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BERNSTEIN QUALIFIES NO. 4 AT INDY; SURPRISED WITH EARLY LOSS CLERMONT, Ind. (Sept. 5) – Despite a very strong qualifying effort, Brandon Bernstein will have to wait another year for a chance to capture a victory at the prestigious Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. The Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team qualified fourth with a very competitive 4.502-second elapsed time at 325.14 mph. In the first round of Monday’s final eliminations, second generation driver Bernstein squared off against David Grubnic. When the lights on the starting line Christmas tree went green, Bernstein was first out of the gate, but by the 330-foot mark, he was in trouble as tire spin set in. Grubnic lost traction further down track, and both drivers were on and off the throttle, but Grubnic won the pedal fest, crossing the finish line first. “We had some good qualifying runs this weekend, especially on Sunday, the day leading into the finals,” said Bernstein. “Sunday’s qualifying runs were under conditions that were most like race day, so it was a surprise to go out and lose traction right off the bat. We knew David (Grubnic) was going to be very tough and obviously we both went in with hot tune-ups. This sport keeps you humble, that’s for sure.” Bernstein remains fifth in NHRA POWERade Top Fuel point standings. # # # |
BERNSTEIN EXCITED TO COMPETE IN NHRA’S PREMIER EVENT, THE MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS CLERMONT, Ind. – The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park Sept. 2- 5, is to drag racing what the Daytona 500 is to NASCAR, and the Indy 500 is to open cockpit racing. “If there’s one race that every NHRA driver wants to win, it’s the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals,” said Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster pilot Brandon Bernstein. “It’s the big daddy of all our events. “And if you don’t win it, there’s still a lot of prestige in saying that you raced in that event. Traditionally the car counts for this race are huge so you have a lot of competition. It’s an exciting race and there’s just something in the air at Indy that’s electric. “The weather is very often another challenge. If it’s hot and humid, it’s going to be a very tricky track to navigate. We’re lucky that Tim (Richards, crew chief) has a lot of experience to draw upon and if it’s hot and humid or cool and fast, we should be right there giving everyone a good run. “Of course since Mac Tools is one of our sponsors, we would like to win for them as well.” Bernstein is currently fifth in POWERade Top Fuel point standings, less than one round out of fourth. The Budweiser/Lucas Oil team has won two events so far this season, the Sears Craftsman Nationals in St. Louis June 26, and the CarQuest Auto Parts Nationals in Seattle July 24. “This is my third season as a driver, and it’s been a rollercoaster year,” said Bernstein. “The first two seasons we came out with guns blazing, racking up victories early in the year. This season we’re rallying mid-season and we hope we can keep going rounds. It’s been a tough season for all the competitors and because there are so many cars that are capable of winning, you have pivotal matches in the first round. If you get past the first round, then there’s another tough competitor in the second round, and so it goes. If you win one of these races, you’ve really earned the trophy. There are no gimmes.” Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals begins Friday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. There are two rounds of qualifying Saturday, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and two Sunday, 12:45 p.m. and 4:10 p.m. Final eliminations begin Monday at 11 a.m. Brandon Bernstein Appearance: Brandon will be signing autographs and meeting fans at Hooters, 5314 W. 38th St., Indpls, Thursday, Sept. 1 from 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Qualifying – Sept. 4 –
ESPN2 Special Edition of NHRA 2Day –
Sept. 5 – ESPN2 Eliminations – Sept. 5 –
ESPN2 Eliminations– Sept. 5 –
ESPN2 |
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