NHRA to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first 300 mph pass in Top Fuel history
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The ‘King of Speed’ Kenny Bernstein has done a lot during his decades of involvement with the NHRA, but his most notable accomplishment is the day he earned his nickname by breaking the 300 mph barrier in Top Fuel, 20 years ago.
The ‘King’ will be honored at this weekend’s Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, the same event where that historic pass took place two decades ago. Del Worsham (Top Fuel), Mike Neff (Funny Car), Jason Line (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are the 2011 winners of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event that will be telecast on ESPN2 HD.
Not only was Bernstein a six-time NHRA world champion, record-breaking driver and team owner in the NHRA, he was also a successful team owner in both NASCAR and IndyCar. Even with all of his involvement and achievements in other forms of racing, the NHRA will always be his favorite.
“The NHRA drag racing side, the 300-mile-per-hour feat, the things we got to accomplish in drag racing will be forefront always,” Bernstein said. “It's always really the NHRA drag racing side because I got to be the driver there. That's the one thing that I have always enjoyed the most of any of these racing endeavors. An owner is fine, but there's nothing like driving, winning and competing, being at the top of your game on a certain day.”
He earned the title ‘King of Speed’ during qualifying at Gainesville in 1992 with the original Budweiser Top Fuel dragster. The 301.70 mph run surprised him and his team as much as it stunned the entire crowd at the East Coast opener.
“It was pretty much ideal conditions,” Bernstein said. “We hadn’t even said that this was a 300-mile-an-hour run. We didn’t talk much about getting to 300 other than we wanted to, it wasn't like it was preplanned this was going to be the one.”
The NHRA will honor the 20th anniversary of that great moment Saturday, March 10th at Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville with a special ceremony that will include the original Budweiser dragster, Bernstein, his wife Sheryl and some of the original members of his crew followed by an autograph session at the Darrell Gwynn Foundation display.
Bernstein retired from the NHRA at the end of 2011, but his son Brandon still competes in the 7,000-horsepower Top Fuel class and for the first time in his nine-year career he’s not racing for his father’s team. Brandon joined Morgan Lucas Racing as the driver of the MAV TV/Lucas Oil dragster and currently sits ninth in the point standings.
* SCHEDULE: Full Throttle Drag Racing Series qualifying sessions are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, March 9, and 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 10. Final eliminations will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 11.
* TICKETS: Tickets are available for the 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com. For tickets, please call the NHRA Ticket Center at (800) 884-NHRA (6472) or visit www.NHRATIX.com.
* ON TV: ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 4 a.m. (ET) on Sunday, March 11, with a re-air of the qualifying show following later that day at 5 p.m. (ET). ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three-hours of eliminations coverage at 6 p.m. (ET), also on Sunday, March 11.
* LUCAS OIL SERIES: The 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com also will feature competition in seven categories in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series, where the future stars of the NHRA Full Throttle Series are born. Lucas Oil Series qualifying begins at 9 a.m. on March 8. Lucas Oil Series eliminations begin at 8 a.m. on March 9 and continue through March 11.
* PRO MOD SERIES presented by ProCare Rx: NHRA’s popular Pro Mod touring series will make its first start of the 10-race 2012 season at the Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com. The series features some of the world’s fastest and most unique doorslammer cars, with an eclectic mix of vintage and late-model body styles, in quarter-mile competition. Two of three scheduled rounds of qualifying will be held on Friday, March 9 at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The final round of qualifying is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 10. The first round of eliminations is scheduled for Saturday, March 10 at 1:30 p.m. Eliminations will continue on Sunday, March 11.
* 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.
TIRE KINGDOM NHRA GATORNATIONALS presented by NAPAFilters.com FACT SHEET
WHAT: 43rd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals presented by NAPAFilters.com, the third of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. Drivers in four categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle – earn points leading to 2012 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series world championships.
WHERE: Auto-Plus Raceway at Gainesville, Gainesville, Fla. The track is located on 11211 North County Road 225 in Gainesville.
WHEN: Thursday through Sunday, March 8-11
SCHEDULE:
THURSDAY, March 8 - LUCAS OIL SERIES qualifying at 9 a.m.
FRIDAY, March 9 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SATURDAY, March 10 - LUCAS OIL SERIES eliminations at 8 a.m.
NHRA PRO MOD DRAG RACING SERIES qualifying at 11 a.m. and eliminations at 1:30 p.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
SUNDAY, March 11 - Pre-race ceremonies, 10 a.m.
FULL THROTTLE SERIES eliminations begin at 11 a.m.
TELEVISION:
Sunday, March 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise one hour of qualifying highlights at 4 a.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 11, ESPN2 AND ESPN2 HD will re-air one hour of qualifying highlights at 5 p.m. (ET).
Sunday, March 11, ESPN2 and ESPN2HD will televise three hours of eliminations coverage starting at 6 p.m. (ET).
SATELLITE (Digital HD feed):
Friday, March 9, 6:30 – 7 p.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 22C
Saturday, March 10, 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 22C
Sunday, March 11, 7 – 7:30 p.m. (ET), SES 2 / Transponder 22C
(4140 MHz, vertical; Data Rate: 40.461470554 Mbp; Symbol Rate: 29.27 Ms; FEC: ¾; Bandwidth: 36 Mhz)
Video news release contains race action highlights each day and winners’ interviews on Sunday.
2011 EVENT WINNERS: Del Worsham, Top Fuel; Mike Neff, Funny Car; Jason Line, Pro Stock; Eddie Krawiec, Pro Stock Motorcycle
MOST VICTORIES: Warren Johnson, 9, PS; John Force, 7, FC; Don Prudhomme, 5, FC; Joe Amato, 4, TF; Kenny Bernstein, 4, FC/TF; Larry Dixon, 4, TF; Don Garlits, 4, TF; Jason Line, 4, PS; Ed McCulloch, 4, FC; Tony Schumacher, 4, TF; Dave Schultz, 4, PSM; Terry Vance, 4, PSM.
TRACK RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.797 seconds by Tony Schumacher, March ’10; 325.45 mph by Schumacher, March ’11.
Funny Car - 4.030 seconds by Matt Hagan, March ’11; 316.15 mph by Matt Hagan, March ’10.
Pro Stock - 6.495 seconds by Rodger Brogdon, March ’11; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11.
PS Motorcycle - 6.777 seconds by Hector Arana, March ’11; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11.
NATIONAL RECORDS:
Top Fuel - 3.735 sec. by Del Worsham, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 328.62 mph by Spencer Massey, Feb. ’12, Pomona, Calif.
Funny Car - 3.995 sec. by Matt Hagan, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.; 318.99 mph by Jack Beckman, Sept. ’11, Charlotte, N.C.
Pro Stock - 6.477 sec. by Jason Line, Oct. ’11, Reading, Pa.; 213.57 mph by Erica Enders, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
PS Motorcycle - 6.777 sec. by Hector Arana, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.; 199.26 mph by Eddie Krawiec, March ’11, Gainesville, Fla.
TICKETS: For tickets call (800) 884-NHRA (6472). Tickets also available online at www.NHRATIX.com.
GENERAL ADMISSION (includes pit pass) - Thursday: Adult, $16; Friday: Adult, $36. Saturday: Adult, $58. Sunday: Adult, $58. Ages 12 and under free with paying adult each day.
RESERVED SEATS (includes pit pass) - Friday: Adult, $46. Saturday: Adult, $65. Sunday: Adult, $65. Ages 12 and under free with paying adult each day.
NHRA FULL THROTTLE DRAG RACING SERIES POINTS STANDINGS
GLENDORA, Calif. -- Points standings (top 10) following the second of 23 events in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series:
Top Fuel: 1. Antron Brown, 212; 2. Tony Schumacher, 180; 3. Spencer Massey, 176; 4. Morgan Lucas, 143; 5. Shawn Langdon, 139; 6. Clay Millican, 126; 7. (tie) Steve Torrence, 89; Bob Vandergriff, 89; 9. (tie) Brandon Bernstein, 85; Doug Kalitta, 85.
Funny Car: 1. Mike Neff, 196; 2. Robert Hight, 154; 3. John Force, 150; 4. Jack Beckman, 137; 5. Ron Capps, 125; 6. Courtney Force, 124; 7. Todd Lesenko, 102; 8. Johnny Gray, 99; 9. Jeff Arend, 84; 10. Gary Densham, 83.
Pro Stock: 1. Greg Anderson, 209; 2. Jason Line, 208; 3. Mike Edwards, 147; 4. Rodger Brogdon, 125; 5. Jeg Coughlin, 122; 6. Vincent Nobile, 111; 7. Greg Stanfield, 103; 8. Allen Johnson, 93; 9. (tie) Erica Enders, 84; Shane Gray, 84. Larry Morgan, 84.
