ProTorque’s Mark Benston Jr. Wins World Cup Finals with Record-Setting Run

PROTORQUE racer Mark Benston Jr. absolutely dominated the 27th Annual Haltech World Cup Finals presented by Wiseco race by not only winning Outlaw vs Extreme, but also by decimating and resetting the Outlaw Drag Radial elapsed time world record in four separate instances.

Taking advantage of autumn’s great air and ideal atmospheric conditions, racers – especially Benston – let loose with monumental performances at Maryland International Raceway over the weekend of November 1-5. Entered into WCF’s pinnacle class, Outlaw vs Extreme, Benston proved to be unstoppable as he relentlessly worked his way toward the winner’s circle… and the history books.

In qualifying, Benston ended up third in the order for the 22-car field and reset the Outlaw Drag Radial quarter-mile elapsed time world record. However, the 5.752 at 254.14 mph achievement didn’t come without a cost. “We struggled throughout qualifying with our share of carnage,” shared the Delaware resident who found himself just south of the bump spot as he headed into the final session. “We decided to back it down a touch to hopefully make a clean pass and we did just that with a run that also made us the quickest and fastest domestic car on the property!”

When eliminations began, Benston and his crew were more than ready. In round one, Benston went 5.816 at 246.75 mph and took down the import belonging to Alberto Rivera. In round two, Benston chipped away at his earlier achievement and set the record for a second time with a 5.733 at 254.76 mph winning trip over another import entry. The semi-finals had Benston paired with Victor Flores in a Toyota, and the pair proved to be no match for the young gun whose Camaro lowered the bar on the record yet again by going 5.713 at 252.00 mph.

With his place in the finals rightfully secured, Benston swung for the fences. Leaving the line just one-hundredth of a second behind John Odom in his Nissan GTR, Benston posted an astounding and heroic 5.697 at 254.66 mph on the scoreboards – more than enough to capture the life-changing $30,000 winner’s purse for the Outlaw vs Extreme class and to dramatically improve his record for a fourth and final time.

“On Sunday, we just made small adjustments and ran our race. We stepped the car up each round, resulting in a new radial tire world record each time out on our way to Victory Lane,” proclaimed the ecstatic driver. “Our ProTorque converter kept us locked up all day and it worked flawlessly!”

It’s certainly no easy feat to consistently run so quickly, but Benston has his 2002 Chevrolet Camaro’s combination expertly dialed in with race-winning parts and a trusted team. Under the hood, of course, sits a 588X powerplant from his father’s shop, Mark Benston Racing Engines. Boost comes from twin turbochargers while power is transferred to the ground via a Liberty transmission and ProTorque Pro EV1 torque converter, with a Haltech Nexus R5 engine management system controlling the entire combination.

When massive performances are a must, hefty payouts are on the line, world records are up for grabs, and fractions of a second can make the difference between winning or going home, ProTorque’s world-renowned line of torque converters and drivetrain products are proven to help get the job done.

To learn more, or to order, visit ProTorque.com or call ProTorque directly at (631) 218-8700.