LOOKING IN ON: MOTOR SPORTS

Thursday, Oct. 12, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

By anybody's standards, Kenny Bernstein is a drag-racing legend.

Bernstein accumulated almost 70 career National Hot Rod Association-event victories. In 1992 he became the first NHRA driver to break the 300-mph barrier and four years later became the first driver to win world championships in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.

After stepping down as the driver of the familiar red Budweiser-sponsored Top Fuel dragster at the end of the 2002 season and concentrating on his role as team owner, Bernstein admitted he was having a difficult time adjusting to retirement. When his son, Brandon, was injured in a crash eight races into the 2003 season, the elder Bernstein jumped back into the cockpit and notched four victories in the final five races, including three in a row to end the season.

But that brief stint behind the wheel in 2003 only served to fuel Bernstein's passion for speed and competition. Now, at the age of 62, he has signed a three-year deal to drive in the highly competitive Funny Car class beginning in 2007.

So why would an athlete, who clearly has nothing left to prove, risk life and limb by returning to compete in such a dangerous sport?

"I missed the driving and the competition side tremendously," Bernstein said. "I missed it from the first race that I went to once I stepped out of the car."

Bernstein was so miserable, he said, that he couldn't even get comfortable standing at the starting line watching his son race.

"It was just tough to go to all the races and have all the responsibility that I had before as far as the money side goes and the sponsorship side goes and not have the fun part of it which, for me, is driving," he said.

When officials from Monster Energy Drinks approached Bernstein earlier this year about the possibility of fielding a Funny Car under the Kenny Bernstein Racing banner, he jumped at the opportunity.

"When this opportunity came up, I went after it hoping that we could get it one way or the other - either as a driver or as an owner and put someone else in the car," he said. "When I met with them the first time, I said 'Would I like to drive? Of course I would - that would be my first choice by all means, but if that's not what you want, that's understandable, too.' Fortunately, they thought that was a good idea and it got me enthused again."

Because he hasn't driven a Funny Car in competition since the end of the 1989 season, Bernstein said he expects to experience a learning curve next season.

"Speed and acceleration won't bother me because I'm used to doing that but the car is different to drive than the Top Fuel car," he said. "Fortunately, I drove one for years and years so I know the feeling ... so it's not like starting from scratch.

"But you're not going to go out there and immediately race these guys that are absolutely tremendous drivers and tremendous teams and just go out there and blow them away; it isn't going to happen. You're going to have to crawl before you can walk - in all aspects, both mechanical and from the driving side."

Bernstein joked that his initial excitement over his return to racing lasted until he started writing the checks to build a Funny Car team from scratch.

"Basically, this deal came together around Sept. 1 and that's a little bit late to get a program going absolutely from the beginning," he said.

"I'm sure I'll feel better about it in January when we're out there in Vegas testing; I know that my excitement will be just the same as it was before but right now we've got our hands full."

Kenny Bernstein's career NHRA world championships (4 Funny Car, 2 Top Fuel).

Bernstein's career national-event victories (39 in Top Fuel, 30 in Funny Car).

"I haven't had this much fun in a race for a long time. I'm not saying F-1 is bad or anything ... but I passed probably 40 cars today, easily. It's outrageous."

Juan Pablo Montoya, on making his stock-car debut last Friday night in the ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Montoya finished third.