Photo – Matt DiBenedetto Racing

No, Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 83 BK Racing Toyota isn’t about to pull you over.

But the police-oriented paint scheme is no accident. DiBenedetto’s “Back the Blue” Toyota honors the  Dallas Police Officers who lost their lives in a July 7 attack by a lone gunman and simultaneously embodies a fund-raising effort through the Assist the Officer Foundation.

Accomplished through the cooperation of sponsor ZAK Products, the official fuel additive of NASCAR, the paint scheme honors not only the officers slain on July 7 but all Dallas Police fallen officers since the formation of the department in 1881.

“It’s really neat to be able to honor the Dallas Police Department,” DiBenedetto said. “I don’t feel they get the respect they deserve sometimes, and it’s that all of us at BK can push for this effort to honor them. Vic Keller is the founder of ZAK Products, and he’s a lifetime Dallas citizen, so it hits close to home for him as well.

“(The response) has been incredible. So many people just thanking us. We don’t deserve any of the credit for it. We just felt it was something cool we could do as a NASCAR community and do together to honor them. But the response from the fans, and even other teams, has been really neat around here. People are really passionate about it.”

FORT WORTH, TX – NOVEMBER 05: A view of the car of Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the #83 ZAK Backs the Blue Toyota, honoring the Dallas Police Department during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on November 5, 2016 in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images