BRANDON BERNSTEIN SCORES EIGHTH CAREER VICTORY IN SEATTLE

SEATTLE (July 24) – The Kenny Bernstein-owned Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team tallied their second win in three events at the CarQuest Auto Parts Nationals at Pacific Raceways. It was driver Brandon Bernstein’s eighth career victory.

"Coming here and winning is huge for our team,” said Bernstein. “In this sport you have your highs and lows. We were in a big-time low after Denver. It's one of those things. We stuck by it and we knew coming in that that was last week and we had to put all that behind us and keep going. And that's what we did.”

Bernstein qualified eighth for the event with a 4.570-second elapsed time at 321.35 miles per hour.

In the opening round of eliminations, Bernstein and Cory McClenathan were the first pair to hit the asphalt. In a very close race, Bernstein collected the round win with a 4.591/323.12 vs. Cory’s 4.628/322.34.

"We were the first pair to race so we had the green track,” said Bernstein. “Tim (Richards), Kim (Richards) and the team were right on with the tune-up."

The quarterfinals were the 9th career reprisal of the beer wars, Bernstein vs. Larry Dixon. The drivers were even in career matches, 4-4, as they squared off. Dixon lost traction right at the starting line, while Bernstein suffered tire smoke further down track. Both drivers were on and off the throttle, with Bernstein tallying 20 points for the round win, 6.079/230.13 vs. Dixon’s 8.281/113.43.

“That was our lucky dog round,” said Bernstein. “Maybe there was some luck left in that Clydesdale horseshoe from St. Louis after all. We’re still carrying it in the tow vehicle.”

Tire smoke attacked Bernstein’s opponent Doug Kalitta in the semifinals. While Kalitta struggled to regain traction, Bernstein drove right down Broadway with low elapsed time of the round, 4.621/325.30.

The same tire smoking gremlin grappled with Tony Schumacher (6.021/154.35) in the final round while the Budweiser/Lucas Oil team set low elapsed time of the day on their way to a wire-to-wire victory, 4.527/329.99.

“In the last three races we have really turned this car around in the performance department and I'm trying really hard in the driver's seat,” continued Bernstein. “Maybe it's starting to pay off. The 4.52 in the final round was stout. It actually surprised me when they told me the numbers. That was an impressive run in the heat.

“Tim really knows this race car. After we smoked the tires in the second round, he adjusted it and backed the tune-up down in the semifinals. He knew where he was then. He knew how far he could push it and it was good. Tony (Schumacher) and Alan Johnson (Schumacher's crew chief) are really tough and we couldn't take them lightly. We had to run a good number against them.

“We're just happy we got the win today.”

Brandon remains sixth in NHRA POWERade Top Fuel standings.

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BERNSTEIN TO LEAD MOTORCYCLE CRUISE BEFORE COMPETING IN NHRA EVENT AT PACIFIC RACEWAYS

KENT, Wash. – Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster, will begin his race week in Seattle on two wheels before transferring to his potent 7000 horsepower Top fuel car for competition at the CARQUEST Auto Parts Nationals July 22 – July 24, the second event of the three-race West Coast Swing.

“We kick off our activities with our annual motorcycle ride and Burnout Party Thursday evening (July 21) with two of our local sponsors, Downtown Harley-Davidson and Budweiser distributor City Beverages,” said Bernstein. “It’s a great way to relax with our sponsors, fans, and have an enjoyable evening before we get down to work beginning with qualifying Friday at Pacific Raceways.

“The first half of the season didn’t go as we had planned,” continued Bernstein. “But we celebrated an awesome victory in St. Louis in June before the mid-season break. We hope the St. Louis win set the tone for a better last half of the season, starting with the West Coast Swing.”

Bernstein’s seventh career victory was emotional as he dedicated the win to his 82-year-old grandfather, Bert Bernstein, who is battling cancer. Bert was on hand to celebrate the victory with son, Kenny, and grandson, Brandon.

“It was so awesome to have my grandfather there,” said Bernstein. “We just don’t know how much longer he’s got so I was proud to dedicate the victory to him. And to win in Budweiser’s backyard was icing on the cake.

“We were presented with a lucky Clydesdale horseshoe Sunday morning of our St. Louis victory,” said Bernstein, “and we’re hoping it holds a few more winning rounds. We’ll take it with us on the West Coast swing and hope for the best.

“But we can’t say enough about Tim (Richards) and the team. Tim has made some great moves in many of the events leading up to St. Louis. For whatever reason, we just couldn’t seem to string four consecutive rounds together until that race. I hope we’ve got a rhythm going now that will help us accumulate some more points. It’s been a strange season in the Top Fuel category the first half of the season. It’s still a race between the top five or six cars for the championship. Tim has a lot of experience to draw upon and we’re going to be in there fighting.”

Fans, motorcycle and car club members are invited to join Brandon Bernstein for the annual Bernstein Run and Burnout Party Thursday, July 21 in Seattle. Bernstein will be signing autographs at Downtown Harley-Davidson, 13002 48th Ave. S., Tukwila, from 3 – 5 p.m. Then all riders will mount up for the run over to BB Magraw’s, 440 16th NE in Auburn. And from the BUZZ and Saturday nights on Speed Channel, Speed Freaks’ hosts Kenny Sargent and Statt Mann Caruthers will saddle up the ponies with cameras rolling. At BB’s the Car Toys “Aftershock” stage will be showcasing the Colliding Days band, while fans and riders enter to win prizes. A silent auction will be held to benefit Boyers Children’s Clinic. The “Street Team” from Seattle radio station KISW, 99.9 FM, will be at BB’s for the party. Listen to KISW and the BUZZ (100.7) for further details or call Downtown Harley-Davidson, 206-243-5000 or BB Magraws, 253-804-5588. There is no charge to ride. Come join the fun!

Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying begins Friday, July 22 at 4 p.m. with a second session scheduled at 7 p.m. There are two qualifying rounds Saturday, noon and 3:30 p.m., with Top Fuel kicking off Sunday’s eliminations at 11 a.m.

CARQUEST AUTO PARTS NATIONALS

TELEVISION ADVISORY

Qualifying – July 23 – ESPN2
8 – 10 p.m. ET

Eliminations – July 24 – ESPN2
9 p.m. – 12 a.m. ET