The way Matt DiBenedetto looks at Homestead-Miami Speedway is there’s nowhere to go but up.
In his previous five Cup Series starts there, all with smaller teams, he has an average finish of 28th and a best finish of 20th last year.
Now he’s set to take on the 1.5-mile oval in the potent No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang.
“I’ve always had bad runs at Homestead in the past,” DiBenedetto said. “But now, for the first time, I’m actually excited to go there. Being behind the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will be my best opportunity there.”
“I’m going to try to redeem myself for my earlier runs there. My Wood Brothers team has great cars, and we have good speed everywhere.”
Sunday’s race at Homestead is expected to be another hot one for DiBenedetto and his fellow Cup drivers, and it comes on the heels of two hot, physically demanding races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
“It’s going to be another hot one,” he said. “Especially with the right-side windows we have to run in these cars.”
DiBenedetto said his fellow Motorcraft/Quick Lane team members have worked hard to make sure he stays as cool as possible during the races.
“I’m thankful my team has done such a good job with the cooling,” he said. “It’s allowed me to feel better than a lot of the guys around me.
“It been really hot and humid, and that takes a lot out of us.”
And with three grueling Cup races in a span of eight days, he’s had to adjust his mid-week schedule to prepare for the next race.
“I’ve had to back off on working out,” he said. “I’m recovering for a couple of days, then rehydrating for the next race.
“But I’m also enjoying getting to race this much.”
There will be no qualifying or practice prior to the start of the Dixie Vodka 400, which is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.
WBR PR
