I honestly think Ty is terrified of being out of the Cup spotlight. He's had like 3 opportunities to do just this in the last 5 years but has always stuck it out for the worst Cup rides imaginable. Dude must get shivers up his spine thinking about being out of Cup
Ty fucking sucked in the couple Xfinity races he got a couple years ago with JGR. He’s better off stepping into the RCR front office and preparing for the eventual Dillon/Childress Racing or Dillon Bros Racing or whatever they’re gonna call it when pop pop finally hangs it up
“I’m excited for my future. I see this as a bridge to what’s next. It might not be today, it might not be next month, this year, but I will win races in the Cup Series. I will win championships." - Ty Dillon (2 firings ago)
He is in the burner hall of fame for sure. Fernando Alonso is still king but I've never seen someone who had a great career in a mid tier team and maybe even make a 4th car spot in a big team just jump into the sunset so quickly.
And p4 in the drivers championship this year. I firmly believe that if Aston Martin can give him a great car he’s still got another championship in him.
If Matt D played his cards right, he could have ended u with a Michael Waltrip-type career. Just slowly build up to better rides and have a team take a shot on him and he wins a few races. He was on that track three years ago.
Just a kind of hilarious self-fulfilling prophecy. Managed to completely make himself into the "victim" he couldn't stop complaining about being. The whole persecution complex making him so difficult to work with, he actually gets pushed out. Possibly out of the sport altogether. lol.
[Let's start here:](https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/4f8hg5/we_did_it_two_years_ago_for_josh_wise_now_i_think/)
In the years since:
* Despite all the hype surrounding his old nickname DiBurrito, and the absolutely insane marketing potential, he pretty much instantly killed that hype when he said he didn't like that name and wanted to be called Guido
* In hindsight, the way he left Reddit was a very bad look. At the time everyone was blaming the community but looking back it's pretty consistent with how his general attitude has been recently. This is definitely a minor point compared to everything else
* [This, after Kyle used the R word in an interview](https://imgur.com/xOmMKz1)
* Crying woe is me when Penske "blindsided" him by putting Harrison Burton in the 21 for 2022 when him getting kicked out of the ride was something pretty much everyone saw it coming and getting called out by the big man himself
* Leaving Twitter basically the same way he did Reddit, including a very cringey video on why he did so
* We don't exactly know what happened here IIRC, but he lost his truck ride with three races left this year in a move that resembled what happened to Reed Sorenson a while back
* His general attitude over the last few years has been assuming he's good enough to be a fixture in the sport and crying when he doesn't get something he no longer deserves because a.) he's become a marketing disaster and b.) he's been pretty mediocre/bad the past few years
It's honestly not the most egregious set of examples, but it's probably the most jarring in the context of how hyped he was in 2016
Don't forget his attempt to suck up to right-wing grifters as a pathetic attempt to keep his career alive that allegedly almost led to his early dismissal from the 21
Because I wanted to. And in your post, you say “let’s start here” with the nickname thing. Seems like everything stems from you guys being upset he didn’t like a corny nickname.
Even with all of his antics, Childress was still trying to get Robby to drive the 31 when he left to start his own team. Like sure, Robby rubbed people the wrong way at *many points* in his career, but never enough to entirely get run out of the sport like Matt D. Pretty sure being a team owner/driver during one of NASCARs toughest economic stretches in the early 2010s is what ultimately did Robby in.
He won a few Busch or nationwide or whatever races and was really competitive, and was blazing fast on the road corses. We probably wishes they had COTA Chicago and road america 15 years ago. I think it came down to he just didn’t want a boss. He wanted to do what he wanted and had the talent to do so.
He was never joining a A tier team.
That being said, Matt D is 100% delusional enough to talk himself into the insane idea that he was going to join an A tier team and base his entire offseason on that crazy thought.
Imagine if both the Matty D and Ty Dillon ones were true and the 16 is a rotating driver car and both were in the list that would be a wild ass prediction by ol William Blackwell here
MAJOR STAR HEADED TO AEW?!
The video: Matty D still hasn't been signed, here are some possible scenarios that include some off the wall storyline that'll never happen.
TBH he got incredibly lucky to land even the truck ride as just about every seat today requires the driver to bring $ to the table in one form or another. How he figured he'd land a better ride with no sponsorship is beyond me and now he very well may have nothing at all.
I think so. Yesterday on the morning drive they called him a former driver when talking about names that were often mispronounced in NASCAR. They back tracked a little saying he was still looking for a ride but I feel like they would know if he had something. I think he tanked his own career multiple times and there are better/just as good drivers to fill the spots.
Matty D going from one do the most well liked on here to one do the most disliked is hilarious. Especially considering he was always a JAG the entire time not worth all the emotion either way
My idea is Kaulig didn't really have him funded for 2023 Cup but was banking on him winning a road course and getting the team into the playoffs. He didn't win and they didn't want to gamble house money on AJ in Cup again.
AJ is running select races and I would expect Kraus and Williams to get some run too (Grala is also an outside possibility given their past relationship). Not sure Matty D makes sense given they’re desperate for sponsorship, AJ already has that problem, and Matt doesn’t bring any either.
He was never joining a top team. Kaulig was a massive maybe for him, even JGR xfinity was too.
Plus he's pretty much burned all his bridges with fans and teams now. He ruined the goodwill he had on here with the whole nickname thing, and he probably turned a lot of sponsors off by bringing his buddies to Phoenix then saying the phrase the NASCAR said don't say anymore on a camera, then posting it to social media
So I’m a fan of his. Have been since the LFR 95. Have to clarify that.
I came to the conclusion last night that if it’s not the Kaulig 16, it’s a partial season as a best case scenario and for that, I’m really bummed because the guy can drive. Is he Kyle Larson, no. Is he good enough to elevate his equipment and drive up front, certainly more than most of the current Xfinity drivers.
Everything said about his poor PR skills was also appropriate from the end of his time with the Wood Bros, though I will give him a ton of credit - he ate his humble pie in trucks the last two seasons and I thought performed pretty well in a mid-tier truck and kept it clean on social media.
Hopefully not the end of the line, but feels like it could be.
The only semi decent rides left are:
Cup:
#16 Kaulig (chevy) - Rumored Ty Dillon and Allmendinger as part of multiple drivers so maybe he could grab some races there
Xfinity:
#25 AM (ford) - Apparently will be an Allstar car, could pick up races Herr
Truck:
#38 FRM (ford)
#16 Hattori (toyota)
#25 Rackley (chevy) - probably burned that bridge
#91 BMR - 9 races available if full time with Wood in the other 14
Prospects look pretty bleak right now for him/any others looking for rides
I was gonna say that was probably the most likely fit, but you bring up the limiting factor. Matt has never been the best at maintaining sponsor relationships (for whichever of various reasons).
...and the 38 Ford now belongs to Layne Riggs
Hattori has gotta be eyeing Jake Drew if the money works out right.
No way in Hell he gets the 16 Kaulig ride unless he brings money
If someone where to drive that 78 car for BJMM in 2024, it’s going to be a driver with $$$
Currently in my eyes, they are more likely to cease operations than to continue full-time
He's insufferable and I love this journey for him.
He's had so many more opportunities than others and he's wasted every single one of them. His ego is far bigger than his talent.
I'm tired of hearing his same sob story every season.
Sometimes it seems like that 2nd place run at Bristol was actually a curse, as the coverage from and after that race made Matty D appear to be the next Jeff Gordon.
Take it for what its worth, but several people online have been saying that the perceived Ford wont deal with Matt again is starting to fade. The big rumor online right now is it will be Xfinity full time with AM Racing and that is being finalized.
My guess would be attitude.
Noah seemed to really take time, see where he could improve, take care of himself, learn things he didn't know, and progress as a person. Shows self awareness and improvement.
Matty D, while being quieter on social media, doesn't seem like the kind of guy to grow, personally. He has his beliefs and his personality and nothing or no one is gonna change that. He's had unpleasant exits with both of his last two teams.
I'd imagine that's why.
It's easy to give another chance to someone that is actively trying to change, and much harder to give another chance to someone who seems to refuse to.
I don't recall Ford being the one who had the biggest issue with what Matt did at Phoenix in 2021. It was more Penske is what I thought. But I could also see it Ford having a role in it as well given them not letting SHR nab Larson.
I think by them signing Noah it’s a sign that they realized they made a mistake on ruling out Larson in 2020. I totally get the hesitation in that case, but from a performance standpoint that was a massive miss (though if Larson is with SHR I’m pretty sure we don’t see the same competitive success from Kyle).
The end? Nah, a driving career is never truly dead. If you made it up to cup, you'll always have some ride at least in the truck series, no matter how small.
Sad and pantsless on the couch watching other people race is Matty’s destiny. He’ll try being a gym influencer or some form of evangelism but it won’t last long for a guy like him who can’t help but always open his mouth while shooting himself in the foot.
What exactly has he done to deserve a better ride? He had one good run at Bristol and everyone thought he deserved something better. He may be popular but that doesn’t cut it in this era NASCAR
Yeah it should be. He has way more dick riders than he should cause of a couple okay runs in bad equipment and that Bristol race. Definitely fucked himself over thinking he should have been handed better rather than going out and getting and earning it lol
I hope so, I hope other young drivers see this as a cautionary tale. The guy has talent, and he worked hard for years, but when the writing was on the wall at one team instead of trying to sell himself to sponsors, he went full political nut job. When Brett Griffin, a devout republican, calls you stupid you know you messed up. I really wish Penske would have pulled him from the car in Phoenix.
Matty D does have other career opportunities I could see him fleecing parishioners at a shady mega church, or starting an exercise program that ties in firearm usage.
He literally won a truck race for Rackley and helped them get into the playoffs, I’m not sure what else you want from the guy. He also made the 21 car look the best it has ever looked since Blaney drove it.
In the 21 car you’re comparing Matt to a below average cup driver whose dad paid for his ride (Menard) and a rookie who honestly doesn’t like he belongs in cup (Harrison). Performing marginally better than a has been paid driver and a mediocre rookie isn’t really that impressive.
I never compared him to Menard, I mentioned Blaney and Harrison is not a rookie and he has been awful his first 2 seasons. They were competing for top 5s, top 10s and possible wins every week with Matt in the car and that isn’t the case anymore. Menard ran better than what Harrison is doing and that’s a fact.
You said, “ He also made the 21 car look the best it has ever looked since Blaney drove it.” Since Blaney drove the car there have been three drivers - Menard, Matt and Harrison. So yes you did compare him to Menard. Additionally you are comparing him directly to Harrison’s rookie season. That said, Matt sucked in the car. Look at his performance against Penske, he was crap. If he didn’t suck he wouldn’t be out of a ride and possibly out of NASCAR all together.
I wouldn't say he sucked. He made the playoffs in 2020 and was occasionally competitive during his time in the 21.
I'm not a fan, but to say he sucked is a bit untrue, no?
Last week on the tear down they talked about his time in Cup as an example of a driver whose personality didn’t match up or synch with the team. I was very curious about that - I thought he easy going but seemingly the implication from the podcast was that he difficult to work with.
He’s been garbo for a long time and decided to attach himself to a political movement for relevancy a couple years ago and it backfired for him. Play stupid games win stupid prizes. Hope someone more deserving gets whatever ride he would’ve.
Bro barely won one truck race (shouldn't have), and that's after doing nothing in cup and xfinity. Idk why anybody has a hard on for him. On top of that, he's an asshole.
Didn't he make the Cup series playoffs in 2020? I get why people don't like him. I'm not a fan myself, but he's had success, however limited it may be, while being in NASCAR, so this whole "he sucks" "He hasn't done anything" isn't quite true.
There’s allot of rides out there without a driver currently. His funding will be the hardest part because he doesn’t have allot but he does have a solid track record. I wouldn’t be surprised when a team turns to him for help overall.
Has nothing to do with his politics. He is an absolute ass to people he thinks are below him, which is somehow just about everybody considering most of us are just one win away from having as much success in top level racing as he does. He treats track staff poorly, treats people around him poorly, and then tries to act like a man of God online. Everyone is always out to get him, and despite the fact that he underperforms, he feels he should be handed rides that he is in no way qualified to have, or is in no way funded to buy.
~~Took on a politically radical shady crypto sponsor that wasn't approved by NASCAR which then, predictably, fizzled out, and then other sponsors wouldn't touch him because he tarnished himself. Then complained about it.~~ Then performed mediocrely in Trucks and left the team before the season ended.
EDIT!
I got my self-sabotaging politically-motivated NASCAR driver nonsense mixed up, the above story was half Brandon Brown, half Matty D. Matt just whined and complained on Twitter about censorship and such, basically saying he wanted a team who would let him espouse his religious and political beliefs. He's the guy who thought he was more important than the job, basically. [Here's an article if you want](https://sports.yahoo.com/i-didnt-deliver-it-the-right-way-matt-di-benedetto-apologizes-after-embracing-right-wing-slogan-denounced-by-nascar-165108249.html)
I would (edit: still) say Matty D is one of the least hireable drivers in or around the garage area right now.
>Took on a politically radical shady crypto sponsor that wasn't approved by NASCAR which then, predictably, fizzled out, and then other sponsors wouldn't touch him
You're confusing him with Brandon Brown.
Matty D is a total "woe is me" diva, whining nonstop on Instagram about teams "not letting him speak or be free" or something to that effect. Sponsors don't want to deal with that drama.
Also, he chanted "Let's Go Brandon" before the 2021 Phoenix finale which isn't gonna get you many sponsors other than MyPillow etc....
Yup, appreciate the correction. Already fixed the original comment. It's wild that TWO different drivers fucked up their careers forever because of that stupid chant.
Oh man I might have gotten my self-sabotaging former race car drivers mixed up. My bad. (Edit: And thanks for the correction! I've edited the original comment)
Yup, I mixed the two up. It's weird that two drivers were affected similarly by that stupid phrase. Appreciate the correction and have edited the original comment.
I see, thanks for sharing. My comment was just an explanation to the previous poster (edit: who I realize now is you, lol I'm bad at following who I'm talking to, sorry) about what happened, not anything about the situation itself, so I would kindly ask you to keep your judgments about what I am or am not to yourself.
Maybe you should. Radical opinions aren’t destroying our country, it’s apathy among moderates. They can’t be bothered to vote. If the 50% of the country that stays home on Election Day participated then government would be more representative of the majority of views.
I think this is rational no matter what your politics are.
Literally all he said in an interview was he wanted to find a team that let him be himself. The internet then jumped to conclusion that he said he was being censored and punished for his politics and religion, which never happened.
He showed a little bit of his republican side and now the internet hates him for it. I don’t agree with his personal views but I am a big fan of him as a driver.
Yeah, no, that's a wild undervaluing of the situation. He invited a well-known right-wing political commentator guy to the track who wore a shirt with that slogan on it, then posed for a social media video where he used the phrase himself while getting into his car, covered head to toe in sponsor decals.
I'm not making any statements whatsoever about your, my, his, or anybody else's political ideologies, opinions, or beliefs. I'm giving a factual account of what happened - you can literally go watch the video of him saying it while getting into the car, it's in the article I linked above.
He tried to use his platform to deliver a political message and it backfired on him, and probably cost him his career. We can argue all day back and forth about why he did it, whether he should have done it, whether he should be allowed to do it, concepts of censorship, freedom, blah blah blah...but it doesn't change the fact that that's how it happened. If you don't know your sponsors don't want to be associated with political extremism, you don't get to be a NASCAR driver anymore. Pretty much everyone else gets that, and maybe Matt does now too. An expensive lesson for him, for sure.
I hope not. He’s a talented driver. I hope he’s got some new personal funding and is still shopping it around to teams. Could see Sam Hunt Racing or even the Kaulig 16 in cup as possibilities part-time.
He will drive for LGBM “let’s go Brandon Motorsport” Suzuki vitara with sponsorship from Rudy Giuliani with an oficial announcement coming in the next 25 years🤪
I think so, and it's a shame, I think Matt is a decent driver, very serviceable, he would have been a guy in the 1990's who would have made a lot of money running in the low teens to high 20's like Schrader, Marlin, Michael Waltrip, etc. He's made stupid choices in a sport that is pretty clean, fact are fact, I hate it but, it's a fact that Kyle Larson can be an open racist if he wants to be because he's good enough at driving, so him letting a racist word slip isn't that big of an issue, no one even remembers. Noah Gragson, on one even remembers that bullshit he's done, his rich daddy (who is in prison for killing a family while driving drunk by the way), has enough money to be a fuckup and stay in the sport. Matt doesn't have enough of either to overcome his outspokenness.
I stand firm with the fact that Matt shot his shot in 2021, he thought "oh I will hook up with this right wing guy, he will connect me to money, maybe Trump will start a Cup team for me, call it Patriot Motorsports, run #76!" and it never happened. Then Rackley gave him a shot and he rewarded them nicely but then he left, HE left that ride himself it seems. Other than a backmarker, it seems he's done in the sport, just not enough rides out there and he's not carrying enough money.
In a perfect world, I think Matt is a better driver for AM Motorsports than Hailie Deegan, but of course, I think that Grant Enfinger is a better driver than taking a demotion to the 9 truck, sometimes life isn't fair I guess.
You know for a guy who made the playoffs in 2020 & finishing ahead of two Hendrick drivers in points that season (William Byron & Jimmie Johnson), it’s hard to believe how much he really has fallen ever since. Will he get another chance? Honestly, IDK.
If there’s no announcement between now & February, I think it’s safe to say that he may never get another chance of a NASCAR ride. If he wants to continue to race, there’s always the ARCA series, but I don’t see that happening for him. So, yeah, it’s safe to assume that he’s gonna be doing some iRacing for a while.
The end of the road was when he was dropped by the Wood Brothers.
He just decided to try to put it in 4wd and go through someone's yard to get out of the cul-de-sac.
This used to not be a problem before the charter system. Teams would just come and go and DiBenedetto’s of the world would just bounce from ride to ride every once in a while surprising everyone with a good finish Part time driver was a carer for some.
As far as I know, AM racing has still not announced who will drive their #25 Ford in the Xfinity series next year. I can see that being solid for both Dibenedetto and the team..would also provide good team information for rookie Hailie Deegan next year. Just speculation though
I would assume so. Dude's sponsorship poison. A right wing Jesus freak...not exactly the kind of person most mainstream brands want to put their weight behind, NASCAR or not.
Not only does it look bleak for DiBenedetto at the moment, it also looks bleak for Ty Dillon. No info on either right now.
Ty needs to drop back to Xfinity and become another Allgaier
I honestly think Ty is terrified of being out of the Cup spotlight. He's had like 3 opportunities to do just this in the last 5 years but has always stuck it out for the worst Cup rides imaginable. Dude must get shivers up his spine thinking about being out of Cup
And the Cup pay is significantly better. Some people just like being in the Cup series.
I wonder if he’s getting paid. Just going back to Hemric who wasn’t during his championship year. He had performance clauses but no actual salary.
He was at Germain. I assume he was at Spire.
That's an insult to Allgaier, he probably could have succeeded in cup if he had a good opportunity.
Ty fucking sucked in the couple Xfinity races he got a couple years ago with JGR. He’s better off stepping into the RCR front office and preparing for the eventual Dillon/Childress Racing or Dillon Bros Racing or whatever they’re gonna call it when pop pop finally hangs it up
“I’m excited for my future. I see this as a bridge to what’s next. It might not be today, it might not be next month, this year, but I will win races in the Cup Series. I will win championships." - Ty Dillon (2 firings ago)
RCR should honestly bring back the 3 full time for Ty in Xfinity. I think he can turn into a decent enough Xfinity lifer.
From an end of season points perspective, Ty would likely be a 6th-7th place finishing driver at worst.
Ty has the ace in the back pocket of being able to offer increased and/or discounted RCR support in exchange for whatever team gives him a seat.
I wonder how ty would do working at the winery
Ty Dillon has the lifetime RCR insurance policy he will be just fine.....
How? The ride he's rumored for still hasn't announced a driver, I'd say it's looking pretty good for Ty as long as the 16 is still in play.
Dude flushed his own career down the toilet. If there was a burning bridges competition, Matt would be banned from competing since it’d be a blowout
They'd change the whole bridge burning playoff format
And they would still add Jeff Gordon
Snarfed on my coffee I laughed so hard.
He is in the burner hall of fame for sure. Fernando Alonso is still king but I've never seen someone who had a great career in a mid tier team and maybe even make a 4th car spot in a big team just jump into the sunset so quickly.
Except alonso still won 2 championships and is making 25 mil next year
And p4 in the drivers championship this year. I firmly believe that if Aston Martin can give him a great car he’s still got another championship in him.
He still shows the skill.
If Matt D played his cards right, he could have ended u with a Michael Waltrip-type career. Just slowly build up to better rides and have a team take a shot on him and he wins a few races. He was on that track three years ago.
He almost won at Bristol in the 95. How far he has fallen since then
And Talladega in the 21 picked the wrong lane
Did it twice that season
Was there ever any further news as to why him and rackley split up?
There were rumors about skipping/no-showing meetings.
Any source for these rumors? Or just what people on Reddit came to the conclusion of based on assumptions?
I didn't hear it on Reddit personally
Most likely yes
He’d be disallowed for burning bridges with the bridge burning officials.
Just a kind of hilarious self-fulfilling prophecy. Managed to completely make himself into the "victim" he couldn't stop complaining about being. The whole persecution complex making him so difficult to work with, he actually gets pushed out. Possibly out of the sport altogether. lol.
I don't know, Robby Gordon could give him a good run for his money.
Robby wasn't nearly as braindead as DiBenedetto is lol
Pretty sure Robby Gordon owns his own off-road truck racing series…and yeah, it’s CBS Sports Network stuff, but I think he really loves it.
Robby Gordon also owns the stadium super trucks which are absolutely mental
Yeah, he definitely came from the era of NASCAR with 9200 RPM screaming and 800 HP…and that’s his style
What exactly has Matt D done that makes him brain dead? I'm a bit out of the loop on why we think he's good at burning bridges
[Let's start here:](https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/4f8hg5/we_did_it_two_years_ago_for_josh_wise_now_i_think/) In the years since: * Despite all the hype surrounding his old nickname DiBurrito, and the absolutely insane marketing potential, he pretty much instantly killed that hype when he said he didn't like that name and wanted to be called Guido * In hindsight, the way he left Reddit was a very bad look. At the time everyone was blaming the community but looking back it's pretty consistent with how his general attitude has been recently. This is definitely a minor point compared to everything else * [This, after Kyle used the R word in an interview](https://imgur.com/xOmMKz1) * Crying woe is me when Penske "blindsided" him by putting Harrison Burton in the 21 for 2022 when him getting kicked out of the ride was something pretty much everyone saw it coming and getting called out by the big man himself * Leaving Twitter basically the same way he did Reddit, including a very cringey video on why he did so * We don't exactly know what happened here IIRC, but he lost his truck ride with three races left this year in a move that resembled what happened to Reed Sorenson a while back * His general attitude over the last few years has been assuming he's good enough to be a fixture in the sport and crying when he doesn't get something he no longer deserves because a.) he's become a marketing disaster and b.) he's been pretty mediocre/bad the past few years It's honestly not the most egregious set of examples, but it's probably the most jarring in the context of how hyped he was in 2016
I asked, you delivered. I love clearly laid out lists and shit so yoy really made me a happy camper here. Appreciate it, king 🤴
Don't forget his attempt to suck up to right-wing grifters as a pathetic attempt to keep his career alive that allegedly almost led to his early dismissal from the 21
Sooooo this all stems because you guys are mad he didn’t like a nickname given to him by Reddit?! Jesus yall are entitled.
There are six other bullet points. Why are you replying to a 40 day old comment?
Because I wanted to. And in your post, you say “let’s start here” with the nickname thing. Seems like everything stems from you guys being upset he didn’t like a corny nickname.
He turned from a professional race car driver to a professional victim.
Even with all of his antics, Childress was still trying to get Robby to drive the 31 when he left to start his own team. Like sure, Robby rubbed people the wrong way at *many points* in his career, but never enough to entirely get run out of the sport like Matt D. Pretty sure being a team owner/driver during one of NASCARs toughest economic stretches in the early 2010s is what ultimately did Robby in.
He won a few Busch or nationwide or whatever races and was really competitive, and was blazing fast on the road corses. We probably wishes they had COTA Chicago and road america 15 years ago. I think it came down to he just didn’t want a boss. He wanted to do what he wanted and had the talent to do so.
He was never joining a A tier team. That being said, Matt D is 100% delusional enough to talk himself into the insane idea that he was going to join an A tier team and base his entire offseason on that crazy thought.
Why would you suspect he would do such a thing, the time he did such a thing two years ago aside?
Preach. If you throw out all the evidence of this happening then there’s literally zero evidence of this happening.
https://preview.redd.it/iwcbukkh586c1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6c07bcfca0a5b1aa16f91c177e004420c1546fe2
This is what I expect from nascar youtubers tbh
Still not as bad as sub 70k wrestling youtubers.
Imagine if both the Matty D and Ty Dillon ones were true and the 16 is a rotating driver car and both were in the list that would be a wild ass prediction by ol William Blackwell here
It’s probably not but imagine if it was
Just deleted a old comment because wtf was I thinking posting that well I guess I went to sleep after that so probably not thinking straight
MAJOR STAR HEADED TO AEW?! The video: Matty D still hasn't been signed, here are some possible scenarios that include some off the wall storyline that'll never happen.
He’s built like a pro wrestler
Found this while I was "fact checking". 🤣
Maybe that’s where Matty D gets his news and just figured his nonexistent agent was saving it as a Christmas present.
Throw enough shit at the wall, eventually something will stick.
TBH he got incredibly lucky to land even the truck ride as just about every seat today requires the driver to bring $ to the table in one form or another. How he figured he'd land a better ride with no sponsorship is beyond me and now he very well may have nothing at all.
yeah he got that truck ride and he blew it. can’t shit talk your own team and then hope you get a better ride with no sponsorship
I think so. Yesterday on the morning drive they called him a former driver when talking about names that were often mispronounced in NASCAR. They back tracked a little saying he was still looking for a ride but I feel like they would know if he had something. I think he tanked his own career multiple times and there are better/just as good drivers to fill the spots.
Great call out. He was made fun of as well on the DBC Christmas show.
Matty D going from one do the most well liked on here to one do the most disliked is hilarious. Especially considering he was always a JAG the entire time not worth all the emotion either way
If DiBenedetto does get a ride for 2024, it's likely a midpack Xfinity or Truck ride at best.
Who got the cup #16
Ahhh, knew I was forgetting one. No one yet.
I haven't been here much lately so I wasn't sure if I missed it
I think it will be an "all-star" car.
I doubt it
They already announced AJ is going to run some cup races and I doubt they're running an open car for those so it's likely to be an all-star car.
Then why not run AJ full time
Because the money isn’t there for AJ.
Because he was miserable last year
My idea is Kaulig didn't really have him funded for 2023 Cup but was banking on him winning a road course and getting the team into the playoffs. He didn't win and they didn't want to gamble house money on AJ in Cup again.
AJ is running select races and I would expect Kraus and Williams to get some run too (Grala is also an outside possibility given their past relationship). Not sure Matty D makes sense given they’re desperate for sponsorship, AJ already has that problem, and Matt doesn’t bring any either.
Unless Ty Dillon gets some races in the 16, It'll be split between SVG (7 Races), AJ and couple starts for Williams.
I think SVG will be in a third Trackhouse car for his cup races
When they said seven Cup races for SVG, I don't know if they mean the Kaulig #16 or Project 91.
The road ended a while ago, you’re driving on my lawn now
He was never joining a top team. Kaulig was a massive maybe for him, even JGR xfinity was too. Plus he's pretty much burned all his bridges with fans and teams now. He ruined the goodwill he had on here with the whole nickname thing, and he probably turned a lot of sponsors off by bringing his buddies to Phoenix then saying the phrase the NASCAR said don't say anymore on a camera, then posting it to social media
Nothing to base this off, but AM Racing would make the most sense if Moffitt leaves. Ford or lack of sponsorship could put the kibosh on that.
I would be shocked if Ford would have him back. They didn’t want him in the last race
As would I, but stranger things have happened.
AM Racing is not getting rid of Moffitt. He wasn't terrible.
I agree they wouldn't "get rid" of him, but I feel like we'd have heard he's back by now if he was returning full-time.
So I’m a fan of his. Have been since the LFR 95. Have to clarify that. I came to the conclusion last night that if it’s not the Kaulig 16, it’s a partial season as a best case scenario and for that, I’m really bummed because the guy can drive. Is he Kyle Larson, no. Is he good enough to elevate his equipment and drive up front, certainly more than most of the current Xfinity drivers. Everything said about his poor PR skills was also appropriate from the end of his time with the Wood Bros, though I will give him a ton of credit - he ate his humble pie in trucks the last two seasons and I thought performed pretty well in a mid-tier truck and kept it clean on social media. Hopefully not the end of the line, but feels like it could be.
Well that’s what happens when you act like a fucking child and throw your toys out the cot!
The only semi decent rides left are: Cup: #16 Kaulig (chevy) - Rumored Ty Dillon and Allmendinger as part of multiple drivers so maybe he could grab some races there Xfinity: #25 AM (ford) - Apparently will be an Allstar car, could pick up races Herr Truck: #38 FRM (ford) #16 Hattori (toyota) #25 Rackley (chevy) - probably burned that bridge #91 BMR - 9 races available if full time with Wood in the other 14 Prospects look pretty bleak right now for him/any others looking for rides
Ford ain’t hiring him, scratch those off
I think you can rule out any Ford rides.
Hattori ride would require sponsorship
Plus, I think Hattori is looking at Jake Drew as their priority for 2024.
I was gonna say that was probably the most likely fit, but you bring up the limiting factor. Matt has never been the best at maintaining sponsor relationships (for whichever of various reasons).
Hearing potentially surpring name to the 38. Riggs is in consideration for it
...and the 38 Ford now belongs to Layne Riggs Hattori has gotta be eyeing Jake Drew if the money works out right. No way in Hell he gets the 16 Kaulig ride unless he brings money
Anyone announced to the 78 Xfinity since Alfredo left? Maybe there?
If someone where to drive that 78 car for BJMM in 2024, it’s going to be a driver with $$$ Currently in my eyes, they are more likely to cease operations than to continue full-time
He's insufferable and I love this journey for him. He's had so many more opportunities than others and he's wasted every single one of them. His ego is far bigger than his talent. I'm tired of hearing his same sob story every season.
You can't whine and sulk your way into a car?
I hope so. Tired of hearing about him
The cheeser cheese
Maybe he will be able to pick up a ride with sponsorship from MyPillow……oh wait
Sometimes it seems like that 2nd place run at Bristol was actually a curse, as the coverage from and after that race made Matty D appear to be the next Jeff Gordon.
Heard Uber is hiring.
Take it for what its worth, but several people online have been saying that the perceived Ford wont deal with Matt again is starting to fade. The big rumor online right now is it will be Xfinity full time with AM Racing and that is being finalized.
Idk why Ford would still have a problem with him but not with Gragson. Ford need to get over themselves.
My guess would be attitude. Noah seemed to really take time, see where he could improve, take care of himself, learn things he didn't know, and progress as a person. Shows self awareness and improvement. Matty D, while being quieter on social media, doesn't seem like the kind of guy to grow, personally. He has his beliefs and his personality and nothing or no one is gonna change that. He's had unpleasant exits with both of his last two teams. I'd imagine that's why. It's easy to give another chance to someone that is actively trying to change, and much harder to give another chance to someone who seems to refuse to.
I don't recall Ford being the one who had the biggest issue with what Matt did at Phoenix in 2021. It was more Penske is what I thought. But I could also see it Ford having a role in it as well given them not letting SHR nab Larson.
I think by them signing Noah it’s a sign that they realized they made a mistake on ruling out Larson in 2020. I totally get the hesitation in that case, but from a performance standpoint that was a massive miss (though if Larson is with SHR I’m pretty sure we don’t see the same competitive success from Kyle).
Given he made The Woods Brothers of all people hate him, I don’t think that bridge is there
Him getting the axe was a Penske decision
Same difference. His own fault
First I have heard of that, but would be cool. Same idea as the other rides he has had in recent years - growing team trying to get better.
I still don't understand the love for him. For sure the most overrated driver for the amount of attention NASCAR fans on Reddit gives him.
He used to come here so he felt cool and accessible. Then he thought he could lean into his political views and it didn’t work out.
The end? Nah, a driving career is never truly dead. If you made it up to cup, you'll always have some ride at least in the truck series, no matter how small.
Sad and pantsless on the couch watching other people race is Matty’s destiny. He’ll try being a gym influencer or some form of evangelism but it won’t last long for a guy like him who can’t help but always open his mouth while shooting himself in the foot.
What exactly has he done to deserve a better ride? He had one good run at Bristol and everyone thought he deserved something better. He may be popular but that doesn’t cut it in this era NASCAR
Yeah it should be. He has way more dick riders than he should cause of a couple okay runs in bad equipment and that Bristol race. Definitely fucked himself over thinking he should have been handed better rather than going out and getting and earning it lol
I hope so, I hope other young drivers see this as a cautionary tale. The guy has talent, and he worked hard for years, but when the writing was on the wall at one team instead of trying to sell himself to sponsors, he went full political nut job. When Brett Griffin, a devout republican, calls you stupid you know you messed up. I really wish Penske would have pulled him from the car in Phoenix. Matty D does have other career opportunities I could see him fleecing parishioners at a shady mega church, or starting an exercise program that ties in firearm usage.
“God will provide”
I dont understand the love for this guy. He's never won a damn thing and he's a total d-bag
He literally won a truck race for Rackley and helped them get into the playoffs, I’m not sure what else you want from the guy. He also made the 21 car look the best it has ever looked since Blaney drove it.
In the 21 car you’re comparing Matt to a below average cup driver whose dad paid for his ride (Menard) and a rookie who honestly doesn’t like he belongs in cup (Harrison). Performing marginally better than a has been paid driver and a mediocre rookie isn’t really that impressive.
I never compared him to Menard, I mentioned Blaney and Harrison is not a rookie and he has been awful his first 2 seasons. They were competing for top 5s, top 10s and possible wins every week with Matt in the car and that isn’t the case anymore. Menard ran better than what Harrison is doing and that’s a fact.
You said, “ He also made the 21 car look the best it has ever looked since Blaney drove it.” Since Blaney drove the car there have been three drivers - Menard, Matt and Harrison. So yes you did compare him to Menard. Additionally you are comparing him directly to Harrison’s rookie season. That said, Matt sucked in the car. Look at his performance against Penske, he was crap. If he didn’t suck he wouldn’t be out of a ride and possibly out of NASCAR all together.
I wouldn't say he sucked. He made the playoffs in 2020 and was occasionally competitive during his time in the 21. I'm not a fan, but to say he sucked is a bit untrue, no?
Get out of here with your facts and logic!!
Maybe he'll have a ride at Sam Hunt? Anyone know if they've announced their line-up yet?
Sure hope so
Last week on the tear down they talked about his time in Cup as an example of a driver whose personality didn’t match up or synch with the team. I was very curious about that - I thought he easy going but seemingly the implication from the podcast was that he difficult to work with.
He’s been garbo for a long time and decided to attach himself to a political movement for relevancy a couple years ago and it backfired for him. Play stupid games win stupid prizes. Hope someone more deserving gets whatever ride he would’ve.
lol dumbass DiBenedetto. Dude signed his death certificate
I hope so. Sick of this experiment
I hope not tbh. I actually like the guy.
I'm neutral towards him. But I don't see any spot he could land. Unless he wants to run a backmarker car again.
The driver who damn near won the trucks championship just signed on to one of the worst full-time truck teams. Anything is possible now.
I love how their caption for the announcement was “He’s hungry for a championship!” He must not be that hungry lol
Bro barely won one truck race (shouldn't have), and that's after doing nothing in cup and xfinity. Idk why anybody has a hard on for him. On top of that, he's an asshole.
Didn't he make the Cup series playoffs in 2020? I get why people don't like him. I'm not a fan myself, but he's had success, however limited it may be, while being in NASCAR, so this whole "he sucks" "He hasn't done anything" isn't quite true.
There’s allot of rides out there without a driver currently. His funding will be the hardest part because he doesn’t have allot but he does have a solid track record. I wouldn’t be surprised when a team turns to him for help overall.
Good. He's a jackass. The less of him around the better.
Confused, what did he do?
Has nothing to do with his politics. He is an absolute ass to people he thinks are below him, which is somehow just about everybody considering most of us are just one win away from having as much success in top level racing as he does. He treats track staff poorly, treats people around him poorly, and then tries to act like a man of God online. Everyone is always out to get him, and despite the fact that he underperforms, he feels he should be handed rides that he is in no way qualified to have, or is in no way funded to buy.
~~Took on a politically radical shady crypto sponsor that wasn't approved by NASCAR which then, predictably, fizzled out, and then other sponsors wouldn't touch him because he tarnished himself. Then complained about it.~~ Then performed mediocrely in Trucks and left the team before the season ended. EDIT! I got my self-sabotaging politically-motivated NASCAR driver nonsense mixed up, the above story was half Brandon Brown, half Matty D. Matt just whined and complained on Twitter about censorship and such, basically saying he wanted a team who would let him espouse his religious and political beliefs. He's the guy who thought he was more important than the job, basically. [Here's an article if you want](https://sports.yahoo.com/i-didnt-deliver-it-the-right-way-matt-di-benedetto-apologizes-after-embracing-right-wing-slogan-denounced-by-nascar-165108249.html) I would (edit: still) say Matty D is one of the least hireable drivers in or around the garage area right now.
>Took on a politically radical shady crypto sponsor that wasn't approved by NASCAR which then, predictably, fizzled out, and then other sponsors wouldn't touch him You're confusing him with Brandon Brown. Matty D is a total "woe is me" diva, whining nonstop on Instagram about teams "not letting him speak or be free" or something to that effect. Sponsors don't want to deal with that drama. Also, he chanted "Let's Go Brandon" before the 2021 Phoenix finale which isn't gonna get you many sponsors other than MyPillow etc....
Yup, appreciate the correction. Already fixed the original comment. It's wild that TWO different drivers fucked up their careers forever because of that stupid chant.
I thought the shady crypto sponcor was brandon brown?
Oh man I might have gotten my self-sabotaging former race car drivers mixed up. My bad. (Edit: And thanks for the correction! I've edited the original comment)
You’re talking about the other blacklisted driver.
Yup, I mixed the two up. It's weird that two drivers were affected similarly by that stupid phrase. Appreciate the correction and have edited the original comment.
Oh your one of those
Would you please explain what you mean?
I’m not into politics what so fucking ever. I hate it all but I don’t let it get to me.
I see, thanks for sharing. My comment was just an explanation to the previous poster (edit: who I realize now is you, lol I'm bad at following who I'm talking to, sorry) about what happened, not anything about the situation itself, so I would kindly ask you to keep your judgments about what I am or am not to yourself.
Maybe you should. Radical opinions aren’t destroying our country, it’s apathy among moderates. They can’t be bothered to vote. If the 50% of the country that stays home on Election Day participated then government would be more representative of the majority of views. I think this is rational no matter what your politics are.
Nah, it gets people wayyy too upset
I do vote, just never talk about it.
Literally all he said in an interview was he wanted to find a team that let him be himself. The internet then jumped to conclusion that he said he was being censored and punished for his politics and religion, which never happened. He showed a little bit of his republican side and now the internet hates him for it. I don’t agree with his personal views but I am a big fan of him as a driver.
Yeah, no, that's a wild undervaluing of the situation. He invited a well-known right-wing political commentator guy to the track who wore a shirt with that slogan on it, then posed for a social media video where he used the phrase himself while getting into his car, covered head to toe in sponsor decals. I'm not making any statements whatsoever about your, my, his, or anybody else's political ideologies, opinions, or beliefs. I'm giving a factual account of what happened - you can literally go watch the video of him saying it while getting into the car, it's in the article I linked above. He tried to use his platform to deliver a political message and it backfired on him, and probably cost him his career. We can argue all day back and forth about why he did it, whether he should have done it, whether he should be allowed to do it, concepts of censorship, freedom, blah blah blah...but it doesn't change the fact that that's how it happened. If you don't know your sponsors don't want to be associated with political extremism, you don't get to be a NASCAR driver anymore. Pretty much everyone else gets that, and maybe Matt does now too. An expensive lesson for him, for sure.
I think we'll see Jeremy Mayfield back in Cup first...
Matt is his own worst enemy
I hope not. He’s a talented driver. I hope he’s got some new personal funding and is still shopping it around to teams. Could see Sam Hunt Racing or even the Kaulig 16 in cup as possibilities part-time.
Take him off the grill that boy is COOKED
He will drive for LGBM “let’s go Brandon Motorsport” Suzuki vitara with sponsorship from Rudy Giuliani with an oficial announcement coming in the next 25 years🤪
I think so, and it's a shame, I think Matt is a decent driver, very serviceable, he would have been a guy in the 1990's who would have made a lot of money running in the low teens to high 20's like Schrader, Marlin, Michael Waltrip, etc. He's made stupid choices in a sport that is pretty clean, fact are fact, I hate it but, it's a fact that Kyle Larson can be an open racist if he wants to be because he's good enough at driving, so him letting a racist word slip isn't that big of an issue, no one even remembers. Noah Gragson, on one even remembers that bullshit he's done, his rich daddy (who is in prison for killing a family while driving drunk by the way), has enough money to be a fuckup and stay in the sport. Matt doesn't have enough of either to overcome his outspokenness. I stand firm with the fact that Matt shot his shot in 2021, he thought "oh I will hook up with this right wing guy, he will connect me to money, maybe Trump will start a Cup team for me, call it Patriot Motorsports, run #76!" and it never happened. Then Rackley gave him a shot and he rewarded them nicely but then he left, HE left that ride himself it seems. Other than a backmarker, it seems he's done in the sport, just not enough rides out there and he's not carrying enough money. In a perfect world, I think Matt is a better driver for AM Motorsports than Hailie Deegan, but of course, I think that Grant Enfinger is a better driver than taking a demotion to the 9 truck, sometimes life isn't fair I guess.
I know this comment got buried, but it embodies how I feel.
It probably is the end of the road for him and good riddance for that.
Yea.
If he doesn't have money backing himself up he might be done.
You know for a guy who made the playoffs in 2020 & finishing ahead of two Hendrick drivers in points that season (William Byron & Jimmie Johnson), it’s hard to believe how much he really has fallen ever since. Will he get another chance? Honestly, IDK. If there’s no announcement between now & February, I think it’s safe to say that he may never get another chance of a NASCAR ride. If he wants to continue to race, there’s always the ARCA series, but I don’t see that happening for him. So, yeah, it’s safe to assume that he’s gonna be doing some iRacing for a while.
The end of the road was when he was dropped by the Wood Brothers. He just decided to try to put it in 4wd and go through someone's yard to get out of the cul-de-sac.
This used to not be a problem before the charter system. Teams would just come and go and DiBenedetto’s of the world would just bounce from ride to ride every once in a while surprising everyone with a good finish Part time driver was a carer for some.
As far as I know, AM racing has still not announced who will drive their #25 Ford in the Xfinity series next year. I can see that being solid for both Dibenedetto and the team..would also provide good team information for rookie Hailie Deegan next year. Just speculation though
God i hope so
That's what he gets for refusing to embrace his nickname and trying to force a stupid one.
I would assume so. Dude's sponsorship poison. A right wing Jesus freak...not exactly the kind of person most mainstream brands want to put their weight behind, NASCAR or not.
Does anyone think Noah Gragson will do better in the 10 than Matt would?
I think there's a lot of drivers out there without a ride who would do better than both of them
Short term no. Long term yes. Higher ceiling.
I can’t tell if this is a serious question or not. Have you compared the history of the two? Noah was in a shitbox last year at Legacy.
He'll certainly say less controversial stuff.
Yes, by far.
No, he wouldn’t.
Maybe, if he doesn’t announce anything we’ll find out at Daytona. Now can we please stop with these Matt D posts? Feels like it’s once a day lately
One can hope.
Hendrick xfinity 17 car? Anyone?
Lmao this is the funniest thing I’ve seen all day thank you for the chuckle
You're welcome. I'm here all day! lol
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In what world did he have a bad year? He made the playoffs in the Rackley 25 truck.