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Bernstein Booming On All Eight Cylinders

Bernstein Booming On All Eight Cylinders

Anne Proffit

BIO

Anne Proffit has worked in the automotive field since - well, not telling you that. She's been a car salesperson (before it was popular to hire... More

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The Copart Top Fuel racing team has quietly been making strides as the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series season winds to its 22-race close. With team owner Kenny Bernstein (first driver over 300 mph) minding the business end and son Brandon Bernstein doing the driving, this is the sole one-car Top Fuel team in the Countdown to One.

Tuners Todd Smith and Donnie Bender have the bright blue dragster working extremely well at this point. In Las Vegas they were quickest on the first day of qualifying, moving back to third when the fourth session was complete. In fact, just making the field for the penultimate race was quite an accomplishment, as there were 27 dragsters vying for 16 spots. It's been a long time since so many nitro-powered rails were poised for competition.

It's also been a while since the Bernstein clan claimed a Wally for winning eliminations on a Sunday afternoon but they're working their way back to the front. Brandon's pace at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was indicative of the strength in the team and how far they can go. In the first round on Sunday, Bernstein powered to a 3.873-second time (316.75 mph) through the 1000-foot lights to take out a traction-less Dom Lagana. In the second, he dispatched 2010 champion Larry Dixon with a (3.970/302.35) who, in a show of grand sportsmanship said, "Go finish the job" when the two emerged from their cars at the top end.

Bernstein made it to the semifinals, where he left early, handing the round win to eventual runner-up Spencer Massey. "We had a couple of things going on in that round," Brandon Bernstein said. "The first thing is we fouled out and that ended the day; while we staging, the television cameras captured a small fire caused by a magneto malfunction which also took a performance toll. Spencer had a great run, though, and would have been tough to beat."

Bernstein & Co put some "points in the bank this weekend," Brandon continued. "We have one race left this season and we'll have our eye on moving up another position. Fifth place is within reach, but it will be a dogfight." The Copart team stayed in Las Vegas the day after racing for some testing, hoping to move up one more spot; he trails seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher by an achievable 41 points.

© 2011 Anne Proffit