The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to its first 1.5-mile racetrack in over a month this Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Chicagoland Speedway, located about an hour southwest of Chicago, Illinois, is hosting its first and only race of the season for NASCAR’s premier series. Matt DiBenedetto will be making his fourth Cup start at Chicagoland this weekend. DiBenedetto will also run his first race with Anest Iwata as a primary sponsor this season, a sponsor that has been with him since 2015.
Anest Iwata USA is the North American spray equipment headquarters for the Anest Iwata Corporation of Yokohama, Japan. Besides being the leading producer of spray guns in the world, Anest Iwata specializes in painting equipment, turnkey coating systems, air compressors and high-end dry vacuum pumps. Anest Iwata will be the primary sponsor for DiBenedetto and the No.32 Ford Fusion team for one more race this season, the final race of the NASCAR regular season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Last Week For the No.32 Team:
Sonoma Raceway hosted the 16th race of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The first road course of the year was also the first road course for DiBenedetto and Crew Chief Randy Cox working together and the debut of a new sponsor for the team, Hartford Gold Group. The No.32 team made several changes throughout their practices and found themselves 16th-quick as final practice came to an end. Qualifying created a very different racetrack for many teams and DiBenedetto fought a loose racecar, qualifying 30th.
During the race, Crew Chief Randy Cox and DiBenedetto worked together to gain balance and grip for the No.32 Hartford Gold Group Ford and found themselves racing from outside the top-30, to inside the top-20 as the race went on. Battling hard through traffic, DiBenedetto ultimately found himself finishing in the 17th position, his best-ever finish at Sonoma.
DiBenedetto on racing at Chicagoland Speedway:
“There are a lot of 1.5-mile racetracks we go to that kind of blend together, but Chicago isn’t one of them. It’s very slick, worn out, and bumpy in the middle of turns three and four and you really balance your racecar around it. I’ve found that the fastest line the last couple of years has been right up against the outside wall and if we can get the car running the high-line and maintaining speed well, we’ll have a really fast Anest Iwata Ford Fusion this weekend.”
Matt DiBenedetto Career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Chicagoland Speedway:
Starts: 3
Average Start: 35th
Average Finish: 33rd
Best Finish: 30th (2016)
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