Matt DiBenedetto’s NASCAR Misery Far From Over as Harsh Ruling Divides Racing Fandom

The No. 38 RSS Racing Ford driver, Matt Di DiBenedetto, was disqualified after Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. His No. 38 Ford was found with three loose lug nuts on the right rear wheel in the post-race inspection of the SciAps 200 event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Despite the driver finishing 17th taking the checkered, he will be stripped of his points and position with the ruling. Confirming the ruling, Bo Pockrass via his X account shared, “DiBenedetto DQ’d from 17th for having three loose lugs all in the right rear”.

The three unsecured lugs violated Sections 8.8.10.4 (Tires and Wheels) and 10.5.2.5 (Safety Penalties and Penalty Option) from the NASCAR rule book. DiBenedetto had started the race with the season’s best 10th spot. But all his hard work will now be undone as he drops down to the last spot in the 38-car field, more importantly, without any points.

When the season started, Matt DiBenedetto was without a ride. Although he was yearning for a Cup return, he had to be content with an Xfinity entry. Sponsorship and financial aid are key for his current team to ensure their driver continues to run in the series next season. However, a disqualification puts them in a rough spot. The 2024 season hasn’t been the dream return for a driver who took Wood Brothers Racing to the playoffs in the Cup Series.

Even without the DQ, the driver’s 17th-place finish would only be his third-best result so far. Only two top-10 results have sort of kept the team afloat, but a P38 finish is a big blow. This decision by the officials left the fans divided on social media and soon resulted in debate, with each side trying to make their argument.

Fans had contrasting takes on DiBenedetto’s penalty

This wasn’t the first time NASCAR disqualified a team for having loose lugs. Chase Elliott found himself on the bitter end of the stick back in 2021 and was DQ after the post-race inspection. Despite that, Dibenedetto’s loyal fans had to make their case, calling the decision unfair and making their presence felt. “How does that get you DQ’d? That’s so incredibly dumb”.

Highlighted a race strategy behind this ruling, a smart user highlighted that the team was banking on saving time on the pit road by intentionally not tightening all five lugs. “Safety. With the 5 lugs, it’s easy to save time by not getting all the lugs on but it’s dangerous as tires without all 5 could come loose and fall off. Teams often leave 2-3 lugs loose across 4 tires until the last stop so when in post-race inspection, they won’t get penalized”. This fan had a point because if the car had one/two loose nuts, they would’ve gotten away with a fine and a suspension at the maximum.

But for some hardcore fans, the rule book is just a gimmick.

Despite the potential threat of a loose wheel causing an accident on the racetrack, some argued that the wheel being intact on the car shouldn’t warrant a penalty. “I know that’s the rule and that’s the way it’s been for a while now. I just think it’s dumb because if it had been loose enough to be a safety issue the tire would have either fallen off or Matt D would have pitted because the car would have been undriveable”.

While the two sections of supporters quarreled among themselves, a user was astonished to see the No. 38 car make it to the end of the race. “More impressed that the wheel held on than anything”.

A Reddit user certainly had an eye for detail with his observation and DiBenedetto’s pit stop runs from the race. Weighing in on the debate, he questioned how the #38 team failed to put all the lugs on despite a long pit stop. “23-second pit stop and still had loose lugs. Wow”.

Corey Heim had faced a similar disqualification after the Truck Series at Charlotte. Whatever the fans might say, NASCAR considers these incidents with all seriousness, while keeping in mind everyone’s safety.

Placed 29th in the points standings, the road to playoffs for the #38 team and Matt DiBenedetto is a steep uphill climb. Hopefully, they do have a result or two go in their favor and keep their hopes alive for the remainder of the season. His next opportunity to get back on track will be on Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway.