The fight to earn a starting position in the Countdown to 1 continued at the Lucas Oil Nationals at
Brainerd International Raceway. Though the Budweiser/Lucas Oil team remains fourth in Full
Throttle point standings and has already secured a berth in the Countdown, they rolled out a brand
new Murf McKinney chassis for this event to allow them three races to fine-tune the intricacies of
their mechanical combination before the beginning of the six-race series that will ultimately crown
the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle champions.
Driver Brandon Bernstein qualified eighth at Brainerd with a 3.965/304.05.
Rain forced cancellation of the fourth qualifying session and eliminations were delayed by rain on
Sunday before competition in the 16th of 24 races got underway.
Team owner and newly-inducted member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Kenny Bernstein
watched his son take a big-time first round win over Clay Millican, 3.886/313.80 vs. 3.974/293.09.
"It's been a tense morning," confided Brandon. "We were delayed by rain, then we suited up and we
were at the starting line, then it rained again, we went back to the pits, and then back to the
starting line again. We were first pair so that's nerve-wracking because it had been raining hard
and you have no idea how much the track can hold. There was still a lot of moisture in the air
which affects the tune-up.
"Rob (Flynn, crew chief) and the team did a great job, and we clocked our lowest elapsed time of
the weekend along with a stellar speed. We got a good lap under our belt."
In the quarterfinals, Bernstein rolled to the line to face his Lucas Oil stable mate and friend
Morgan Lucas. It was a valiant effort by the men in red and despite solid performance numbers;
Lucas tripped the win light with a 3.833/308.99 vs. Bernstein's 3.900/311.34.
"The Bernsteins and the Lucases are just like family so it was going to be tough to watch someone
lose," said Brandon. "Charlotte and Forrest (Lucas) were just with us in Detroit for Dad's Hall of
Fame induction.
"Our team made some mechanical adjustments and both runs on Sunday trumped our qualifying times so
we were headed in the right direction.
"This was a Lucas race and we would have much rather have met Morgan in the finals. In the end
Morgan won the race and it was the first time he was able to share the victory with his parents.
Our family congratulates them."
The NHRA circuit heads to Reading, Pa. for the Toyo Tires Nationals Aug. 21 - Aug. 23.
With Budweiser recently announcing that they will not return in 2010 after 30 years of primary
sponsorship with the Kenny Bernstein team, new sponsorship is being actively pursued.
"We are passionate about the sport of NHRA drag racing and we will continue to field a
team in 2010 with Brandon as the driver if we can secure sponsorship," said six-time champion Kenny
Bernstein. "But let me stress that if we don't find funding for next year, we will not be back.
Racing is our business. We do not have another business to fall back on to help absorb the expense
of a race team.
"We owe a debt of gratitude to all the Budweiser employees and wholesalers we've worked
with through the years, as well as the fans and friends who have followed and supported us
beginning with the Funny Car era.
"We believe that taking a proactive role in initiating programs and promotions that help sell
product and build brand awareness has been an integral part of retaining our sponsorship
associations through the years. Coupled with the success we've had on the racetrack while flying
the Budweiser colors, including six NHRA championships and 85 national event victories between
Brandon and me, then it's a very attractive opportunity for another sponsor.
"We think we have been one of the marquee teams in this sport for the past three decades and we
bring with us 30 years of fan base. NHRA drag racing is our home."
Budweiser Lager Lesson: Budweiser is lagered over beechwood chips for nearly three weeks and
"kraeusened" to produce natural carbonation, resulting in our signature crisp and refreshing taste.
