Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center Mustang didn’t have quite enough speed to race their way into Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway. But their fans had stepped up and voted DiBenedetto into the non-points extravaganza, so he was able to join the 21-driver starting field and wound up finishing the 100-lap affair in 17th place.
DiBenedetto started the night by taking the green flag for the NASCAR Open from third place.
That race, divided into three segments, two 20 lap segments followed by a 10 lap segment, offered the winner of each segment a berth in the All-Star race. He ran in the top five throughout the Open, but came short of winning a segment. He finished fourth in the first round, third in the second and second in the third.
Then the results of the fan vote were announced.
“I’m really thankful to the fans who voted us in,” DiBenedetto said. “That was really cool for all of us, pretty special. We were up against some good competition on that.”
Like the Open, the All-Star Race proved to be one in which track position was critical.
Because the drivers who advanced to the All-Star Race from the Open had to start in the rear of the pack, they were at a disadvantage from the start. DiBenedetto ran near the back of the 21-driver field for most of the first two Rounds of the All-Star race.
“We didn’t have great speed but we were able to hang on pretty good when we had track position,” he said, adding that when he did get to start up front he could stay there.
In the third 15-lap Round of the All-Star race, the line-up was set by a full-field inversion of the previous segment, and DiBenedetto started second.
He got the lead just after the drop of the green flag, led the first six laps and finished second in that segment.
DiBenedetto started eighth in the fourth Round, after a partial inversion, and ran as high as fourth before finishing eighth.
In the fifth Round, at 30 laps the longest of the night, he made his mandatory four-tire pit stop after just two laps but a slow stop cost him valuable track position, and he finished 19th. He gained two spots in the final 10-lap run and was scored 17th for the night.
“Once we lost track position, I couldn’t do much in the dirty air,” he said. “But, overall it was a good night, especially winning the fan vote.
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Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine vehicle maintenance including tire repair and replacement with a Low Tire Price Guarantee and a full menu of automotive services including oil and filter, brakes, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts on all vehicle makes and models. Service is performed by certified technicians at more than 1,000 locations worldwide while you wait, and no appointment is necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility solutions. Ford employs approximately 200,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
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.
