Hamlin, Harvick offer to help DiBenedetto after NASCAR sponsor exit
Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and three-time NASCAR Cup series champion Darrell Waltrip have each pledged $5000 to help Matt DiBenedetto compete at Phoenix after a sponsor exit
DiBenedetto took to Twitter in a short video to reveal he had lost sponsorship and was unlikely to make the race, although as a chartered team GoFas would be required to.
The GoFas Racing driver was in the lead pack late on during the Daytona 500 but crashed out and finished 27th.
He then ended up 31st at Atlanta and took a season-best result of 21st last weekend at Las Vegas.
Hey guys!
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) March 6, 2018
We hate doing this, but we are UNSPONSORED as of right now for @ISMRaceway this weekend! If you or anyone you know has the ability to help us connect with a business interested in coming on board this weekend please contact the @GoFasRacing32 page ASAP! pic.twitter.com/3hbFnTBBqI
"Coming off having a shot to win the Daytona 500 and having a really strong run at Vegas last weekend, we are in a little bit of a situation," he said in the video.
Hamlin and Waltrip responded to the video with pledges to donate towards DiBendetto's cause, while Harvick said the KHI Management marketing agency he founded would also put forward $5000.
Hell im in for 5k. Where do i send the check @mattdracing? https://t.co/cyQCui9Apv
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 6, 2018
DiBenedetto offered to put the logo of the Denny Hamlin Foundation - which raises awareness and funds to help children with cystic fibrosis - on his car if he makes the grid at Phoenix.
He said he had only spoken to Hamlin on Twitter, but was overwhelmed by the response to his video.
"I haven't had any conversation with Denny so far other than what is on Twitter," he told Autosport.
"The coolest part about this, and honestly what makes it a little overwhelming and wants to make you tear up a little bit, is this is from people I grew up watching and looked up too and I was always a huge fan.
"We're just a small family-based team that's working hard to overachieve on the track and do the best we can every week.
"For people like Denny and Darrell Waltrip to notice and reach out wanting to help means the world to me.
"These guys are heroes of mine and for them to notice what we are trying to do is overwhelming.
"I can't thank everyone enough."
Kevin Harvick's Las Vegas NASCAR win 'answers questions' for 2018
Martin Truex Jr unsure why NASCAR title defence has been tough so far
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes