NHRA: Reading drag race first respite for N.Y.'s Benza

For more information, contact
Rob Geiger at 281-913-3316.

Reading race first respite for Benza

READING, Pa. (Oct. 3) – P ro Stock driver Bob Benza is excited about
competing in this weekend’s 17th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals
presented by Greased Lightning at Reading’s Maple Grove Raceway, but not
for the usual reasons. This time around, the 41-year-old from Briarcliff
Manor, N.Y., plans to put his competitive fires on the backburner and
just try to have some fun. After three-and-a-half weeks of personally
dealing with the World Trade Center tragedy every day, Benza’s certainly
earned a chance to smile.

Like everyone else in the United States, Benza’s world changed
dramatically on Sept. 11. But unlike the millions of Americans that
watched the events unfold on television, Benza and his huge staff of
employees at the Arben Corporation, Benza’s bridge building firm,
witnessed the horror first-hand, many from within blocks of the
devastation.

Miraculously, even though he had crews spread throughout the lower
Manhattan area, Benza lost no employees that fateful morning and instead
turned the biggest day of tragedy in American history into a rallying
point for patriotism among his staff of 75 people.

“As soon as we realized what had happened and that we were under attack
we put out a call for everyone to check in and let us know they were
okay and then as quickly and as safely as possible, head back to the
office,” said Benza, who watched the twin towers collapse from his
vantage point on the Hudson river. “Once everyone reassembled and people
touched base with their families, I realized we were in a position to
help. We work with steel and heavy equipment all day. It was obvious
from early on that they might need our help.

“On top of everything else, the immediate feeling among every person
here was that we wanted to help out in any way we could. We’re New
Yorkers and New York was attacked. That’s our building down there.
Feelings of anxiousness turned to patriotism in a hurry. We all decided
we wanted to do something.”

Due to his many ongoing projects, Benza regularly deals with the Port
Authority, the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New
York, and the many rescue units that keep Manhattan safe. He immediately
made some calls and offered the entire resources of the Arben
Corporation to the City of New York.

“This became the largest rescue operation ever,” said Benza, who
personally knew 24 victims. “And with the number of firefighters and
police officers that were lost all at once, it became pretty evident
that they needed assistance. We sent in several teams loaded down with
equipment to help try to cut through the rubble and save people. We used
the torches and rigging equipment we use building bridges to assist the
rescue workers.

“We also had some guys help out uptown by filling in at the various
firehouses that were short-staffed. A lot of the firefighters and rescue
personnel were called down to Ground Zero but their normal areas still
needed to be covered. It was a mutual aid situation. Everyone helping
where they were the most effective.”

With all of his normal projects remaining on hold at the City of New
York’s request, Benza’s entire staff kept up the assistance for the next
several days, until the project regrettably moved from a
search-and-rescue mission to a massive clean-up operation.

“We pulled back at that point because it basically turned into a giant
construction site and the city subbed out the job to companies that
specialize in debris removal,” Benza said. “The reports my guys have
given me are overwhelming. The magnitude of the destruction is
impossible to capture on television or in a photo. I had a foreman tell
me it will take at least a year to get down to street level.”

Not surprisingly, security has become a bigger issue for Benza and staff
as they return to the various jobsites they have scattered around the
city on bridges, train stations, and other public areas. Employees must
now wear photo identification at all times and special stickers on their
hardhats to enter construction sites. “Nothing will ever be the same,”
Benza said.

“This affects us right at the heart. That’s why we have to rebuild the
towers exactly the way they were as a memorial to the people who died
there and as a sign to the rest of the world that we can overcome this
tragedy.

“The World Trade Center was some of the best engineering ever. We worked
down there for two years in the early 1990s and I was constantly amazed.
Think about it, those two buildings swallowed up a pair of huge
airplanes filled with fuel. If it weren’t for the heat weakening the
infrastructure, the towers would still be standing.

“We’ve been very dejected up here, not just us but the whole city, the
whole state. You reset your priorities. Drag racing is great and its fun
but winning or losing on the dragstrip doesn’t really amount to much.
What matters the most to us now is making sure this never happens again
anywhere in our country.

“The best part of this whole deal is seeing the people of the United
States come together to overcome this tragedy. I understand that a lot
of healing went on at the races in Memphis and Chicago. I’m sure it will
be emotional in Reading, being so close to New York. Hopefully, what we
do on the track will help everyone recover a little bit more. If we can
put a smile on someone’s face, it’ll be worthwhile.”

ESPN2 will provide limited television coverage of the rescheduled 17th
annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals. A package of qualifying highlights will
be shown from 1:30-2:30 a.m. (ET) Sunday. Elimination coverage airs
later that day from 8-10 p.m. (ET).

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