Official: Matt DiBenedetto’s NASCAR Return

What’s Happening?

NASCAR veteran Matt DiBenedetto will make his first start of the 2026 season this weekend following his entry into the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway.

• Per the latest entry list for Saturday’s race, DiBenedetto, a fan favorite, is entered to drive the Joey Gase Motorsports No. 35 in this weekend’s race. While DiBenedetto is entered into the race, with 38 drivers going for 40 spots, there is a chance he does not make the field.
• This is DiBenedetto’s first entry into a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race since the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last fall. After that race, his then team, Viking Motorsports, replaced the veteran with Connor Mosack for the remainder of the season.
• DiBenedetto has had the definition of a roller coaster career, as nearly a decade ago, fans were calling for a larger team to give him a shot in the Cup Series. But since those days, the now 34-year-old has found himself floating around the lower divisions of the NASCAR National Series.
• The California native has 17 combined career starts at Darlington across NASCAR’s three National Series. Despite five of those coming in the NASCAR OAP Series, his best work has come in the Cup Series, where he has just two top-five finishes.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.