Matt DiBenedetto scores emotional 6th-place finish at Bristol

An emotional Matt DiBenedetto stood on Bristol Motor Speedway’s pit road wiping away tears, struggling to find the words to explain what a sixth-place finish meant to him Sunday.

The result was both career-best for DiBenedetto and BK Racing, a small team that gets by with a fraction of the resources and sponsorship dollars compared to the likes of Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing and NASCAR’s other powerhouse operations.

“That’s unbelievable for a team like to us to be growing this much and for us to get a sixth-place run,” DiBenedetto said. “I’m sorry I’m so emotional, it’s just this is like a win for us. I am so excited. I see my family back here — my wife, Taylor, my brother is in town from the military and I’m so glad he got to experience this. This is just incredible. I’m so blessed to be here.”

In a rough-and-tumble event that saw several notables, including Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and others, experience various issues, DiBenedetto certainly benefitted from the attrition, but the 24-year-old deserves praise for seizing the opportunity Sunday.

Driving a clean race, DiBenedetto gradually made his way up the leaderboard. With 50 laps remaining he was 15th; 25 laps later he was inside the top 10; and when the checkered flag waved he was sixth. His previous best finish was an 18th last May at Talladega Superspeedway, a restrictor-plate track where the draft gives teams such as BKR a more level playing field to compete against bigger organizations.

“A sixth-place finish for BK Racing and for all my guys, this is like a win for us,” DiBenedetto said. “I apologize for being so emotional, but this is an incredible run.

“I can’t thank my team enough, my crew chief Gene Need and everyone on this team for working so hard and busting their tails for me to be able to drive this race car in the Sprint Cup Series. This is such an honor and I’m so thankful to all the sponsors.”

Once considered one of NASCAR’s rising stars, DiBenedetto’s talent landed him a part-time Xfinity Series opportunity with JGR in 2010. But when sponsorship dried up, DiBenedetto lost his ride, forcing him to scramble to secure chances with smaller teams.

BKR signed DiBenedetto to drive its third car last season and retained him for 2016. Over the offseason team owner Rod Devine purchased several cars from Michael Waltrip Racing, which was ceasing operations, and brought in additional personnel. The team also began receiving additional technical support from Toyota.

Coinciding with BKR enhancing its program, DiBenedetto’s performance gradually improved. He finished 20th last month at Phoenix International Raceway, a result that prompted Carl Edwards to walk over and congratulate DiBenedetto post-race.

On Sunday, Edwards, who captured the victory at Bristol, was astonished when informed during the winner’s press conference of DiBenedetto’s finish.

“They finished sixth?” Edwards said. “Man, that’s unbelievable. That’s probably tougher than what we did. That’s a real testament to them.”

That journey to finishing sixth is what had DiBenedetto trying to grasp the magnitude of his accomplishment.

“I’m sorry I’m so speechless,” DiBenedetto said. “I’m just so thankful to everybody on this team.”