With just three races to go, it’s down to the wire in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs. Throwing a spanner in the works, Rackley WAR is about to make an unanticipated move.

While their Joe Gibbs Racing driver crossed the finish line fair and square to make it to the playoffs, his ride came to a screeching halt in the first round, finishing ninth on the leaderboard. But, against the grain, Rackley WAR isn’t resting on its laurels. They’re rolling the dice and putting a new driver in their #25 car for the home stretch.

Joe Gibbs driver split with Rackley WAR with three races left

The former Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series driver, once the shining star of the NASCAR realm and who made a smashing debut in? NASCAR with Joe Gibbs, wasn?t short of accolades, boasting a win and nineteen top-10s in the Truck Series. Roll back the clock to 2010, and one would find Matt DiBenedetto bagging two top-10 finishes in a six-race stint in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs.

However, winds of change are blowing. Even with a track record that lit up the racetrack, including a triumphant victory at Talladega in 2022 and a playoff berth in 2023, DiBenedetto dropped the bombshell in late August about testing the waters of free agency at season’s end. After a curveball in the playoffs, he rounded off his last race with the team at Bristol in a respectable tenth position.

The team threw a shocker when they announced their decision to ‘switch gears’ with their driver for the closing races, leaving fans in suspense about who’d take the wheel of the #25 Chevrolet Silverado RST. They teased, promising to ‘spill the beans’ once things were in ink.

History seems to be repeating itself for Rackley WAR, as this marks the second instance of the team giving their full-time driver the red light mid-season. Their maiden 2021 year saw them waving the checkered flag on Timothy Peters after a rocky start, swapping him for talents like Josh Berry, Brett Moffitt, and team bigwig Willie Allen. Come 2022, they roped in DiBenedetto, fresh from a seven-year stint in the Cup Series.

Regarding his departure, DiBenedetto, wearing his heart on his sleeve, penned a touching note to his legion of fans: “No words can express the disappointment I?m feeling right now and also not being able to finish the season out. I really want to thank my fans for always being there for me, it means the world to me and I?ll always be there for you,”?he tweeted in a long and emotional message.

Embarking on his journey with Rackley WAR at 2022’s dawn after his exit from the NASCAR Cup Series, here’s another intriguing question: What’s lined up for him the next season?

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Is Matt DiBenedetto fully geared up for the 2024 racing season?

From 2015 to 2021, DiBenedetto took the bull by the horns, diving headfirst into roughly 250 Cup races and seeing them through to the finish line. Though the top podium spot eluded him, he proudly wore the silver medal thrice. The cherry on top? He revved his way to 13th in the season’s standings and sped into the 2020 playoffs.

However, when Wood Brothers Racing decided to change horses in midstream, opting for Harrison Burton to steer the No. 21 Ford in 2022, DiBenedetto shifted gears to the Truck Series. That year, Talladega Superspeedway saw him not only clinching his maiden team triumph but also raising the flag for his first national NASCAR victory.

It would be reasonable to assume that he is prepared for whatever comes next, given that he has closed two chapters on his affiliation with the teams in the period of three years. But, throwing a curveball, the 32-year-old racer revealed he?s still scouting the track, with no definite plans inked for the upcoming season.

As per speedsport.com, sharing his thoughts, DiBenedetto mused, “I?m looking forward to what the future holds; as of right now, I don?t have 2024 plans, but I am exploring all options in all series. Thank you to my dedicated and awesome fan base, as well as NASCAR and the whole industry, for being able to make a career out of what I love.”

Yet, with an impressive resume under his belt and just a trio of races left, including a return to his victorious Talladega Superspeedway, eyebrows are raised. What’s the real story behind this swift exit, especially when he could have revved his engines on his victory lap track?

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