s to their dealerships. It was during this time that he recognized the need for a transportation company that provided prompt service with professional, clean, qualified and courteous drivers. It was out of this vision that Horizon Transport was established. Over the years, by providing superior service and taking care of the customers and contractors, Horizon has grown considerably. Currently, Horizon delivers 80,000 vehicles annually and Horizon has become a highly respected leader in the RV transportation industry. From their humble beginnings in 1984 with ten drivers, today Horizon has an independent contractor base of over 1,500 drivers. The corporate office is located in Wakarusa, Indiana with branch offices across the Midwest and west coast.
RACE INFO: The Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile) begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 8th. The race will be broadcast live on NBC, Sirius XM Channel 90 and IMS Radio
DiBenedetto’s Career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Indianapolis:
Date Event: S F Laps Status
07/26/15 Crown Royal 400 40 32 162/164 Running
07/24/16 Combat Wounded Coalition 400 30 40 4/170 Engine
07/23/17 Big Machine Brickyard 400 27 8 167/167 Running
09/10/18 Big Machine Vodka 400 31 36 89/160 Read End
Races Wins Top 5s Top 10s Poles
Cumulative 4 0 0 0 0
DiBenedetto’s 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:
Starts Wins Top-5’s Top-10’s Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
25 0 3 6 0 143 20.8 19.2
DiBenedetto’s Career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
Starts Wins Top-5’s Top-10’s Poles Laps Led Avg. Start Avg. Finish
165 0 3 10 0 166 29.65 27.5
From the Driver’s Seat:
Matt DiBenedetto: “At Indy, it’s a track where it’s really important to be able to have the grip in the corners and the clean air as well. The corners of Indy are a little tighter than most other tracks we go to, so you really need clean air to get around that track well. Unlike other 2.5-mile tracks we race, you can’t really run in a pack at Indy because of how tight the corners are. Pocono is the closest 2.5-mile track that I can compare to Indy so we’ll look over notes from those two races this year as we plan ahead for this weekend. There will be some strategy plays this weekend as well since the track is long enough that some people may pit under green, similar to what we often see at Pocono, because you can vary pit strategies at Indy and not fall behind. Restarts at Pocono showed us that you had to be in the outside line, otherwise you just got demolished, and I anticipate the same being true for this weekend at Indy as well. You’ll want to try and have a good day of restarts, because typically the field will file out from there, and there aren’t a lot of places to pass on the track otherwise.”
From the Pit Box:
Mike Wheeler: “Indy this weekend will be the most similar to Pocono in my opinion. Passing will be difficult, the long straightaways, and track position will matter. We’ll also have the same tire from Pocono this weekend at Indy so that’s another commonality for teams, and drivers to work with this weekend as well. Since Indy’s corners are a lot like Turn 2 at Pocono the corners are all pretty tight at Indy but when you’re by yourself in clean air, they’re a lot easier. There might be some drafting down the straightaway this weekend, but ultimately, you’ll have to be single file through the corner. I think that it will come down to a game of restarts and execution all day to get up front to win the race. You can also short pit the stages at Indy to gain track position but giving up stage points during that could be a side story just the same. I also feel that the restarts this weekend at Indy may be pretty wild until the field gets single-filed out.”
No. 95 Horizon Transport Camry Team:
Driver: Matt DiBenedetto Crew Chief: Mike Wheeler
Car Chief: Greg Emmer Spotter: Doug Campbell
Engineer: J.R. Houston Engineer: Etienne Cliche
Mechanic: Bill Mares Mechanic: Matt Kimball
Shock Specialist: Sean Studer Mechanic: Zach Marquardt
Tire Specialist: Tony Ramirez Jackman: Charles Thacker
Fueler: Bailey Walker Rear Changer: Deven Youker
Front Changer: Adam Hartman Tire Carrier: Chris Hall
Hauler Driver: Damon Lopez Pit Support: Brian Eastland
About Horizon Transport:
Horizon Transport is one of North America’s largest RV transporters. Horizon is located in the heart of RV country, Wakarusa, Indiana. We’re committed to integrity, dedication, and excellence. We know that if we build a great culture among our drivers, they will serve our customers well. Horizon Transport is growing at an incredible pace and we’re always looking for more drivers. Join us as we transport the nation’s RVs!
