Danny Bender: Club to Pro

Racing in a pro series has much to teach a club racer; there's also a lot to learn before one makes the jump.

Danny Bender is not only an SCCA National Champion in Touring 4 and an SCCA Kimberly Cup winner, he also jumps into pro racing now and then. He has run MX-5 Cup in the past, but in November he took advantage of his knowledge of his home track, Road America, to perform well in a couple of pro races on the 4.0-mile Wisconsin circuit a couple hours drive from his home near Chicago.

Bender-No25Bender, a salesman at Autobarn Mazda in Evanston, Ill., raced with Freedom Autosport in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner Class in early August, driving to a 10th-place finish with Britt Casey Jr. He followed that up later in the month to grab a fifth and a victory in tricky conditions in the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.