Matt DiBenedetto, Gene Nead, to Return to Go Fas Racing in 2018

By Seth Eggert, NASCAR Writer

Matt DiBenedetto and his Go Fas Racing crew chief Gene Nead will not have to worry about their 2018 plans as they will return to their Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team. DiBenedetto, Nead, and Go Fas Racing team owner Archie St. Hilaire made the announcement at Michigan International Speedway.

DiBenedetto is the first driver to compete for an entire season for Go Fas. He also earned the team their first two top-10 finishes. Both of those came in some of NASCAR’s crown jewel races, the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.

DiBenedetto could hardly express his happiness,

“I couldn’t be happier to sign this deal with Go Fas and the St. Hilaire family. Being involved in this family operation has been so much fun and we get a lot of pride out of improving their program together. Everything that they said they were going to do to our program, they did. It’s great to work with people who say they want to improve and do just that.”

DiBenedetto and Nead have been working together since the 2015 season at BK Racing. As a crew chief in NASCAR’s Premier Series, Nead has earned two top-fives and nine top-10s. Three of those top-10s came on top of the pit box for DiBenedetto.

DiBenedetto was also confident that another season with Nead will be beneficial,

“Working with Gene for another season, and especially over the offseason, will allow us to rebuild some of our cars, get ahead on the 2018 season, and really make the most out of our team. Gene is one of the most intelligent guys in the garage area and is respected industry-wide. He knows how to make our cars faster with just about any budget. We already have great partners on board, and hopefully we can continue to add even more to show just how good we really can be,” DiBenedetto said earlier this week.

St. Hilaire was excited to keep DiBenedetto and Nead in the fold,

“I’m really happy to have Matt and Gene back next season! We have improved overall by seven spots from last year and we’re looking forward to picking up a couple more spots before the end of this season. Hopefully we’ll be working our way into the top-25 in 2018 with more help from existing and new sponsorship. All of the guys at Go Fas have worked their butts off this year at the shop and on the road and it’s really showing. We appreciate all the hard work they’ve put in this year.”

22 races into the 2017 season, DiBenedetto is tied for 30th in the points standings with Aric Almirola. With only four races until the start of the Playoffs, only a win can earn DiBenedetto and Go Fas Racing a chance to compete for a championship.

For now, DiBenedetto, Nead, and St. Hilaire will look to end the regular season strong and build for the 2018 season.