91����

Long and white with stripes running the length of the long-roof O/SA wagon is how you’d describe Bob Bender’s Stock eliminator Chevy. A regular on the East Coast Division 1 scene, the Perryville, Md., racer has been driving his Chevrolet since purchasing it from the Stinson family a few decades ago.

And while you’d normally see Bender at Maple Grove, Cecil County, and Numidia Dragway, it’s cool to see him competing in Arizona, Pomona, and Las Vegas.

“Before my wife Penny passed away, she made me promise I'd continue to do this and do the western swing like we had discussed prior to her sickness,” Bender said. So he traveled west, fulfilling their dream of racing at the Winternationals. He’s been enjoying the sights and meeting with many of the Division 6 and 7 racers, but he’s not just here for show. Bender had a strong outing in Pomona, lasting until the semifinals where he fell to Jeff Adkinson on a red light.

“The Winternationals was humbling,” stated Bender, who is also a decorated Vietnam Veteran. “When I rolled in there, I had goose bumps. On one run, I stopped prior to the water box for them to clean the starting line, and I heard the announcer talking about my wife passing, and why I'm there and all that. It just teared me up and messed me up. Penny passed in August of 2023, and yeah, she loved his sport, man.”

Bender was also impressed with the tracks and the West Coast racers. “I'm going to tell you something, there are no easy racers out here. Everywhere you turn, there’s a national champ. Everybody's tough,” he added.

The full-size Kingswood wagon is powered by a 350 small-block rated at 255 hp and backed with a Turbo 350 and a 12-bolt rear that packs a steep 5.57 gear ratio. It can go .90 under in soft air and a second under in sea-level conditions when running in P/SA. In that trim, Bender has been 12.19 at 107.99 mph. “I was hoping for 108, but I couldn't get there,” he said with a smile.

“Racing is just fun, I went into the service in 1969 and came out in 1971. I went to Vietnam in 1970, I'm a Bronze Star recipient, and I have two Army combination metals.”

We asked Bender what he loves most about the big Chevy, and his answer was simple. “The wife loved it. She picked it out, and she said, 'This thing's cute.' And I said, 'You sure? You sure like ugly things? That thing's uglier than me,' " he remembered.

Following Vegas, Bender will make the cross-country haul back home where he’ll compete in the Lucas Oil Divisional Series at Maple Grove, then you’ll see him at NHRA national events in Bristol, Norwalk, and Virginia. “After that, I’ll run the Maple Grove national and then I'm going to try to catch my breath.”

��