Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters team head to Texas Motor Speedway hoping to avoid the bad luck that ruined a promising day for them at Texas back in July.
In that race, DiBenedetto was poised for a strong finish when he was collected by a rookie driver who made a sudden move to pit road from the outside groove.
DiBenedetto salvaged a 17th-place finish, but he’s still thinking about that good finish that got away as he heads back to the Ft. Worth track for Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.
“We had a really fast car at Texas earlier this year and got wiped out by the lap car while running fourth,” DiBenedetto said, adding that the positives from the summertime Texas race far outweigh the negatives. “I feel great going back.”
The 1.5-mile Texas track is similar to intermediate-length ovals at Las Vegas, where he finished second in both races there this year, and Kentucky Speedway, where he finished third in the Cup circuit’s only appearance at that track.
“The mile-and-a-half tracks are strong for our Menards/Richmond Water Heaters team,” he said. “And this weekend we will have great notes from the first Texas race to go off of.”
DiBenedetto is scheduled to start 14th in Sunday’s 500-miler, which is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. with TV coverage on NBCSN.
Menards
A family owned company started in 1958, Menards is headquartered in Eau Claire, WI. Menards has more than 300 retail stores located throughout the Midwest in the states of IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY. Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader. It’s famous slogan “Save Big Money at Menards” is widely known and easy to remember. For more information, visit Menards.com, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Matt DiBenedetto in the famous No. 21 racer.
