Matt DiBenedetto has set his plans for the 2025 NASCAR season. He will return to the Xfinity Series to compete full-time for Viking Motorsports.
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The second-year team announced the news on Jan. 16 and provided some important updates. The biggest was the confirmation that DiBenedetto will take on the full, 33-race schedule after making 28 starts for the team last season.
The other big update is that Viking Motorsports will move to Chevrolet in 2025 after spending last season affiliated with RSS Racing and Ford Performance. The team will also switch the car from No. 38 to No. 99 for its first full season in the second-tier series.
Viking Motorsports did not provide details about DiBenedetto's sponsors or crew chief for his first full season in the No. 99.
Answering the call.... @mattdracing will be racing full time in 2025 in the 99! Excited for the season! @NASCAR @TeamChevy @NASCAR_Xfinity @XfinityRacing @TheCW_Sports #NASCAR #XfinitySeries #VikingMotorsports #ForgedtoRace pic.twitter.com/1zKP4jDkbs
— Viking Motorsports (@VKNGMotorsports) January 16, 2025
Viking Motorsports made its debut in the Xfinity Series last season at Richmond Raceway. The team forged an alliance with RSS Racing and fielded the No. 38 Ford Mustang at the Virginia short track. DiBenedetto finished 18th in the team's first-ever start.
The team started with a limited schedule of five races but continued to expand with DiBenedetto providing a veteran presence behind the wheel. He became more comfortable with the Xfinity Series car are several seasons split between the Cup Series and the Craftsman Truck Series, and he took on tracks where he had previously contended for top-15 finishes.
The California native posted a top-10 finish in his fourth start for Viking Motorsports and then he added another six races later. Viking Motorsports celebrated its third top-10 finish at Michigan International Speedway in August.
.@mattdracing finished 18th in his first Xfinity race since 2019. He lost some positions at the end of the race due to handling issues, but he is not complaining. He had a great time with @vikingmotors_ #NASCAR | @NASCARonNBC pic.twitter.com/9D4NdFKyzf
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) March 30, 2024
DiBenedetto's partial season featured three top-10 finishes, four DNFs (one crash, three mechanical issues), and an average finish of 23.2. His seventh-place finishes at Iowa and Michigan were career-best marks in the second-tier series.
He will now return to the Xfinity Series while moving closer to 100 career starts. DiBenedetto has made 97 starts dating back to 2009 while spending time with such teams as Joe Gibbs Racing, The Motorsport Group, Vision Racing, and Viking Motorsports.
