Ryan Preece, Matt DiBenedetto taking different routes to next step

He parlayed that into a substitute role for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2016 and full-time starting in 2018.John Hunter Nemechek went to the truck series for 2021 after running Cup in 2020, and while he will return to the trucks in 2022, his name has been mentioned for potential Xfinity and Cup rides.But whether Preece and DiBenedetto will ever be full-time in Cup again is impossible to predict.Last week, both drivers talked to FOX Sports about their 2022 rides."It can certainly bring a realization that your career could be coming to an end, but I don’t think like that," Preece said of his search for a ride after a three-year stint at JTG Daugherty Racing. Anything beyond that is going to come down to performance."Meanwhile, DiBenedetto is racing for an organization that was 19th in owner points last season as a first-year truck team with multiple drivers."It is exactly what I want," he said. But I’d say in my mind, my focus or hope is if I could build a home there."DiBenedetto, who made the Cup playoffs on points in 2020 and finished 13th in the standings but missed the playoffs and was 18th overall in 2021, originally said he was focused on getting another Cup ride.But nothing materialized, and he has unfinished business in Cup. Although he has come close, he is still seeking his first Cup win after seven full-time seasons and nine top-5s in 248 career starts."I knew I could pick and choose what I want to do or what I don’t want to do because I’ve been really fortunate and blessed to make a great living over the years," said DiBenedetto, who raced the past two seasons for Team Penske-affiliate Wood Brothers Racing. Preece competed in Xfinity in 2016 for an underfunded team, convinced his sponsors to back him for a few Xfinity races for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017, won a race, turned that into a half-season JGR Xfinity ride in 2018 and used that success to get to Cup. Now he has a role like Bowman, who drove for an underfunded Cup team for a couple of years before taking the job as Hendrick's testing and simulator driver."I didn’t choose this path because it worked out for Alex," Preece said.