Matt DiBenedetto drove a battered No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang to a fifth-place finish in a chaotic Verizon 200 on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was his third top-five finish of the season, his sixth top-10 and his fifth-straight finish of 11th or better.
DiBenedetto started Sunday’s inaugural Cup Series run on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 15th place. His Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang sustained body damage on the start, and he and the team battled to overcome that throughout the race.
Crew chief Jonathan Hassler, who had a stellar day as a race strategist, brought his driver to pit road with three laps remaining in the opening Stage. That set DiBenedetto up to start the second Stage from 14th place.
Just after that restart, DiBenedetto was involved in a fender-banger with Christopher Bell, briefly drove off the track but recovered to rejoin the race in 21st place.
Hassler adopted a different strategy for the end of the second Stage. By staying on track throughout that run, DiBenedetto finished Stage Two in fifth place and earned six Stage points.
As the third and final segment of the race got underway, DiBenedetto, after a pit stop, began working his way forward.
As others ahead of them pitted under the green flag, Hassler left DiBenedetto on the track as long as possible. He took the lead on Lap 63 but yielded to drivers on fresher tires. He was still running seventh when he finally headed to pit road with 11 laps remaining.
As luck would have it – good luck that is – the yellow flag flew with DiBenedetto on pit road. When most of the rest of the field made pit stops under the ensuing caution period, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang cycled up to third place for a restart with six scheduled laps remaining.
Despite the damage to his Mustang, DiBenedetto was running fourth when the caution flag – and eventually the red flag – was displayed for a multi-car crash in Turn Six. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang received more damage, including to the front suspension, but DiBenedetto stayed on track in fourth place for the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag run to the finish.
Then came another multi-car crash in Turn Six.
In the second and final attempt at an overtime finish, DiBenedetto held on to finish fifth.
In his post-race comments, DiBenedetto credited Hassler with putting the team in position to capitalize on the late-race chaos.
“All the credit goes to crew chief Jonathan Hassler for knowing the strategy and the spot we were in and throwing a Hail Mary and running all the way until we were about out of fuel and knowing that if any caution came out we could stay out and get all the track position,”
DiBenedetto said. “This is all him. All I had to do was kind of hang on until the end, hang onto the position.
“Obviously, our car was missing some pieces on it, so I just had to hang on for whatever we could get.
“We actually had a shot at [a win] there at the end. I couldn’t believe it. It’s just a testament to this team.”
DiBenedetto added that he hasn’t given up on putting the No. 21 Mustang in Victory Lane before the season ends.
“We need to keep digging,” he said. “We need to win one of these races.”
Next up for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team is the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday Aug. 22.
About Motorcraft:
Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to underhood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln Dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Omnicraft:
Omnicraft is part of the Ford lineup of parts brands: Ford Parts, Motorcraft and Omnicraft. Omnicraft is the exclusive non-Ford/Lincoln parts brand of premium aftermarket parts. With over a century of parts heritage to build upon, Omnicraft provides excellent quality and fit and is a preferred choice of professional automotive technicians. To find out more about Omnicraft, visit www.omnicraftautoparts.com or contact your local Ford or Lincoln Dealership.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
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.
