Greg Benson's legendary status in the racing world was sealed by his nickname. Benson, a longtime Prior Lake resident who later moved to Pequot Lakes, was known as "the Wedge," a reference to his love of Chrysler's mighty 426-cubic-inch engine that dominated speedways and street racing in the 1960s and '70s.
The son and brother of engineers, Benson had their genius, but not their book learning. He preferred to figure out things himself. And when it came to cars and racing, there was little he couldn't do.
"Sometimes he'd modify something, and I'd look at it and think you couldn't do it," said his brother, Alan Benson of Prior Lake. "But he'd find a way."
Benson died Feb. 3 in Pequot Lakes at age 78. He ran his own welding shop for decades and channeled his creativity into building cars and dragsters that won him the unofficial title "King of the Streets" in his Minneapolis youth, along with too many on-track victories to count.
"He would race anyone, anywhere, anytime," said his niece, Claire Sila of Prior Lake. "He was so committed to racing and loved cars, and he attracted people to him who wanted to watch him enjoy that. He always had a crew with him.
"When you're around someone who loves something so much, it's contagious."
Benson was born in Minneapolis and graduated from Washburn High School in 1961. He worked as a millwright and welder before opening his welding shop in Prior Lake. Though he had many cars, his favorite was a 1940 Chevrolet that he owned and raced for years.
Many of his opponents grew familiar with the hind view of that Chevy, which had "Catch me if you can" painted on its rear. In the '60s, when brand-new Detroit muscle cars were the rage, Benson took many a foe by surprise with what appeared to be his ancient jalopy. Sila recounted a story that was passed on by Dennis Heapy, one of Benson's longtime car buddies.
