Mark Bennings of Prattsville, Ark., a longtime Dirt Late Model team owner and sponsor and father-in-law of driver Timothy Culp, died Aug. 13 in a work accident in Hot Springs, Ark. He was 62.

A life-long lover of racing and operator of his family’s Bennings Heating and Air business, Bennings enjoyed success in both realms. He backed the efforts of Hall of Fame driver Wendell Wallace before becoming a car owner for Culp, and he took the HVAC company started by his father Clarence to new heights under his guidance.

Culp, a 35-year-old native of West Monroe, La., married Shannon Bennings and Mark always felt he “gained a son, rather than a son-in-law,” according to his obituary. They joined together in racing to achieve such accomplishments as 11 wins and the 2019 championship on the Comp Cams Super Dirt Series, a World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory in 2017 at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas, and feature berths in the World 100 (2016) and Dream (’25).

While Culp’s racing schedule has been modest in recent years with his responsibilities at the HVAC company, he’s made 16 starts this season and was planning to compete in last weekend’s Ace Doran Topless 100 at Batesville Motor Speedway in Locust Grove, Ark., before Bennings tragically died at a work site on the eve of the event.

A Facebook post Culp made several years ago on Bennings’s birthday expressed the love he had for his father-in-law: “Without this man in my life I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” Culp wrote. “I am forever grateful for him and everything he has done for me and Shannon Dianne Culp.”

His passing was referenced during the Topless 100 weekend by, among others, Jonathan Davenport, who offered his condolences to the family in a trackside interview. Davenport’s team owner, Lance Landers, also spoke of Bennings, who was a close friend of Landers and handled all of the HVAC needs at Landers’s car dealership.

“He was absolutely the greatest guy that anybody ever met in their life,” Landers said of Bennings. “He was just an unbelievable person and hard worker.”

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Charissa, and daughter Shannon, son-in-law Culp and grandson Cannon; his parents Clarence and Lenora; a sister; and several nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will be held at noon Friday, Aug. 21, at Immanuel Baptist Church in Sheridan, Ark. Visitation 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at the church.