BERNSTEIN FEELS IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE COPART DRAGSTER IS BACK IN THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
TOPEKA, Kan. – For a sport that prides itself on making extremely powerful runs in a straight line, when race teams find themselves mired in a slump, the quickest way out is usually just around the turn.
Brandon Bernstein and his Copart dragster crew finally can see the bright light of their ultimate destination — returning to the top of the order in NHRA Top Fuel competition. It is just ahead, and they are moving toward it at full speed.
After nearly winning the world championship title in 2007 following back-to-back seasons that produced nine victories in 14 finals, Bernstein has claimed only one victory in 14 final round appearances in the four seasons since then.
For a team that has long prided itself on being a front-running world championship contender, a dry spell from victory lane that dates back to Richmond 2009 is simply not acceptable. Not for Bernstein, his crew members, or his six-time world champion father and team owner, Kenny.
After posting a runner-up finish at Las Vegas and earning a bunch of qualifying bonus points as one of the strongest and most consistent running cars during qualifying sessions at Houston and Atlanta, the Copart team feels like it is on the verge of a breakthrough that could come as early as this weekend at the NHRA Summer Nationals, May 20-22 at Heartland Park Topeka. Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Mike Edwards (Pro Stock) are the defending winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event that will be televised by ESPN2 HD.
“I think we’re really close to turning the corner,” the younger Bernstein said. “Our numbers in qualifying in Houston particularly showed that we could run with anybody. Mechanically, the car shows a tremendous amount of promise.”
Team owner Kenny Bernstein says the team is in the middle of going in a new direction with their tuning combination with new crew chiefs Todd Smith and Donnie Bender on board. He says the process takes time, but overall it is showing progress.
“We’re getting new data on every run and we’re learning every time we go down the track,” the elder Bernstein said. “We are going through a learning curve, which is a necessary step, but sometimes our decisions bite us. We have to find out what we can get away with. Once you get enough runs under different conditions then you have a dictionary that can help you. It becomes easier to make a good run without stepping off the edge. The break through comes when you accumulate a lot of knowledge. Then when you win a race, it gives you the opportunity to win more. And it doesn’t hurt to have a little luck every once in a while. But the key is being consistent, the driver included.”
With victories to his credit at Heartland Park in 2007 and 2004 and a runner-up finish there in 2006, Brandon Bernstein feels the team could build some much-needed momentum at the Kansas track.
“We’ve been to the final round three of the seven years I’ve competed at Heartland Park,” said Bernstein, who has 18 career victories. “Those are great odds. It boosts your confidence when you have made that drive to victory circle at a track.”
It is another boost to know that his car is capable of performing against a strong field of Top Fuel challengers, such as defending world champ Larry Dixon and seven-time champ Tony Schumacher. He has qualified in the top half of the field all season and posted top five qualifying performances in the last four races, including a second place effort at Las Vegas and a third place position at Atlanta this past weekend.
“The competition in this category is extremely tough,” said Bernstein, who sits ninth in the series standings. “About half of the starting field on a given Sunday has a great chance to win. Morgan (Lucas) got a win early in the season, and Del (Worsham) has been extremely successful since his switch to Top Fuel this year. The Al-Anabi cars and Schumacher cars are always a threat, as are the Kalitta cars, and Morgan’s team. In this class you’re surrounded by some pretty intimidating talent.”
In Funny Car, Mike Neff has been pulling double duty this season, serving as both crew chief and driver for the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang. His hard work is paying off as the Southern California native leads the point standings with one victory in three final round appearances. His teammate, defending event winner Hight, is third in points with two wins in the Auto Club Mustang. Other pre-race favorites include nine-time Heartland Park Topeka winner John Force, two-time season winner Jack Beckman, who is currently second in points, along with 2010 series runner-up Matt Hagan. Two-time world champ Cruz Pedregon is a four-time winner at Topeka, while three-time Topeka winner Ron Capps has new tuner Tim Richards calling the shots for the NAPA Dodge Charger.
In a parity filled Pro Stock class, 2006 world champ Jason Line leads the way with three victories aboard his Summit Racing Pontiac GXP. Rookie phenom Vincent Nobile, defending world champ Greg Anderson and 2009 champ Mike Edwards have also claimed Wallys this season. Several drivers have emerged as title contenders as they chase their first career victories, including Pomona top qualifier Erica Enders, Houston runner-up Rodger Brogdon and Houston No. 1 qualifier Ronnie Humphrey.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 20 and 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 21. Final eliminations begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 22.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the NHRA Summer Nationals. Call Heartland Park Topeka at (800) 43-RACES (72237) or visit www.HPT.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise two hours of qualifying highlights at 5:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, May 21. ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, May 22.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The NHRA Summer Nationals also will feature competition in eight categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series gain experience. In addition, the Top Dragster category also will be featured. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 8 a.m. on May 20. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on May 21 and continue through May 22.
* ON THE WEB: Get live timing, scoring, multimedia and the latest news updates from every NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event on the Internet at www.nhra.com. Visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
