Bob Benefield Racing Memoirs:

Bob grew up with driving in his blood. Since his dad was involved in logging,
he often drove on narrow dirt roads in the woods when he could barely see over the steering wheel. When he was 18, he started driving a logging truck for a living....Read More

Doug drover Super Stocks from 1973 to 1974 at Shasta Speedway in Anderson.  He drove for Mike and Darlene Shane. He finished 16th in points the first year and fourth in points the second year in a Mercury Cougar.

After being out of racing for four years, Doug came back in a Limited Modified, which he raced at Chico. The Limited Modifieds were the old Super Modifieds with a four barrel carburetor.  After one year at Chico, the Modifieds were brought back to Shasta in Anderson, where Doug raced for four years in the Limited driving for Bill Bascom.
 

Going to the races in Anderson with an occasional trip to Willow and Chico with his dad in the 1950's was the beginning of a lifelong affair with auto racing for photographer Art Spaulding.

In the early years his heroes were Don Porter and Herb Allen.

When Anderson re-opened in 1962 he took on the job of setting up the white tires in the infield in exchange for free admission to the races.

In the early 1960's he worked at a "Flying A" station that sponsored three Flathead Modifieds driven by Bob Gutherie, Bill McCormick and Frank Neutze.

He then found heaven, working at Butchers Shell, where they had three Overhead V8 "Hot" cars driven by Hank Butcher, Orval Whitson and Bob Hodges which raced at E. 8th St. in Chico, the big track in Anderson, downtown Medford, Klamath Falls and Lemon Valley in Reno.

In 1963 by pooling money with friends a sprint car was purchased and traveling the west coast with driver Bill McCormick began.  They raced with an without roll cages and with and without wings.

After taking time out to fight a war, Viet Nam, he worked on a local Super Modified driven by Dean Slinkard.

While attending college he asked promoter Don Porter for a job as track photographer, Don said "yes" and as the saying goes, "The rest is history."

35 years later he is still snapping away.

Track photographer at Silver Dollar Speedway and Shasta Raceway Park with time spent with the BCRA, CRA, NARC/Golden State are among his credits.

Traveling the U.S. taking photos of race cars his collection ranges from Nextel Cup cars to local go-karts, with dragsters, monster trucks, motorcycles, and boats thrown in. Even some bicycle races.

You name it, if you can race it, he has a photo.

You who know him may say he eats, sleeps, and lives racing.  Known as the "Chico Flasher" other than his family, which comes first, he has no other interests and does not want any.

When asked to sum up his life he simply states, "My life has been a long and strange journey and I have enjoyed every minute of it."