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Mark Benston Jr and Blackberry Rocket – Radial World Champs
Mark Bentson Jr. isn’t just a name in radial tire racing; it’s the name. As the current world record holder, Mark has cemented his place in racing history.
Mark grew up in a motorsport family. His dad, Mark Benston Sr, is a renowned race engine builder. As a young child of five or six years old, Mark started racing go-karts and raced junior dragsters on and off until he was 18. From there, he did some bracket racing in one of his dad’s cars when he was about 19 or 20. He’s always been around heads-up racing.
Around that time, he started crewing on Buck Jarvis’ Showmod Camaro, and it wasn’t long before Buck decided to hang up his helmet. “We’re either selling out, or you’re driving,” he declared, handing Mark the reins.
It was a big step up for Mark who hadn’t been any faster than nine-second passes in the quarter mile. But on his third pass in the blue beast, he ran a reeled off a 4.30 in the eighth mile, and everything escalated from there. He piloted that car for several years before it was eventually sold in 2021.
Unfortunately, that came at a time when Mark was right in the middle of a points championship, he’d won the first two races and needed a car to complete the season.
Enter the Blackberry Rocket – Friend of the family and fellow racer Dale Collins Jr had the car sitting around in his garage for about three years, and with Mark in need, he handed the keys over. The team thrashed to get the long-dormant Blackberry Rocket back on track. They won the championship that year, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The Blackberry Rocket’s engine, a venerable Chevy big-block, has a story of its own. Originally built in 2004 for Buck Jarvis’ previously mentioned Showmod Camaro, it was sold with the car and ended up in Alabama. The team realized the 481X they were running in the Blackberry Rocket wasn’t up to the task, so tracked “the old clunker” down, and traded some parts to get their big block back. Now, it’s back in the Blackberry Rocket, setting records and dominating the competition.
A 588X big block Chevy. It’s a cast block, with a cast head. Although the basis of the engine was built 20 years ago, it doesn’t have 20-year-old parts inside, except maybe some intake valves. The team runs a Plazmaman intake and injectors. The transmission is a four-speed Liberty with a Quick Drive converter. Everything’s controlled by the Haltech Nexus R5 —the shifter, all the dump valves, and lock-ups. They have a lot of neat tricks, but some that Mark says you can’t give away.
Aussie tuner Dale Heiler did the harness, which includes all the sensors—shock sensors, pressure sensors, ride height sensors—anything you can think of, it’s on the car. Mark especially loves the functionality of the rotary trim knobs for on-the-fly tuning.
Hey says they use them almost every run. His dad comes over the radio and says, “Yep the track’s good,” or “You can turn it up.” Mark says it makes life easier not having to get a laptop out.
It was in this guise that Mark and the Blackberry Rocket set the radial world record at the Haltech World Cup Finals in 2023. From the second round of qualifying to the final race, every time the team rolled through the traps they reset the record.
As Mark says, “It was something to remember”.
And while a melted piston brought the team’s 2024 World Cup Finals to an early end, their record of 5.69 at 254 mph still stands. The Blackberry Rocket is still the fastest domestic car to ever participate in the World Cup finals. And the fastest radial tire car in the world… until this year, when they plan to beat it again!
Mark has a long list of people he’d like to thank, including his dad Mark Benston Sr, Tommy, his right-hand man, Dale Collins Jr, and most of all, his wife Erica Gail Benston.
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