INSIGHT: DiBenedetto's underdog surge

Matt DiBenedetto won't say for certain but his sixth-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in April might have been a life-changing day.

The impressive run in underfunded equipment seemed to raise DiBenedetto's stock. Not only in the fan base he quickly picked up (everyone loves an underdog who showed genuine emotion in his post-race interview), but the heads he turned in the garage. Fellow drivers had nothing but nice things to say and DiBenedetto received compliments from other car owners as well.

"I'm excited," DiBenedetto told RACER. "I've known Archie and Mason (St. Hilaire) at Go Fas for quite a while and they're really, really good people, so I'm excited to go over there, and I think we're going to have some really good people to work with. I really feel like we're going to make that program competitive. All of us are going to work really hard and have some good people, good sponsors, and I really feel like it'll be a really good program and a step in the right direction."

The single-car organization is determined to have a competitive season in 2017, not only by hiring its first full-time driver in DiBenedetto but in other decisions being made. Six cars have been added to the Go Fas fleet, purchased from Richard Petty Motorsports. And while DiBenedetto couldn't go into specifics, he said there are plenty of other positive things in the works between now and the season-opening Daytona 500.

"They really want to put together a good program this year and step up a lot from last year – they want to go out there and run a lot more competitively, and they felt like I would be a good fit for that," DiBenedetto said. "There's still a lot of things in the works as far as our program and making it the most competitive that we can possibly be, but things that we're going to work really hard on over the offseason together I feel really good about as far as stepping it up and running well for a small team."

In his first two seasons in the Cup Series with BK Racing, DiBenedetto finished 35th in points and earned one top-10 finish. Bristol was the turning point in putting DiBenedetto on the map, so to speak. All too often a driver's talent is judged based on the equipment he or she is in.

That can result in drivers like DiBenedetto being passed over or not included in the conversation when a car of good caliber becomes available. While DiBenedetto isn't stepping into Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing equipment, he felt confident in making the move, calling it a step up.

"(Bristol) made a big difference in my career and I think how people looked at me because people knew that we were doing a lot with what we had (at BK Racing), and we had some good runs and good finishes, and we were doing well for the equipment we had," DiBenedetto said. "People understood that, but at Bristol, I think it really made a big difference and made people, drivers and team owners, see that, 'Hey, maybe this young guy, he definitely can do it, he finished sixth in an underfunded car, and that was the team's best finish in their history.' I think it made a big difference where it turned some heads."

The goals and expectations for 2017 are realistic; DiBenedetto continually used the word "competitive" when talking about the 32 team. If Go Fas Racing shows up every week and finds themselves competitive, they will have succeeded in moving the program forward. The highest the team has placed in points over the past five years is 37th.

DiBenedetto looks forward to bringing the experience he's gained the past two seasons to his new home, using it to continue bettering himself as well as Go Fas Racing.

"Oh my gosh, I've learned so much over the last two years than I have in my entire career, honestly," DiBenedetto said. "Racing in NASCAR's premier series, it's been the toughest step that I've ever taken but luckily I've adapted well, and I've been fortunate enough to run really well. You have to be so perfect at everything you do at this level; there's no room for any error whatsoever. I've learned so much that I can't even put into words; I'm fortunate.

"Going into my third year, I just feel so much more comfortable. My first year was just learning – and I had a lot to learn – then this past year I was able to focus a little bit more on the finer details of how to put my races together the best I can. I'm still going to be learning every year but, going into this year, I feel really comfortable. I feel like I'm able to put races together really well, worked on my pit stops, just everything from start to finish to make me a better racer."