Kenny Bernstein Makes the Right Choice
Written by David Lamm · August 3, 2005
The rumors of Kenny Bernstein possibly returning to the driver’s seat were squashed this weekend at the FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, Calif. The Kalitta Motorsports group along with Ken Black was courting Bernstein to field a fourth Top Fuel dragster. Bernstein declined and it was probably the best decision he could have made.
NHRA.com: Kenny Bernstein nixes opportunity with Kalitta Motorsports
The world of sports, not just auto racing, is full of athletes retiring and then staging a comeback. Most of those comebacks are usually unsuccessful and more than likely have tarnished the reputation the athlete worked so hard to establish. When Kenny Bernstein retired from active driving in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, he was competitive and on the top of his game. No one wanted to see the lasting images of Bernstein failing to qualify or losing badly on Sundays because his reaction times were slow. But that did not happen and drag racing fans were sparred the memories of a great driver who didn’t know when to say goodbye. Bernstein did return to the drivers seat in 2003 but only after his replacement driver, most notably his son Brandon, suffered a back injury nine races into the season. In need of a replacement driver to satisfy sponsor commitments, the choice to put Kenny back in the car was an easy one. Kenny swore up and down that after the 2003 season was over he would turn the keys over to Brandon. He kept his word and did just that.
Now comes Connie Kalitta and Ken Black in 2005 announcing they will field a fourth dragster to compliment the efforts of Doug Kalitta, Scott Kalitta and David Grubnic. Who better to drive than the only driver in NHRA history to win championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car? Alas, Bernstein declined saying,
After spending a great deal of time evaluating all aspects of the opportunity, I felt it would be too difficult to race against my team and my son. If we were able to find a non-conflicting sponsor and could field a second team car out of our stable, then I would seriously consider jumping back into the driver’s seat.
I say it was a good call on Bernstein’s part. We all know this team will be competitive and will have the best crew, best parts and best funding in the NHRA top class no matter who sits in the cockpit. Having a good car underneath him was not Bernstein’s concern. Possibly the potential sponsor was the problem? If you recall, Scott Kalitta ran a special paint scheme at Denver. That paint scheme included a Coors sponsorship since the Coors brewery is just a few miles from Bandimere Speedway. Could the Kalitta and Ken Black group possibly be courting the Coors Company to become a primary sponsor in the NHRA?
Coors is not currently involved in NHRA drag racing while it’s two major competitors, Budweiser and Miller, both sponsor cars in the Top Fuel class. Kenny Bernstein has been the face of Budweiser racing for over 20 years so you can imagine how steamed the folks in St. Louis would be if he started driving a car for a rival brewery. Plus, Bernstein still owns the dragster his son drives, sponsored primarily by Bud. Talk about a conflict of interest. Can you imagine driving a Coors car while cashing sponsorship checks from Anheuser-Busch?
I am not saying the sponsor of the fourth Kalitta dragster will be Coors. They apparently have enough of a relationship with the Coors people to get a one-race deal so it is not beyond ration reasoning they might look for a full season? And why would Bernstein mention anything about a conflicting sponsor? Makes you wonder if the Coors folks will jump into drag racing. They already sponsor a car in the Nascar Nextel Cup Series. Why not try to keep up with the Buds and Millers of the drag racing world?
Either way, Bernstein made a good choice. And if Coors does throw it’s hat in the drag racing ring, all the better for the sport. Let’s hope that Bernstein remains retired and Coors reaches into their wallet for 2006. Both will be good for the sport of drag racing.
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