NHRA Bernstein turns legacy over to son

The 59-year-old has won seven NHRA championships.
By MIKE HARRIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kenny Bernstein's legacy begins at 300 mph.
Drag racing's King of Speed -- the first driver in his sport to reach that magic number on the quarter-mile -- will hang up his fireproof driving suit for good after this weekend's National Hot Rod Association Finals in Pomona, Calif.
It's not easy for Bernstein to give up the bone-rattling rush of cannonballing down the nation's fastest drag strips at speeds once dreamed about only on the vast salt flats in Bonneville, Utah, where land speed records are recorded.
Still, the 59-year-old Bernstein has few more worlds to conquer after 23 years of being slowed down only by a parachute deploying at the end of a run.
"I just knew we couldn't drag it out. I made the decision a couple of years ago," said Bernstein, who came up a little short of retiring with his seventh NHRA championship. He dueled with Larry Dixon for the Top Fuel title throughout the season, but Dixon relegated Bernstein to second place two weeks ago in Las Vegas.
"I'll miss getting in the car, but I've never been one to look back," said Bernstein, who will stay in the sport as owner of the Budweiser King Dragster.
Making the decision to step aside somewhat easier is the fact that Bernstein's 29-year-old son, Brandon, is ready to move into the driver's seat. Brandon burst into the headlines in 2001 when, driving an alcohol dragster, he got his first win in Las Vegas on the same day his dad won the Top Fuel division.
"Brandon seems to have a bit of natural talent, and he proved that last year in the alcohol car," the elder Bernstein said. "With this team, he'll be able to win -- if he can do the job."
Brandon is going to have to be something special to even come close to equaling his father's success.
Kenny, who once owned CART and NASCAR Winston Cup teams, remains the only driver to win championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car -- NHRA's glamour divisions. He also became the first driver to surpass 300 mph -- a mark most people considered unreachable until a few years ago -- and has 65 race wins to go with his four Funny Car and two Top Fuel titles.