Even after leading when entering the final lap, Matt DiBenedetto was not able to win at Talladega Superspeedway.
When Ryan Blaney threatened to take over the lead, DiBenedetto reacted by blocking him on the high lane. In the meanwhile, Brad Keselowski took the bottom lane and with a push from Michael McDowell, Keselowski got into the lead and eventually won the race.
“I think as I get older my perspective on a lot of things gets better, so the way I look at it is, it’s disappointing to come close so many times, not just today because this is Talladega and a lot of things happen that’s crazy,” said DiBenedetto, who led 28 laps in the race and 14 of the final 15.
“But to come close – a lot of my career has consisted of a lot of that and some heartbreaks and it’s tough. The way that I look at it is I focus on what’s in my control and focus on the positives. I’m driving fast cars. We’re in position to win and I know that if we keep doing that, our day will definitely come.”
The No. 21 Ford for Wood Brothers Racing is not interested in watching the replay of how the final lap as he says “I’ll just drive myself crazy.”
“I will never let myself live it down. We did the best job we can,” he said. “Circumstances are crazy, especially with how big the runs are and all that, so it’s nothing to beat ourselves up over.”
While it might have not been the best result for the No. 21 team, it was the second consecutive top-10 finish of the season for them and DiBenedetto won a stage too.
“It was a solid day, take a top five and had a stage win, so that’s great,” he said. “The car was really fast. All the Fords were super good. That was awesome. Our car led great.
“Our Penske teammates did an excellent job helping us get that stage win, so that was huge. Big credit to them and big for our points situation, so just tough ending.”
DiBenedetto currently sits 17th in the series standings.
[Read More: NASCAR President speaks out on rejecting Jennifer Jo Cobb’s Cup Series chance]