Birthplace: Dallas, Texas

Current Residence: Lake Forest, California

Years with Budweiser King Racing:  Thirteenth full year, seventh season as driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster

Racing experience: Son of six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein.  Brandon worked part-time for the Budweiser King team during his summers away from Texas A & M University.  Following graduation in 1996, he worked full-time with the Budweiser King team. In 2001 he drove an Alcohol Dragster and worked part-time for the Budweiser King team.  Won the Division 7 Alcohol Dragster championship, along with “Driver of the Year” honors and finished fourth in national Alcohol Dragster competition.  He and his father became the first father/son duo in NHRA’s 50-year history to win at the same national event when they “doubled” at the SummitRacing.com Nationals in April 2001. They doubled again at the Lucas Oil Products Nationals in Chicago in June 2001. Brandon worked solely as a crew member on his father’s team in 2002.  In 2003, Brandon had a sensational beginning to his rookie year behind the wheel of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster.  He won three of the first eight events, qualified No. 1 twice and even lead the Top Fuel point standings before an injury May 18 at Englishtown, NJ sidelined him for the season.  Despite a shortened season, Bernstein’s early performance achievements won him the prestigious Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Rookie of the Year award, determined by a vote from a distinguished panel of motorsports journalists.  Bernstein has the distinction of having the most successful career launch of any other Top Fuel or Funny Car driver in NHRA history, winning five of his first 13 starts.  He is also a second generation “King of Speed”, having set an NHRA world speed record of 333.41 mph in Chicago in May 2004.  In 2005, he won two national events. In 2006, the team logged four victories and three runner-up finishes to challenge for the championship and ultimately finished third in the ’06 point standings. In 2007 he won five events, setting a career high number of event wins per season.  He was a contender for the Top Fuel championship until the semifinals of the season-ending event and finished third in the final point standings. At the end of the 2007 season, his career Top Fuel victories tallied 17. In 2008, his last season with co-crew chiefs Tim and Kim Richards, the team made four final round appearances, finishing seventh in point standings.