2008

Matt raced at Franklin County Speedway in Callaway, Va on Sept. 15.  Race day was the first time he had ever seen this track. He qualified 4th and patiently drove his way to Victory Circle! It was a great night for the team.

The following article was in the Charlotte Observer Newspaper :               

Posted on Sun, Mar. 19, 2006

14 and lapping past adults

Matt DiBenedetto has caught attention of fans and experts

HANNAH MITCHELL

hmitchell@charlotteobserver.com

HICKORY - Nine years ago, when Matt DiBenedetto was 5 and watching television as his father flipped through the channels, the screen blinked a spinning NASCAR race.

It was as if the boy had been preprogrammed to respond to the buzzing cars chasing each other around in a circle. He asked his father to turn back.

"I just wanted to watch NASCAR," remembers Matt, now 14 and racing against adults at Hickory Motor Speedway, one of the sport's most storied short tracks.

Matt's father, Tony, didn't understand the reaction at the time. A baseball lover who coached a scouting league team for the New York Mets, he figured his son would play baseball.

But something inside Matt loved speed. That something has pushed him to the top of the racing scene in Hickory just two years after moving here with his family from his native California.

Drivers his age have become more common in the past few years as Cup teams groom young talent, said Sherry Clifton, the Hickory track's promoter. A driver's license isn't required to race at a speedway.

Matt hasn't signed a driver-development deal, but the big boys are watching him.

Last year, the Fred T. Foard High School freshman with dental braces won 15 out of 16 races in the pro-4 division at Hickory, taking the championship, plus the rookie of the year and most popular driver awards.

Not bad for a teen who's going through driver's education at school and who just recovered from the chicken pox.

Competing against some men old enough to be his father, he has impressed his opponents with his modest, respectful style, while beating them left and right.

Matt, who looks even younger than he is because of his small size, has that elusive quality that can make a great driver.

"Smooth," said Wayne Whaley and Cecil Byers in unison. The men are part of Matt's volunteer crew and have also fallen victim to his skills as competing drivers.

"It's hard for experienced drivers to be that smooth," Byers explained. "You're born with it."

So smooth that organizations like Bobby Jones Racing in Mooresville are taking note. Ray Kilgore, Jones' shop foreman, said Matt has what it takes to make it big.

"You see this little fella and you're expecting somebody with 20, 30 years of experience to step out of the car," he said.

Kilgore heard about Matt through the young driver's crew chief, Mike Griffith, who followed the DiBenedetto family to North Carolina from California. Kilgore quickly realized Matt's talent.

"He will make it. He's one of your superstars," he said. "I haven't seen talent like this kid's got in years, in general, much less in that age range."

All this started in the DiBenedettos' California living room.

"I got a little quad (all-terrain vehicle) for my fifth birthday," said Matt on a recent afternoon while his crew worked on his limited late-model stock car. "I would ride that thing so fast and it wasn't fast enough."

When most kids his age were pedaling bikes with training wheels, Matt was climbing the young racing circuit, moving through dirt bikes, mini sprint cars and up to ever-faster levels, vanquishing the competition along the way. He won the first of his six championships at age 7.

By the time he turned 10, friends advised Matt's parents to move him to a serious racing area. Within two years, they decided to do that, and someone recommended North Carolina.

The family wanted to stay in a small town. Tony stuck his finger on an N.C. map and hit Hickory. He and wife Sandy decided to make the move, even though they weren't familiar with the Hickory track's history.

Everybody at Hickory welcomed Matt, not expecting him to be so good so early.

Byers encouraged Matt to move up to his division, not thinking he would be a threat.

"The very first race and he came out and beat us," Byers said with a chuckle. "We had no problem with him coming into the pro-4s, except when he won, and then I had a problem."

Matt's maturity, perhaps as much as his driving skills, has advanced him so far so quickly, his parents, crew and others say. He isn't aggressive, they say, instead capitalizing on his opponents' weaknesses and refusing to spin celebratory doughnuts when he wins.

Consequently, fans love him, crowding him after races for autographs.

"He tries to eat some nachos after the race," said Fred Trumbull, who handles Matt's publicity. "Forget it."

“BUMGARNER AWARDED “HICKORY CUP” AT HICKORY SPEEDWAY BANQUET”

Newton, NC……….Keith Bumgarner was honored as 2005 Track Champion at the Hickory Motor Speedway Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 11^th.  

On hand to present him his awards was Tommy Houston, 1975 & 1976 HMS Champion.

Other Divisional Champions crowned that night included:  Chris Chapman in Limited Late Models, Matt DiBenedetto in Pro-4's, Robin Harris in Super Trucks, Marshall Sutton in Street Stocks, and David Hasson in Hobbys.  

HMS Divisional Champions received 2005 HMS rings and banners courtesy of the HMS Speedway Women's Club, Champions' jackets from Goodyear and Sunoco, and many other special gifts.   

Justin Morton was named as INEX 600 RACING Legends car points champion. 

“HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES 2005 ‘MECHANICS OF THE YEAR”

The 2005 “Mechanics of the Year” were named at the Hickory Motor Speedway Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 11.

A good racing mechanic can make all the difference in a winning team. He must be constantly aware of new products, procedures, and rules, and walk a fine line to keep it all competitive and still legal. He is usually required to make repairs or adjustments at a moment's notice under the most extreme pressure. A great mechanic can do all that and still find time and energy to help their fellow competitors.

  By DAVID POOLE

The Charlotte Observer    Oct. '05

Wise beyond years

Matt DiBenedetto is just 14, but this year he won 15 of 17 races in the pro-4 division at Hickory Motor Speedway. He also won rookie of the year and most popular driver awards. Sherry Clifton, the track's promoter, sent along a copy of what DiBenedetto said at the track's annual awards banquet.

It's pretty darn cool.

"The first day I came to Hickory Motor Speedway was a weekday," he began. "Nobody was at the track, so we walked around and came to the entrance. I looked up and saw all the names of the famous drivers that have raced (here).

"It was overwhelming to think about all the history that has passed through these gates. Then I looked on the other wall and saw the names of the current point leaders and I thought to myself, to be on either one of these walls -- how lucky can one guy be?"

DiBenedetto thanked his fellow competitors, his sponsors and his crew. He thanked Clifton along with the track workers, the inspectors, the fire crew, the Speedway Women's Club and even Miss Hickory Speedway.

"And the fans were wonderful to me," he said. "I love when they ask me for autographs and I appreciate them for making me feel special. How lucky can one guy be?"

He then thanked his father for "lots of advice over the years in racing, some I'd like to forget, like when I'd tell him my car was pushing and he would say `Push it back!'

"But he also told me that I have to believe in myself and believe I can be a professional race car driver. He says if I don't believe it, he won't believe it, and the fans won't believe it.

"So if I believe hard enough, try my best, and if dreams come true, one day you might be watching NASCAR and hear this: `From Hickory, North Carolina, the No. 44, Matt DiBenedetto!' And then I'll say to myself, how lucky can one guy be?

SOME '06 RECAP:

2006 -      The Fall Brawl at Hickory Motor Speedway was Matt's first race in the top division at HMS - Late Model. It was a 250 lap race with some of the best drivers in the South. Matt was the youngest driver, at 15, in the race. He qualified 15th out of 35 cars. The race was a slug fest! Matt not only survived, but raced up front with the best the whole night. At lap 240, Matt took the lead. At lap 246, the 2nd place car spun him out. The second place car was black flagged for dirty driving. Matt pitted and was back on the track in the 9th position. He charged back up to cross the checkered in the 4th position. The recognition and respect that Matt gained from both fans and fellow competitors was well earned. It was a great way to end the season.

MATT GIVES HIS CREW CHIEF A BIG HUG AFTER WINNING THE 2006 BOBBY ISAAC MEMORIAL RACE AT HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY IN THE LIMITED LATE MODEL DIVISION

MATT AND HIS CREW CELEBRATE IN VICTORY CIRCLE!!!

Saturday night, Sept. 16 2006, wrapped up the points for the season. We went into the evening 2 points behind the leader. Matt finished the race one position ahead of the #10 car that had the lead. This left the championship in a tie. The #10 refused to be inspected after the race, thus, forfeiting his points for the evening. This gave Matt the Hickory Motor Speedway 2006 Limited Late Model Division Championship. WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT ALL OF OUR FANTASTIC SPONSORS! MANY MANY THANKS TO EVERY ONE OF THEM!

The 2005 “Most Popular Drivers” were named at the Hickory Motor Speedway Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 11.

“Most Popular Drivers” are voted on by fans and competitors during the final race of the points season. It is a very highly-coveted award, showing sponsors added value in supporting the driver and team of their choice.

The “2005 Most Popular Drivers” were Pete Silva, Late Model Stocks; Chris Chapman, Limited Late Models; Matt DiBenedetto, Pro-4's; David Hasson, Hobbys; Robin Harris, Super Trucks; and Jonathon Smith, Street Stocks.

“HICKORY MOTOR SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES 2005 ‘ROOKIES OF THE YEAR”

The 2005 “Rookies of the Year” were named at the Hickory Motor Speedway Awards Banquet on Saturday, November 11.

The “2005 Rookies of the Year” were Coleman Pressley, Late Model Stocks; Lucas Ransone, Limited Late Models; Matt DiBenedetto, Pro-4's; Wayne Reece, Hobbys; Danny Henning, Super Trucks; and Terrence Tucker, Street Stocks.

Hickory Motor Speedway has become known over the years as “The Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars” because of the many great drivers who have started their careers there. The list of Track Champions dating back to 1951 reads like a Who's Who of stock car racing. So Hickory, more than most tracks, receives lots of attention when naming their upcoming stars: the Rookies of the Year.

The choice of 2005 HMS Rookies of the Year was based on voting by Track Management, the HMS Officials, and 2004 defending Divisions Champions; and were determined by the following standards:

Final points standings, races started, races finished, conduct both on and off-track, and improvement over the course of the season.