BK Racing’s Matt DiBenedetto’s has been cleared to return to racing after going through the concussion protocol and missing Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
DiBenedetto announced the news on Twitter.
I am officially cleared to race this weekend at @PhoenixRaceway! I am completely fine but I appreciate everyone looking out for my safety!
— Matt DiBenedetto (@mattdracing) November 8, 2016
DiBenedetto was placed in the concussion protocol after being involved in a crash in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on Lap 135. Jeffrey Earnhardt replaced DiBenedetto in the No. 83 Toyota and finished 34th. It was the first Cup race DiBenedetto had not started since the 2015 Las Vegas race.
DiBenedetto being placed in concussion protocol sparked questions from 2012 Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski about the nature of diagnosing concussions.
DiBenedetto stated he felt fine Sunday morning but respected the decision made by doctors.
“It wasn’t anything in particular,” DiBenedetto said. “They just said (it was) based on things they evaluated. That was it. It was pretty much they took a look at everything from the time the wreck happened in between me being in the care center. They evaluated some of those circumstances.
“They decided they wanted to err on the side of caution, which I understand. They’re doing their job. My side of it, being in my body, vs. their side of it are definitely a little different, but I know they have to do their job being doctors. And they wanted to err on the side of caution.”