Photo Credit: Noel Lanier/OnPitRoad.com
Coming off a strong first half of the 2017 race season, Go FAS Racing announced at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday that Matt DiBenedetto and crew chief Gene Nead have signed a contract extension keeping the pair together for 2018.
DiBenedetto, who will make his 91st Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday, joined Go FAS Racing prior to the beginning of the 2017 season. The California driver first entered the Cup Series in 2015 where he competed with BK Racing for the first two seasons of his career.
During the 2016 spring race at Bristol Motor Speedway, DiBenedetto earned his career-best finish of sixth. Since that race, DiBenedetto has scored two additional top-10 finishes, both of which came this year for Go FAS Racing at prestigious tracks, Daytona International Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“I couldn’t be happier to sign this deal with Go Fas and the St.Hilaire family. Being involved in this family operation has been so much fun and we get a lot of pride out of improving their program together,” DiBenedetto said. “Everything that they said they were going to do to our program, they did. It’s great to work with people who say they want to improve and do just that.
“Working with Gene for another season, and especially over the offseason, will allow us to rebuild some of our cars, get ahead on the 2018 season, and really make the most out of our team. Gene is one of the most intelligent guys in the garage area and is respected industry-wide. He knows how to make our cars faster with just about any budget. We already have great partners on board, and hopefully we can continue to add even more to show just how good we really can be.”
Before signing on to race in the Cup Series in 2015, DiBenedetto had climbed the ladder through driving for several NASCAR XFINITY Series teams. He got his start as a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing where he scored a best finish of ninth in 2010. After that, DiBenedetto was relegated to driving for underfunded, and often times, start and park teams.
