Where It All Started—Quick Fuel Technology
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
A longtime bracket racer, Marvin Benoit enjoyed a career in which his hobby was also his profession. While employed at Holley in the 1990s, Benoit participated in the technical side of research and development of the HP carburetor. He gained a tremendous amount of knowledge over the years, and, eventually went into business with his former boss, Marty Brown, to create Quick Fuel Technology.
Benoit and Brown began their Bowling Green, Kentucky-based business in 1998 and primarily sold custom carburetors to racers and enthusiasts. “Marvin and Marty implemented their experience to build the brand,” said Derrick Borders who started at Quick Fuel Technology in 2006 after meeting Marvin through a fellow racer, and who is now a Sales Manager at Holley for the company’s 70-plus brands. “They would fix up Holley carbs or spec-out custom carbs.”
In the mid-2000s, the men moved more into the manufacturing side and began producing their own QFT-branded Super Street line of ready-to-race carburetors along with other products such as main bodies, fuel bowls, and more. They were the first to introduce billet metering blocks and billet base plates to the aftermarket industry, and Quick Fuel’s innovations allowed users greater tuning flexibility via advanced features. “This made the carburetor more universal and offered affordable pricing, plus the bling from the billet accessories made them very popular,” noted Borders.
Over the years, QFT introduced more tuning components and accessories for carburetors – all manufactured in-house – and made history with the creation of its four-window power valves and quick-set vacuum pods. “Quick Fuel also worked with engine builders to design and develop its products, and QFT’s carburetors were granted approval by the NHRA for use in Stock and Super Stock racing,” Borders proudly shared.
In 2009, Brown passed away after a battle with cancer. Benoit was left as the sole owner of their shared endeavor. In 2012, Holley’s corporate entity, High Performance Industries, purchased Quick Fuel Technology and took the brand under its umbrella of brands. “Before the transition, QFT innovated the Brawler series carburetors and they were included as part of Holley under the Quick Fuel brand,” explained Borders.
Three years later, with QFT in good hands and the company’s future secure, Benoit decided to retire; his company had come full circle from his early days working at Holley to the powerhouse now owning his venture. Throughout his 19 years with Quick Fuel Technology, Benoit earned nine patents for his fuel system innovations.
Given that both QFT and Holley were based in Bowling Green, operations were consolidated in 2016, and Quick Fuel was moved into Holley’s production facility. Borders stayed on through the changeover, as did many of the original QFT team from sales to production, all bringing their valuable knowledge of Quick Fuel’s products to maintain the integrity of the brand.
From the beginning, Quick Fuel Technology maintained a “racers-first” focus. With the NMRA and NMCA, the company is a longtime supporter with everything from major event sponsorship (the NMCA Quick Fuel Technology Bluegrass Festival) to category support (the NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock class) and in between. “It’s important for us to honor Marvin’s racing background by giving back to the racers,” Borders added.
Written by Ainsley Jacobs
Photography courtesy of the manufacturer
A longtime bracket racer, Marvin Benoit enjoyed a career in which his hobby was also his profession. While employed at Holley in the 1990s, Benoit participated in the technical side of research and development of the HP carburetor. He gained a tremendous amount of knowledge over the years, and, eventually went into business with his former boss, Marty Brown, to create Quick Fuel Technology.
Benoit and Brown began their Bowling Green, Kentucky-based business in 1998 and primarily sold custom carburetors to racers and enthusiasts. “Marvin and Marty implemented their experience to build the brand,” said Derrick Borders who started at Quick Fuel Technology in 2006 after meeting Marvin through a fellow racer, and who is now a Sales Manager at Holley for the company’s 70-plus brands. “They would fix up Holley carbs or spec-out custom carbs.”
In the mid-2000s, the men moved more into the manufacturing side and began producing their own QFT-branded Super Street line of ready-to-race carburetors along with other products such as main bodies, fuel bowls, and more. They were the first to introduce billet metering blocks and billet base plates to the aftermarket industry, and Quick Fuel’s innovations allowed users greater tuning flexibility via advanced features. “This made the carburetor more universal and offered affordable pricing, plus the bling from the billet accessories made them very popular,” noted Borders.
Over the years, QFT introduced more tuning components and accessories for carburetors – all manufactured in-house – and made history with the creation of its four-window power valves and quick-set vacuum pods. “Quick Fuel also worked with engine builders to design and develop its products, and QFT’s carburetors were granted approval by the NHRA for use in Stock and Super Stock racing,” Borders proudly shared.
In 2009, Brown passed away after a battle with cancer. Benoit was left as the sole owner of their shared endeavor. In 2012, Holley’s corporate entity, High Performance Industries, purchased Quick Fuel Technology and took the brand under its umbrella of brands. “Before the transition, QFT innovated the Brawler series carburetors and they were included as part of Holley under the Quick Fuel brand,” explained Borders.
Three years later, with QFT in good hands and the company’s future secure, Benoit decided to retire; his company had come full circle from his early days working at Holley to the powerhouse now owning his venture. Throughout his 19 years with Quick Fuel Technology, Benoit earned nine patents for his fuel system innovations.
Given that both QFT and Holley were based in Bowling Green, operations were consolidated in 2016, and Quick Fuel was moved into Holley’s production facility. Borders stayed on through the changeover, as did many of the original QFT team from sales to production, all bringing their valuable knowledge of Quick Fuel’s products to maintain the integrity of the brand.
From the beginning, Quick Fuel Technology maintained a “racers-first” focus. With the NMRA and NMCA, the company is a longtime supporter with everything from major event sponsorship (the NMCA Quick Fuel Technology Bluegrass Festival) to category support (the NMCA Nostalgia Super Stock class) and in between. “It’s important for us to honor Marvin’s racing background by giving back to the racers,” Borders added.
