Race Weekend Central

Frontstretch Podcast: Matt DiBenedetto Talks Making Postseason, Difference in Packages at Darlington

In this week’s edition of the Frontstretch PodcastDustin Albino and Mike Neff discuss the difference in aerodynamic packages being on display at Darlington Raceway, leading to a mediocre Southern 500 and one of the best NASCAR races of the season with the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Kevin Harvick took advantage of an incident involving Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott to win his third race at Darlington. Was anyone at fault in the Truex/Elliott deal, or do Albino and Neff view it as a racing incident?

Austin Dillon, William Byron and Alex Bowman, all drivers who many had missing the Round of 12, performed well at Darlington, while the likes of Ryan Blaney and Matt DiBenedetto did not. We discuss the races for all five of these drivers and penalty for one.

The Xfinity Series put on quite a show, with Brandon Jones taking advantage of Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain tangling with one another. Albino believes this was arguably the best race of the season from start to finish.

Meanwhile, Ben Rhodes elected to not pit during a late caution in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race, snapping a 48-race winless streak. The duo also discuss what it means for NASCAR revamping Auto Club Speedway, turning it into a half-mile short track.

Finally, DiBenedetto joins the show to discuss what it means to make the postseason in his first year competing for Wood Brothers Racing and what he considers a successful playoff.

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About the author

Dustin joined the Frontstretch team at the beginning of the 2016 season. 2020 marks his sixth full-time season covering the sport that he grew up loving. His dream was to one day be a NASCAR journalist, thus why he attended Ithaca College (Class of 2018) to earn a journalism degree. Since the ripe age of four, he knew he wanted to be a storyteller.

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