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4th Place Finish At Toyota All Star Showdown

Matt DiBenedetto returned to his home state for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown on January 30 to race in front of a sold-out crowd at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California.

The loose car that DiBenedetto qualified 10th place with stayed loose during the first 100 lap segment.  During the first segment DiBenedetto slipped backwards in the pack.  During the 10 minute break between the first two segments, crew chief Mike Sibley and Matt were able to make some gains on the car.  During the second 100-lap segment Matt came back to the front runners. Matt approached the final break in in sixth place with the top five in his sights.  During the final 25-lap shoot-out Matt was able gain 2 more spots and finished strong in fourth place.

The race was dominated by race winner Joey Logano & newcomer Sergio Pena (2nd place) who raced side-by-side for most of the race.

NASCAR’s Toyota All-Star Showdown brings together the top racers from across North America for the ”Daytona 500 of short-track racing”.  Each race winner during the 2009 Camping World Series season is eligible for a protected starting spot, as are the 2009 champions from each of NASCAR’s six regional touring series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion.  The race was broadcast live to a national audience on the SPEED network.