The sportsman pits at any NHRA national event are packed with really cool cars with equally cool and interesting stories. NHRA announcer and WFO Podcast host Joe Castello scours the grounds at each NHRA event to find these unique cars for the “Attention In The Pits” show. If you’re a hardcore drag racing fan, these shows highlight some really awesome cars.

In this particular episode, Castello talks with Bobby Bender about his battleship-sized 1969 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon. These wagons came from the factory with either a 350, 400, or 454 cubic-inch engine and were designed to haul families around town. So, needless to say, they weren’t really intended to be used as racing machines. But, that didn’t stop Bender.

Bender started racing at the age of 15 before he even had a driver’s license, and he was instantly hooked. The Kingswood came into Bender’s life after it had spent some time sitting in a field when the original owner passed away. Bender has put a lot of work into the car over the course of 20 years and it now runs a full second under its P/Stock Automatic (P/SA) index. Depending on what class Bender is running, the Kingswood will weigh anywhere from 4,200 to 4,500 pounds and still run deep into the 12-second zone.

Bender has named his car “The Big Girl,” and when you take a look in the rear of the Kingswood you can understand why — there’s enough room behind the front seat for a full sheet of plywood and more! Make sure you watch this entire episode of “Attention In The Pits” to get the full story about Bender’s Kingswood wagon.