Bob Benza is a highly successful businessman.

Benza’s company the Arben Group, LLC is recognized as one of the top bridge-building and rehabilitation firms in the United States.

Benza who has been drag racing in some form since he was 16 continues to fulfill his passion by competing in a limited schedule in NHRA’s Camping World Series Pro Stock class. He drives a Chevy Camaro for Richard Freeman’s Elite Motorsports Team.

Benza will run his second race of the 2021 season when he competes at the Tascaparts.com New England Nationals in Epping, N.H., June 11-13.

“Hopefully, we will run five or six races this season,” Benza said. “We are going to New England, and I don’t know what we will do after that. It depends on Richard’s schedule. We will be at Indy and Reading (Pa.) and we might throw something else in between and even before. We will see what happens.”

 At the season-opening Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., March 11-14, Benza qualified No. 14 and fell to Matt Hartford in the first round.

The Camaro Benza drives for Freeman is very familiar to him.

“That was my car that I ran,” Benza said. “I took that out of the box in Maple Grove in 2019. Then, I sold the whole operation to Richard. I’ve been sharing the car with Bruno Massel and then most recently Aaron Strong jumped in it and Vincent (Nobile) jumped in it.”

Nobile drove the Camaro at the Lucas Oil Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Nobile made it all the way to the finals before falling to Greg Anderson on May 2.

“That was deal I made with Richard when I sold him everything in October of 2019, that car all my tools, equipment and trailer, that I would probably continue to try and run four or five races a year. Obviously, we only ran a couple (Indy and Gainesville) last year because of COVID. I’m enjoying it as long as I want to enjoy it. I can still do it and it is fun to do.

“I’m a gearhead by heart. It’s what I have done all my life. I have been racing for 40 years. Pro Stock is my passion, and it is just the normal thing for me to do and I enjoy doing it. I basically still work on the car I maintain the engine at all the races. My family is still involved as they have always been. My wife (Nancy) is there on the starting line with me, and she guides me into the beams every round and it is kind of what we have done.”

A native New Yorker, Benza is no stranger to New England Dragway.

“Back in the day we used to run Comp and were very successful there,” he said. “We didn’t run there anymore because I ran in Pro Stock from 1997 on. In 2013, we put our car there and Tom Martino drove it. I think we lost in the second round and other than that I haven’t been back there.

“We are looking forward to it. New England is kind of my home track now, that and Reading. I’m ready to get to New England and get on the wheel and see what we can do.”