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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 11: Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #99 Viking Motorsports Chevrolet, enters his car during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Logan Riely\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Viking Motorsports has made a driver change to its NASCAR<\/a> Xfinity Series No. 99 Chevrolet. Out is Matt DiBenedetto as NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Connor Mosack takes over with just three races remaining in the NXS season.<\/p>\n Mosack will make his team debut this Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway<\/a>. DiBenedetto had been with VM since 2024 achieving one top five and four top 10 finishes in 58 starts. He was 22nd in driver points.<\/p>\n No Reasons Given<\/p>\n Via a team press release on Monday, Viking Motorsports<\/a> just said they were making the driver change effective immediately for the remaining races of Talladega, Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d like to thank Matt for his contributions throughout our inaugural season,\u201d said Jeremy Lange, general manager of Viking Motorsports. \u201cHe played a meaningful role in establishing the foundation of this team, and we wish him the best.\u201d<\/p>\n It also said the team would announce a future driver for the 2026 season at a later date.\u00a0This season, DiBenedetto had only one top 1o finish for the team which was achieved at Talladega in April. He was ranked 22nd in NXS driver points.<\/p>\n History Repeats Itself for Matty D<\/p>\n In 2023, DiBenedetto was driving the No. 25 Chevrolet for the NCTS team of Rackley W.A.R.\u00a0 when he was let go with three races remaining. During his two-season tenure, he won one race doing so at Talladega.<\/p>\n After two seasons with Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, he was relieved of his driving duties in the team\u2019s No. 21 Ford and replaced with Harrison Burton. During his tenure there, the most memorable race for him took place at the 2019 Bristol Motor Speedway<\/a> night event when he led 93 laps.<\/p>\n However, with 12 circuits remaining, he was passed by eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. A visibly upset DiBenedetto did his post-race interview as the crowd cheered for his tenacity and hard-fought battle when he was shown on the big screen.<\/p>\n Through his 248 NCS starts for several teams, he has nine top five and 31 top 10 finishes. In NXS competition, he has 1 top five and six top 10s through 127 career starts.<\/p>\n Mosack Moves Up<\/p>\n Mosack, who most recently finished fifth at the Charlotte Roval driving for JR Motorsports, is making his 32nd NXS start. He currently runs full time in NCTS driving the No. 81 Chevrolet for MHR Motorsports.<\/p>\n He will be pulling double duty running both series this weekend for the two different teams.<\/p>\n Mosack has made his name know by running road courses. This year, he raced two for SS green Light Racing at Chicago Street Racing and Portland Raceway, and the other for JR Motorsports at Charlotte.<\/p>\n Mosack has raced one full season in the NXS doing so for Sam Hunt Racing in 2023. During that year, he earned one top five and two top 10s with a best finish of fifth at Watkins Glen International.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next for the 34-year-old driver of DiBenedetto remains to be seen as he has now been released from three different teams in three different series since 2021.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tTim Packman<\/a> Tim Packman is a journalist for Heavy.com covering NASCAR. He grew up around the short tracks of Western New York watching his dad, stepdad and step brother race. His uncle was the head starter at many area tracks and member of the FOAR Score Hall of Fame.
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\nTim’s passion for racing took him to the announcer’s tower and writing program stories for multiple tracks in the area, namely Lancaster National Speedway. In 2000, he moved to Mooresville, NC to become an award-winning journalist for NASCAR.com. He took a job with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as the team’s Communications Director and was part of two Daytona 500 wins and two NASCAR Championships.
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\nThe announcing experience led to becoming a Pit Reporter and News Director for MRN Radio. A return to the team side at Richard Childress Racing as the Director of Corporate Communications took place, which also included another Championship.
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\nFrom 2015 to 2018, Tim returned to where his career began in 1994 – Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway – as the Track President. He earned Short Track Promoter of the Year awards in 2016 and 2017.
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\nUpon returning to NC, he joined The Garage Shop as Communications Director and host of it’s Podcast and MAV-TV docuseries “Legacy of Speed” talking about Land Speed Racing at Bonneville, and other places.
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\nTim has hosted two other Podcasts, namely “Pub Table Racers,” and wrote three books. One was with NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison titled, “Bobby Allison, a Racer’s Racer” and two Children’s books, “Funny Dan the Race Car Man” and “Petey the Pace Car.”
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\nHe also served in the US Navy. More about Tim Packman<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n