On Last weeks show when the news was discussed about Matt DiBenedetto not returning to the 95 LFR Toyota in 2020, I kept kinda reserved about it..mainly due to time. I could have went on, and On, AND ON about it. This entire “scheme”, because that is what it is, has been fishy for a long time to me. You have a driver, that has had a career SO FAR in lackluster equipment, getting a pretty darn good shot with a team, LFR, newly aligned with Toyota and JGR, whom would provide tech support.. The folks at Toyota and TRD put good equipment on the track, no matter who is behind the wheel. It would take a complete fool to say that they dont. Some pretty good shoes have planted the throttle pedal of a Toyota: Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth…names like that. Matt DiBenedetto seen the vision that he could add his name to a pretty elite list of drivers that have piloted Camry’s in the Cup series. So he took it….
Fast forward to current day….
Now let me say this up front very clearly: Christopher Bell is an OUTSTANDING race car driver. I have zero, ZERO issues with him. But when Bell announced not that long ago he had re-upped with Toyota, TRD, and JGR, the writing was on the wall. Gibbs has 4 pretty solid drivers, in all 4 cars. So all eyes go to LFR, the rookie Toyota team. Matt DiBenedetto has clearly done nothing but do his job. My question is this: Why boot a driver out that has ELEVATED your team to a level its NEVER SEEN? He has taken this team to levels that KASEY KAHNE, a DARNED GOOD DRIVER, couldnt even do!! Shoot, hes got more top 5’s and top 10’s this year so far than the previous 3 drivers of LFR had COMBINED.
Wait, I know the answer…… PRESSURE FROM JGR AND TOYOTA.
I have watched Bob Levine’s twitter feed alot since the news broke. I had alot of respect for Bob Levine up until then. He interacted and engaged people in a great way. But with this situation, hes cracked BADLY. Hes in full C.Y.A mode, and Im sure yall know what C.Y.A. means……
Its BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that Toyota and JGR put clear pressure on him, Because in some races of recent, LFR has been better, CLEARLY BETTER than the JGR fleet of 4. I suppose JGR and Toyota didnt want another scenario of the AA affiliate team continuing to beat the Major League team. (SEE FURNITURE ROW DOMINATION OF 2017). Outside of the racetrack, Joe Gibbs and Dave Alpern of JGR are good men. But at the track and behind the desk, they are not avery good conductors of Business. Neither is David Wilson and Jack Irving of TRD. Lets look at the turnover ratio that Toyota alone has had…
Joey Logano…..Matt Kenseth …..Carl Edwards…..Daniel Suarez…….and now Matt DiBenedetto.
Toyota CLEARLY HAS money to field another car at ANY of the top 2 levels of NASCAR. You cant tell me they dont. They could ALONE fund another car under the LFR banner and allow DiBenedetto to stay. The money they sink into the TRD engine program tells you that they could. Lets not for get they helped get 2 cars for Furniture Row, so theres NO EXCUSE they cant help LFR with 2 cars. Maybe the business model that Toyota has is the reason they only have 5 CARS under the banner. You would think that they would want to build their fleet in CUP. After the Bristol race, when DiBenedetto had the race clearly won, and Hamlin ran him down and made the pass for the win, I firmly believe Matt D. will threaten Chase Elliott for MPD, after the crowd reaction to him showing raw emotion after his great performance. And the words Denny Hamlin used post race, in regards to the apologies to him…make me wonder if team orders were given. You could tell that he didnt like somthing, at all. Hes solidly in the playoffs, along with the other 4 JGR cars..so why not get up there, play a little defense while racing him hard and clean, and get a 5th Toyota in the playoffs?
But I give Hamlin full credit on this, he handled the situation with class. And the other words he said about he WILL land in a better car, and owners are idiots if they dont hire him after that performance he had…TELL me that he knows somthing.
I say it this simple:
1) JGR, you owe Matt DiBenedetto one.
2) Toyota….shame on you. Start doing business like it needs to be done in racing: TALENT>MONEY. Because we all CLEARLY KNOW some people have ZERO BUSINESS in a Cup car that are currently there.
3) I hope Matt DiBenedetto steals a playoff race somewhere and turns around to give TRD the finger in the air, because hes earned the right to do so. As well as I hope the voices that are well respected in the sport that are behind him are heard, and he gets in a faster car than hes in now, because hes proven clearly he has talent, and doesnt need money.