Brandon Bernstein Returns to Winner’s Circle at Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals
Written by Josh Katinger · June 27, 2005
Ron Capps, Kurt Johnson and Angelle Sampey Win Their Categories
MADISON, Ill. — Brandon Bernstein ended a 26-race Top Fuel drought Sunday when he turned in a 4.553-second pass at 324.59 mph to beat Morgan Lucas in the final round of the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway Raceway.
The other winners Sunday were Ron Capps in Funny Car (4.862, 321.04), Kurt Johnson in Pro Stock (6.729, 205.19) and Angelle Sampey in Pro Stock Motorcycle (7.237, 186.02).
Before winning the Sears Craftsman Nationals, the 12th of 23 events in the $50 million NHRA POWERade Series, Bernstein last won and last reached a final round in his Budweiser dragster at the O’Reilly Summer Nationals in Topeka in May, 2004.
“That’s definitely true, the monkey’s off our back,” said Bernstein, who improved to 7-1 in final rounds. “It had been over a year since we had won a race. Hopefully this is a snowball thing.”
The importance of the win was two-fold for Bernstein, who drives with the Budweiser paint job on his dragster. Racing in the hometown of Anheuser-Busch is exciting, but also carries with it a lot of pressure.
“It’s very special to win here,” Bernstein said. “You come in with a lot of obligations for Budweiser and we have a lot of friends at Budweiser that come out and you want to perform as well as possible in front of them. They realize that this is racing and things happen, but it’s just great to be able to win in St. Louis. They get to go back to their office Monday morning and say, ‘Hey, Bernstein won.’
Capps’s win in his Brut Dodge Stratus over Tim Wilkerson’s Levi, Ray and Shoup Chevy Monte Carlo was his first since the Checker Schuck’s Kragen Nationals in February of 2003.
“I knew the win was coming, I was just hoping it would get here soon,” said Capps, who improved to fourth in the POWERade Series Funny Car standings. The top two Funny Car drivers, John Force and Gary Scelzi, were each beaten in the first round.
Wilkerson, who is from nearby Springfield, Ill., was a favorite of the fans and quite a sentimental favorite of his fellow drivers after the death of his mother earlier in the weekend.
“In the staging lanes, I went over to give him a hug and he had tears in his eyes before we got suited up,” Capps said. “I was sitting in my car and thinking of my mom and if she died and what it would be like to get in the race car and drive. I was tearing up.”
“I would have been okay losing to him,” Capps said. “It was that kind of day.”
Ladders
Top Fuel
Funny Car
Pro Stock
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Final Results
TOP FUEL:
1. Brandon Bernstein
2. Morgan Lucas
3. Doug Herbert
4. David Grubnic
5. Tony Schumacher
6. Rod Fuller
7. Scott Weis
8. Mike Strasburg
9. T.J. Zizzo
10. Larry Dixon
11. Doug Kalitta
12. Bobby Lagana Jr.
13. Mitch King
14. Cory McClenathan
15. Tim Gibson
16. Scott Kalitta
FUNNY CAR:
1. Ron Capps, Dodge Stratus
2. Tim Wilkerson, Chevy Monte Carlo
3. Tony Pedregon, Monte Carlo
4. Gary Densham, Monte Carlo
5. Robert Hight, Ford Mustang
6. Tony Bartone, Monte Carlo
7. Terry Haddock, Chevy Camaro
8. Cruz Pedregon, Monte Carlo
9. Phil Burkart, Toyota Celica
10. Tommy Johnson Jr., Monte Carlo
11. John Force, Mustang;
12. Whit Bazemore, Stratus
13. Eric Medlen, Mustang
14. Gary Scelzi, Stratus
15. Del Worsham, Monte Carlo
16. Jeff Arend, Monte Carlo
PRO STOCK:
1. Kurt Johnson, Chevy Cobalt
2. Greg Anderson, Pontiac Grand Am
3. Dave Connolly, Cobalt
4. Jason Line, Grand Am
5. Warren Johnson, Grand Am
6. Jeg Coughlin, Dodge Stratus
7. Allen Johnson, Stratus;
8. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Cavalier
9. Richie Stevens, Stratus
10. V. Gaines, Stratus
11. Jim Yates, Grand Am
12. Rickie Smith, Cavalier;
13. Kenny Koretsky, Stratus
14. Larry Morgan, Stratus
15. Ron Krisher, Cobalt
16. Dave Howard, Cobalt
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE:
1. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki
2. Antron Brown, Suzuki
3. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson
4. GT Tonglet, Harley-Davidson
5. Ryan Schnitz
6. Chris Rivas
7. Craig Treble, Suzuki
8. Michael Phillips, Suzuki
9. Chip Ellis
10. Shawn Gann, Suzuki
11. Matt Smith, Suzuki
12. Mike Berry, Suzuki
13. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki
14. Geno Scali, Suzuki
15. Hector Arana, Suzuki
16. Steve Johnson, Suzuki
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