Wed, 23 Jan 2002, 07:49 AM The Winds of Change

By Norm Froscher

The winds of change have certainly blown through Gainesville, Fla. -- home of the Gatornationals -- this New Year.

First, for those of you who follow stick-and-ball sports, Steve Spurrier, the self-styled offensive mastermind of the University of Florida football Gators, up and resigned, shortly thereafter to take a job as coach of the pro Washington Redskins.

Gad Zooks! A team named the Redskins and with Garnet and Gold colors, same as those of the one regular opponent who has a lifetime winning edge over Spurrier, one Bobby Bowden at FSU.

Gad Zook, alright. That's the name of the coach who is replacing Spurrier, Ron Zook.

But enough of the ball sport, already. We mentioned change and you could have seen one in the works out at the Gainesville Raceway during a recent Pro Stock test.

To get you in the drag racing mood, here's a name:

Jerry Haas. Pro Stock.

And if you like some numbers, how about 6.89 elapsed time, 201.70 mph?

Yep, Haas, the renowned chassis builder for Champion Warren Johnson, among others, and who was also so active in the late Pro Stock Truck series, figures in this new deal. We'll examine those significant numbers in a minute.

But first, add a new name to the Pro Stock roster. Hardly a drag racing newcomer, for this change involves a former Gatornationals winner getting his new license. He won the Gators in 1992, but that was in Pro Stock Bike. So, after a hiatus from racing since 1994, Jim Bernard has now climbed into a Pro Stocker, his first four-wheel entry of any description, and is licensed to drive Pro Stock.

This was no overnight move. It was a change that started to come about when Bernard's dad, Skip, opened a Chevrolet dealership in hometown Oakland, MD a couple of years back.

We'll let 33-year-old bachelor Jim Bernard explain:

"I ran Pro Stock Bikes for four or five years back in the early '90s and had a real good time doing that," he said between runs in his sleek white 2002 Cavalier. "I won the U.S. Nationals in '91 and then the Gators here. But I kind of got out of it after '94 to build my own (motorcycle machine shop) business up.

"Then my family acquired a GM/Chevrolet dealership in the past two years or so and we just figured it would be a natural fit to go Pro Stock drag racing with a Chevrolet.

"It's going real well so far, but it's all new to me. I've never raced any kind of car in my life before, just the bikes. We were down at Bradenton all week and I made 18 runs and probably 10 6-second passes and went 200 several times. The car is feeling more comfortable to me every time I go down the track.

"I'm getting adjusted to all the controls and being inside the car. It's a lot different than what I was used to, but it'll just take some time. After driving the car, the bike feels like a little kid's toy."

No offense intended, Angelle Savoie.

And looking on during the session is the Haas, the car's chassis builder, whom we'll hear from in a minute.

"I'm enjoying it so far," Bernard says. "We have a really good car here, built by Jerry Haas and he's gone out of his way to make me comfortable in the car and I think we'll do well. We're using Steve Schmidt engines right now. I'm really happy with the way everything's gone so far, but we won't know until we get to compete for the first time," Bernard says.

Bernard will not be walking to the starting line in colorful leathers pushing a two-wheeler, but rather behind the wheel of the white Cavalier with artistic "Team 1" lettered on the sides.

"That's our GM dealership," Bernard says, "and 2 Energy, the sponsor on the back of the car, is a company that's in the coal business, actually it's not a coal mining business, but they've come up with a way to recycle coal slurry to make it burnable in power plants. It's a new form of energy and they're into recycling waste from coal mines."

Ah, yes, the winds of change.

"We're working on a few other sponsors, also," Bernard says. "But right now it's our own dealership, 2 Energy and a few people like Jerry (Haas) stepping in to help us along the way.

"I feel 100 percent more comfortable now than before I ever drove the car," Bernard says.

And well he might. His best run at Gainesville was that 6.89 E.T. and a speed of 201.70 mph.

And now Haas, who came to be associated as a "consultant" through mutual friends.

"The way I became tied up with the operation was about a year ago Skip (Bernard) contracted with me to build him a Pro Stock car and that basically is what we've done," Haas says. "In fact, the second car is going to the paint shop today, so we have two cars.

"Skip and Jim are good people and I'm looking forward to working with them. We're going to do good. People are going to know who BMI (Bernard Motorsports Inc.) is before the year is out."

The team is currently using consultant Haas' hauler, but also has a bus for transportation.

With such involvement, what will be Haas' reaction when "his" Warren Johnson comes to the line to meet "his" Jim Bernard in a first round?

"May the best man win," he snaps back. "That's the way it is. Whoever lets the clutch pedal out, whoever has the most power and runs the fastest, is going to win the race."

One of these days, it could be Bernard, a symbol of change.