Kenny Bernstein to return to competition in 2007 in Funny Car

[The Bilge Idiot]

From nhra.com<HR>9/1/2006


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Kenny Bernstein

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Six-time NHRA world champion Kenny Bernstein announced Friday in Indianapolis that he will return to driving in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series at the wheel of a Funny Car sponsored by Monster Energy drinks.
"I thrive on competition, and I still love the sport," said Bernstein. "I've been searching for the perfect opportunity and the perfect sponsor to field a competitive team to get back into the sport, and Monster Energy drinks provided the ideal scenario. I'm as excited as I was the first time I ever sat in a Funny Car."
"It's been no secret that it's been difficult for me to sit on the sidelines. I've been in the cockpit for so many years that at first I couldn't even find a comfortable spot to stand at the starting line. And I really missed the competitive side. I can't explain the rush and the kick you get from driving a 330-mph nitro car down a quarter-mile, but that's a feeling you can't replace or find a substitute for. Thankfully, I've been blessed with good health and still feel that I can be very competitive."
Bernstein will run the Monster Energy Funny Car operation under Kenny Bernstein Racing Inc.
"I will still be the owner and play a major active role in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil team as I always have," said Bernstein. "It will remain intact as you know it. We feel that adding a second car will strengthen our position."
Second-generation driver Brandon Bernstein is pleased about his father's return to the cockpit.
"I know he still has the itch to drive," said <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:CITY w:st="on"><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Brandon</ST1:PLACE></ST1:CITY>, "and this is about the best scenario you could ever hope for because Monster is connected to Anheuser-Busch. He has coached me and helped me through the learning curve of driving the Top Fuel car, and I talk to him after every run. I'm sure we'll have even more information to trade now that he'll be driving."
"Because we know how fast rumors spread," said Kenny, "we wanted to take a proactive approach to go on record to announce our partnership with Monster Energy drinks.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us to get ready for 2007, but we're energized and excited about getting back in the saddle. It will be fun mixing it up with John Force, Ron Capps, Gary Scelzi, and all the others in the Funny Car class."
"At Monster Energy, we are all about going extreme in everything we do, and NHRA Funny Car racing is about as extreme as it gets," said Monster Energy Drink President Mark Hall. "When we decided to get into the sport, we looked to partner with an athlete who fits our image and shares our competitive spirit. Kenny Bernstein is a fierce competitor with a proven track record of success. The fact that Kenny has a relationship with our new partner for distribution, Anheuser-Busch, was a bonus. We look forward to a long successful partnership with Kenny Bernstein Racing and are confident Kenny will be a great representative of the Monster brand."
Bernstein, who is famous for building Budweiser brand identity in the motorsports community, will now attack Monster Energy brand-building with the same zeal.
"NHRA Drag Racing will provide a tremendous amount of exposure for Monster," said Bernstein. "Monster does have a common ground and crossover with Anheuser-Busch because Monster is distributed by many Anheuser-Busch wholesalers. It was a natural fit. We have a multiyear commitment, and we will work in every market we visit along the way to try to increase Monster sales, using the same business philosophy my father taught me at a young age, the principles I've used through the years.
"Plus Monster aligns itself with extreme sports, and there's nothing more extreme in motorsports than a 7,000-horsepower nitro car.
Bernstein, known for his lightning-quick reaction times, dominated the Funny Car category for much of the 1980s, winning four consecutive championships from 1985 through 1988. His last year behind the wheel of the Funny Car was 1989 before he switched to Top Fuel in 1990.
Bernstein has amassed 69 victories while driving for Budweiser, 30 in Funny Car and 39 in Top Fuel. Besides four Funny Car championships, he also accrued two Top Fuel championships, in 1996 and 2001.
"We're happy for Kenny that he has an opportunity to climb back into the driver's seat. He's proven to be a great owner of the Budweiser team, but he's obviously a racer at heart and has a passion for driving," said Tony Ponturo, vice president, Global Media and Sports Marketing, Anheuser-Busch Inc. "We're excited he's working with a mutual partner in Monster, and we agree with Brandon that sharing information between the two teams will only help the Budweiser team achieve its goal of winning a championship."
After retiring at the end of the 2002 season, he came back to finish the 2003 season after Brandon suffered season-ending injuries in a first-round crash May 18 in Englishtown, N.J. Kenny competed in 15 races that season, winning four of the last five events, scoring six semifinal appearances, and accumulating enough points to finish an unbelievable sixth in the final points standings that year.
Bernstein climbs back into the cockpit of the Top Fuel car annually to make enough runs to keep his NHRA nitro license current.
He has made his mark, but his expertise goes far beyond wins and losses. He is first and foremost a businessman, and he is focused on helping to build awareness and sales for Monster Energy drinks and Budweiser.
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[The Big Al]

He will get smoked!

[The Bilge Idiot]

He will get smoked!

Where's the love?

[johnt]

I was thinking these guys usually quit racing because of the strain the g-force puts on the eyes?..

[The Big Al]

Where's the love?

I'm sorry what did you ask????

[vector mike]

We'll see if he can keep up with the Force team.

[WATERWINGS]

VERY COOL.

Saw him break 300 MPH for the first time.

[The Big Al]

VERY COOL.

Saw him break 300 MPH for the first time.

For the record! And the truth!

Doug Herbert was the first man to go 300mph! FACT!

But not during eliminations and NHRA wanted a big name to do it!
So NHRA never accepted it. But he was the first! Did it during practice a week before the King did.

But I tell you, before he went to the Dragster! John Force was runner up to him like 15 times! Kenny was the man back in those days. I just don't see it happening!

[The Bilge Idiot]

[mercpunk]

I Think He Should Have A Team With His Son / Two Top Fuel Rails