Thu, 29 May 2003, 03:59 PM Conversation with Brandon Bernstein May 28, 2003

Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster, was injured in a first round accident May 18 in Englishtown, N.J. He was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. and was moved to the West Coast Sunday, May 25. He is under the care of Dr. Robert Watkins, well known for his treatment of sports injuries, specializing in the back and spine.

Q: How are you feeling?

Brandon: "I'm still in a lot of pain in my spine. It's very uncomfortable to be in a brace from your waist to neck, and still very painful. I have to be in the brace 24 hours a day and the most difficult adjustment is trying to get comfortable to sleep.

"The latest update from the doctor is that we're in a holding pattern. He looked at my spine, and the area of concern is the ligament that attaches to the back of the spine that keeps it straight. If the ligament is still intact we sit tight and the bones will heal back and we continue to wear the brace for another 10 to 12 weeks. If the ligament is not intact, we do surgery. That's a 50 -50 shot. Monday he will do more tests. He actually measures the degree of separation from the curvature of the spine. If the spine is falling, then we do surgery. I would assume he would move quickly to do surgery, maybe next week. I don't know if surgery is a step back, it's just a wild card. It's still good news that I'll have full recovery.

"It will take six months for a full recovery. That's all the way into November. It looks most likely that it will be the 2004 season for me to be back racing. I don't want to chance getting back in too early, I might as well take the whole season to heal.

"I'm very disappointed to have the season start out so well, and then it's over in the blink of an eye. It's a very tough way to go. But it could be a lot worse. I'm very lucky, definitely. The doctor said this is a severe break. Most of the time when he sees an injury like this, the patient is paralyzed."

Q: When did the injury occur?

Brandon: "The injury occurred on the initial hit when I smacked the guard wall sideways--part of the spine stays straight and the other part moves forward or back."

Q: Has this incident changed your approach to racing?

Brandon: "I'm going to get back in that racecar. This incident hasn't deterred me at all. I love driving and it's not going to hinder me in any way getting back into the racecar. Surgery or no surgery, I'm fortunate that I will have a full recovery either way."

Q: What is your short-term goal?

Brandon: "We're shooting to get back on the road with the team at St. Louis. I'd like to be back with the team and all my friends in the racing fraternity."

On all the response from fans, sponsors, teams, media, etc:

"Yesterday I had a chance to read the cards, letters and emails that have been pouring in. It's just an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness to read them and lets me know that so many people care about me and our family. It made me feel very warm inside to read the cards and emails. We have some really awesome fans out there. I want to thank them all from the bottom of my heart.

"I also want to thank the Safety Safari for keeping my back straight and extracting me from the car in the correct manner. They did all the right things. To all the teams and drivers that called or stopped by the hospital, I went to send a big thanks."