Pizza Ranch announced this week that they have signed on to sponsor four NASCAR Nationwide Series races with Joe Gibbs Racing and DiBenedetto beginning this week with the race in Memphis. In addition, Pizza Ranch and DiBenedetto will team up at three Nationwide races in 2010 including Milwaukee, WI (6/19/10); St. Louis, MO (7/17/10) and at Newton, IA (7/31/10).
DiBenedetto has made quite the impression on the racing community since signing with Joe Gibbs Racing’s driver development program prior to the 2009 NASCAR season. It took just two races in NASCAR’s Camping World Series East to find victory lane, winning at Tri-County Raceway on April 25. In June, he made his first appearance ever on a road course at Watkins Glen and showed no signs of intimidation, winning the pole and finishing fifth. Then, on June 26 he went to New Hampshire and led off a weekend that proved to a be a JGR sweep in Loudoun by winning the Camping World Series East race on Friday (teammate Kyle Busch would win the Nationwide Series race on Saturday and Joey Logano captured the Sprint Cup Series win on Sunday).
Proving adept once again on a road course, he captured his second pole of the season at Lime Rock and was dominating the race before being wrecked late while in lapped traffic. In all DiBenedetto made seven starts in the Series with two wins, three poles, four top-fives and five top-ten finishes. Even more amazing is that despite starting just seven of the 11 point races, he completed the season as the Wix Filter Lap Leader for the Series.
“Matt has done a great job with every opportunity we’ve provided thus far and we’re excited to see what he can do in the Nationwide Series,” said J.D. Gibbs, president of JGR. “He is an exciting young talent that brings a lot of skill to the track, but he also has a great personality. We really believe he has a bright future in the sport and will represent Pizza Ranch well.”
How excited are you to be making your first start in the Nationwide Series?
“I’m really excited. To have an organization like Joe Gibbs Racing give me an opportunity like this is awesome. Hopefully driving in top notch equipment like this will make the learning curve a lot easier on me.”
What are your goals for the race?
“I don’t want to go in with too high of expectations, but I’m looking for a solid race and a good clean race. Hopefully I can go out and earn the respect of the other drivers and get a good finish.”
Do you know anything about the track in Memphis?
“I’ve never been on it, but I’m trying to learn as much as I can about it. Sounds like a typical short track and shouldn’t be a huge change from what I’m used to.
What does it mean to you to have a sponsor like Pizza Ranch come on board to sponsor this race and several races next year with you?
“It’s really remarkable. I’m just a rookie and to have a company like Pizza Ranch come on board with me is amazing. I’m glad to be able to have the opportunity to represent them and hopefully we’ll give them a great race.”
The Car
Chassis No. 2095: Was built earlier this year and has raced just one previous time in Milwaukee. JGR’s newest generation short track car, Brad Coleman qualified the car on the outside pole in Milwaukee and was running up front until it suffered fender damage in a racing incident and was forced to settle for a 24th place finish. Chassis 2097 will serve as the backup. It has also raced one time with Denny Hamlin capturing the pole at Richmond and leading a number of laps before suffering damage late in the race.
About Pizza Ranch
In its 28th year, Pizza Ranch has grown to over 140 locations and has become one of the leading buffet restaurant chains in the Midwest. Pizza Ranch has focused its brand around providing a legendary experience through quality food and service. More information can be found at: www.pizzaranch.com or www.pizzaranchracing.com.
- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release