NASCAR silly season rolls on with Matt DiBenedetto, Daniel Suárez securing Cup rides
Cross two more names off the Silly Season checklist. After Hendrick Motorsports named Alex Bowman its next driver of the No. 48 on Tuesday, Cup drivers Matt DiBenedetto and Daniel Suárez locked in their 2021 plans this week.
Wood Brothers Racing and Team Penske announced Thursday morning their future drivers for the No. 21 Ford driven by DiBenedetto. The driver will remain with the Wood Brothers, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske, for another season. A decision on DiBenedetto’s contract was dragged out longer than originally expected, but the good news finally dropped for DiBenedetto.
“I’m back in the 21 next year!!!” DiBenedetto tweeted Thursday.
After crossing the finish line second at Talladega on Sunday (which was later changed to a 21st-place finish when NASCAR deemed he violated its yellow line rule), DiBenedetto said as late as Tuesday that he was still “hoping for the best” regarding a decision on whether the team would pick up his contract option for another year.
The 29-year old from California had expressed his desire to remain with the Wood Brothers and earlier said he was supposed to receive a decision by the end of September. That decision came a week later with an announcement from Team Penske that Xfinity driver Austin Cindric will transition to the No. 21 car in 2022.
The Penske organization announced that 22-year-old Cindric, one of its development drivers, will receive a contract extension “through the foreseeable future” in which he competes full-time in the Xfinity Series next season while competing in select Cup events before transitioning to full-time Cup racing in 2022.
“That will help (Cindric) prepare for a full season in 2022 with the new NextGen car, racing the No. 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing,” a statement from Team Penske owner Roger Penske said.
That means DiBenedetto will be on the hunt for a new ride at the end of next season, but for now, he can breathe a sigh of relief. DiBenedetto earned three top-five finishes and eight top-10 finishes this season, allowing him qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his six years in NASCAR’s top series. He landed a last-minute ride with the Wood Brothers for this season after Leavine Family Racing, his former team, announced it was pivoting to Cup rookie Christopher Bell for 2020.
“Matt has been able to find success this year under very difficult circumstances,” Wood Brothers owner Eddie Wood told NASCAR.com. “Since he joined our team, he only had limited time working with our group due to the pandemic. While it’s been an entirely new organization, he found a way to consistently run up front and make the playoffs. We have learned a lot together this year and we look forward to continuing to build with Matt in 2021.”
While DiBenedetto will stay put, Suárez will be making another team transition, his fourth in four years. Suárez announced Wednesday that he will join a new Cup team launched by Justin Marks, a former driver and the owner of Trackhouse Entertainment Group.
“The formation of a top-level NASCAR Cup Series team has been a dream of mine for a long time,” Marks told NASCAR.com. “A lot of hard work has transpired to get us to this point and I don’t think we could’ve ended up with better partners in RCR and Chevrolet and with a more passionate and committed driver than Daniel Suárez.”
Suárez, who drives the No. 96 Toyota for Gaunt Brothers Racing, will compete in the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse next season. The new team will have an alliance with Richard Childress Racing and is leasing a charter from Spire Motorsports to ensure the No. 99 will have a spot in the field for all Cup races next season.
Spire said it has secured a third charter that it is leasing to Marks, and the team still intends to operate a two-car program in 2021. Marks said he would like to eventually buy the charter, and that he expects the team to have five significant sponsorship partners next year.
“We are building a team of winners and Daniel has delivered just about every time he’s sat in race winning equipment,” Marks told NASCAR.com. “It’s my job now to put a car underneath him that will carry him to the highest echelon of the sport.”
Suárez will be racing Chevrolet equipment next season, but he has also driven Toyota cars with Joe Gibbs Racing and Ford equipment for Stewart-Haas. Suárez made his rookie Cup debut with Gibbs in 2017 and has eight career top-five finishes in the Cup Series.
The native of Monterrey, Mexico will also have the opportunity to work with Trackhouse on launching its social mission of providing opportunities in STEM education to underrepresented youth in the United States. The team said it will work with school districts, community organizations and youth groups to build the “most impactful roadmap” for those who are inspired to pursue STEM careers.
“I see in Trackhouse a great opportunity for me with a very strong group of people that share the same vision, commitment and goals that I have,” Suárez told NASCAR.com. “Justin has been involved in the racing world for over 20 years and understands the ins and outs of the sport both as a driver and from the business side.”
“I have learned that this sport is about people, and I know we are going to work very hard to put together a talented team,” Suárez said. “Furthermore, getting the support from a strong manufacturer like Chevrolet will be a key to our success. My goal is simple, I want to win races.”
Trackhouse becomes the second new Cup team announced for 2021, following the news of a team formed by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
For the latest news on contract and team moves, check out our full Silly Season Tracker.
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
