I’m sorry to report that racing and particularly drag racing has lost one of it’s pillars, Ed “Bing’s Speed Shop” Benggeli of Santa Rosa, passed away on December 27th. He was 91. I recall Bing held the F/Gas record in his yellow ’41 Willys coupe when I was in high school ’61-’64. Last time I saw Ed, we had dinner at the Alviso Roadsters BBQ in Austin (CA.) in 2009 and overnight stop on the way to Speed Week at Bonneville.

Even before I was in H.S., I used to ride my bicycle to his speed shop on Barham Ave. in Santa Rosa (right next to the rail road tracks) and just watch what they were doing. After a while, counterman Dick Burnt would chase us out. And if memory serves, I recall that Ed’s speed shop was a former barn with a dirt floor! Ah…the good ‘ol days.