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A Long-Lasting Love Affair, Bendele Seeks to Continue PLM Success at Five Flags this Friday

By Chuck Corder

Brandon Bendele stood up his prom date.

Instead of wheeling a mean-looking muscle car up to the girl’s house, a corsage sliding across the passenger’s seat, Bendele had a date with different sort of destiny.

“I canceled on her,� Bendele recalled. “I was gonna race.�

The then-16 year old chose his love for stock car over his love for girls. So prom night was memorable for Bendele because it marked his first career race.

Now, 37, Bendele has zero regrets for that fateful decision, having parlayed his choice into a respected late model career.

The Texas driver will once again be one of the dark horses when the Allen Turner Pro Late Model Series returns Friday to Five Flags Speedway for their fourth 100-lap race of the year.

Sportsmen and Bombers round out the schedule when the gates open at 5 p.m. Friday.

Admission to the grandstands is as follows: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors; $12 Military/Students (12-17); $5 Children (6-11); Under 6 is Free. Passes to get into the pits are $25.

Remember, fans that retained their ticket stubs from the Demolition Derby last Friday night receive a $5 discount.

Fresh off a third-place finish at last month’s 100 lapper, Bendele is excited to return to Pensacola’s high-banked oval against what he anticipates to be a deep and elite field of the south’s finest late model drivers.

“Once we get around this part of year, a lotta guys start showing up,� he said. “One thing that’s exciting down here is there is always a good car count.

“In Pensacola, you can practice all want, but you’ve gotta race 100 laps to get a feel of the pace.�

The LaVernia, Texas, resident has been consistently coming to the Florida Panhandle for the last three years.

Car owner Bob Garwood and crew chief Bobby Black love the breakneck speeds at America’s Favorite Home Track.

And thanks to a setup assist from Freddie Query a few years back, Bendele seems to have found the right groove at the famed half-mile, asphalt oval.

“That’s when the light bulb came on,� Bendele said of his team teaming up with Query.

Despite missing the season’s first two races, Bendele drove brilliantly in his 2012 debut at Five Flags on July 27.

The only two cars that beat him to the checkered flag were driven by Augie Grill, a two-time winner of both the Snowflake 100 and Snowball Derby, and Mike Garvey, who holds a commanding series points lead.

Not too shabby. Still, Bendele was left wanting for a little bit more.

“I had a shot at the win,� Bendele said. “I let Augie Grill go halfway through the race because I didn’t wanna push the car. By the end between Augie, Mike Garvey and myself, I think we were about the same.�

Bendele was skeptical how the car was going to respond with a brand-new Hamke setup on board.

“Once we started racing, it was a rocket,� he said. “Next race, I’m going to take the approach of knowing the car will stay under us and go for it.�

Bendele, who won the season finale PLM race last year in Pensacola, knows a thing or two about throwing caution to the wind.

After several NASCAR late model regional championships in the late 1990s at San Antonio Speedway, Bendele left his native Texas and moved to North Carolina alone with aspirations of trading paint at racing’s highest level.

He began at the bottom, working at a local shop, but quickly began flirting with a few teams for a possible Camping World Truck Series deal.

Unfortunately, the resources never materialized. Once again, though, like on prom night, Bendele has no regrets.

“I can’t complain,� he said. “I fulfilled a lotta goals. The cool part is I still get to do it today. We shouldn’t be as competitive as we are because of the limited amount of time we get to work on the car, but it’s neat that we are.�

Bendele uses his time wisely when it comes to racing.

He works for an engineering consulting firm back home, which often means sacrificing his passion.

When Bendele does leave for the track, it’s often far away from the warm confines of wife Kami and their two children.

Thankfully, racing on Friday nights means he gets to fly back to Texas and not miss one ounce of a typical family weekend.

“My wife is very supportive and understanding,� Bendele said. “She never tells me I can’t race. She understands the passion I have for it.�

Sounds like Kami would’ve made the perfect prom date.

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