1966 

• Supported a Top Fuel drag racing hobby, which included several victories on the Texas Pro Fuel Circuit, by selling high fashion women’s wear.

1971 

• Founded Dallas Wrecker Service, which he operated while racing part time in both Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars.

1973 

• Was runner-up to Don Schumacher at the National Hot Rod Association Winternationals at Pomona Calif., in a Funny Car owned by Ray Alley.

1974

• Abandoned his racing career to focus on the Chelsea Street Pub restaurant chain he founded with Randy Pumphrey in Lubbock, Texas.

1978 

• Returned to racing in mid-season with the Chelsea King Funny Car.

1979 

• Won the NHRA Cajun Nationals at Baton Rouge, La., his first pro victory.
• Won two IHRA national events en route to the IHRA Winston Championship.

1980 

• Debuted the first Budweiser King Funny Car.

1981 

• Named “Real World Champion” by Drag Racing magazine after becoming the first driver in history to win national events and set national performance records in one season in all three major drag racing circuits NHRA, IHRA, AHRA.

1983 

• Drove the Budweiser King to victory in both the Big Bud Shootout and the U.S. Nationals during the same weekend, becoming the first to achieve that double.

1984 

• Became the first Funny Car driver to break the 260 mile-per-hour barrier (260.11mph), March 18, Gatornationals.

1985 

• Won the NHRA Winston Championship for the first time, reaching final round in nine of 12 events.
• Set national records on both the NHRA and IHRA Winston Circuits.
• Named to the AARWBA Auto Racing All-America Team for the first time.
• Car Craft Magazine Funny Car All-Star Driver.
• Founded King Racing NASCAR Winston Cup stock car team.

1986 

• Won the NHRA Winston Championship for the second time.
• Became the first to break the 5.50 second barrier (5.425 seconds, Sept. 26, Ennis, TX).
• Became the first to achieve 270 mph in a Funny Car (271.41 mph, Aug. 30, Indianapolis, Ind.)
• Named for a second time to the AARWBA All-America Team.
• Car Craft Magazine Funny Car All-Star Driver.

1987 

• Won the NHRA Winston Championship for the third time.
• Became the first to break the 5.40 second barrier in a Funny Car (5.397 seconds, April 5, Ennis, Texas).
• Won Big Bud Shootout for the second time.
• Named for the third time to the AARWBA All-America Team.
• Car Craft Magazine Funny Car All-Star Driver.
• Founded King Protofab Indy Car team (later renamed King Motorsports).

1988 

• Won the NHRA Winston Championship for the fourth consecutive year, tying the record set by Don Prudhomme (1975-78).
• Named for the fourth time to the AARWBA All-America Team.
• Named “Driver of the Year” by Motorweek Illustrated.
• Earned first victory as a Winston Cup car owner when Ricky Rudd prevailed at Watkins Glen, New York.

1989 

• Announced decision to move from Funny Cars to Top Fuel dragsters in 1990.
• Earned second Winston Cup win with Ricky Rudd at Sears Point, Calif.

1990 

• Named “Person of the Year” by Car Craft Magazine as individual who had the greatest impact on the sport of drag racing from July, 1989-July, 1990.
• Earned third Winston Cup win with Brett Bodine at North Wilkesboro, NC.

1991 

• Tied the single season record for Top Fuel victories with six.
• Earned final spot in the Cragar 4-Second Club.
• Became the first driver to win BOTH the Big Bud Shootout and Budweiser Classic with Classic victory at Pomona, Calif.

1992 

• Became the first driver to break the 300 mph barrier (301.70 mph, March 20, Gainesville, Fla.), earning the first spot in Slick 50’s 300 MPH Club. 
• Was named, for the fifth time, to the AARWBA All-America Team.
• Was named, with Crew Chief Dale Armstrong and Wes Cerny, “Person of the Year” by Car Craft Magazine.
• Car Craft Magazine Top Fuel All-Star Driver.
• Was pole-winning and one-lap and four-lap speed record setting owner at the Indianapolis 500 with driver Roberto Guerrero.

1993 

• Became the first driver to win 100 career rounds in both Top Fuel and Funny Car.
• Won the Budweiser Classic for second time.

1994

• Became first driver to break the 310 mile-per-hour barrier with speed of 311.85 mph in semifinals, and NHRA national record of 314.46 mph, in winning season- ending Winston Select Finals at Pomona, California.
• Earned first IndyCar victory as a car owner, when Scott Goodyear prevailed at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI. Victory made Bernstein the first car owner to attain victories in each of the three major American auto racing series: CART, NASCAR Winston Cup and NHRA drag racing.

1996

• 1996 NHRA Winston Top Fuel Champion.
• Retained title of “King of Speed” with 318.69 mph run at Dallas.
• Second quickest time in the history of the NHRA of 4.598 seconds at the Keystone Nationals, in Reading, PA in Sept.
• Won four NHRA National Events (Phoenix, AZ , Houston, TX, Brainerd, MN and Reading, PA) Made six final round appearances.
• No. 1 qualifier four times (Columbus, OH, Reading, PA, Topeka, KS, and Dallas, TX)
• Reset the NHRA elapsed-time record twice. Ran 4.664 seconds in the second round at the ATSCO Nationals at Phoenix in February. Lowered to 4.663 seconds during the final round at the Slick 50 Nationals in Houston, Texas.

1997 

• Won first NHRA All-Star Winston Invitational at Rockingham Dragway and pocketed $100,000 for the victory in April.
• Won two NHRA National Events (Atlanta, Ga. and Topeka, Ks.) Made four final round appearances.
• Ran his quickest time of 4.597 seconds at Raceway Park in Englishtown, NJ.

1998

• Won 4 NHRA National Events (Gainesville, Fla., Chicago, Ill., Columbus, Oh., and Pomona, Ca.). Reached 7 final rounds.
• Won his second All-Star Winston Invitational at Rockingham Dragway.
• Reset his quickest time to 4.564 seconds at the Texas Motorplex (Dallas) in October.
• Reset his fastest speed to 322.42 MPH at Raceway Park (Englishtown, NJ) in May.
• Ran over 320 miles-an-hour 10 times.
• Earned #1 qualifying position twice - Richmond, Va. and St. Louis, Mo.
• Made his 300th start at the 44th annual U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis.
• Completed his 700th round of NHRA competition at the Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio.
• Bud King/Prolong dragster adorned with Budweiser’s “Louie the Lizard”.

1999 

• Recognized as 12th in RPM 2Night’s Top 50 North American drivers of the 20th Century.
• Reached 500th career round win milestone at Sonoma, Calif.
• Celebrated 20th anniversary of sponsorship with Anheuser-Busch, the longest racer-sponsorship in drag racing history and the second longest in motorsports, behind Richard Petty and STP. 

2000 

• Won the Inaugural SummitRacing.com Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finished runner-up at Richmond, VA and St. Louis, MO.
• Qualified number one in Las Vegas, NV and in the April event at Houston, TX.

2001

• Won sixth NHRA World Championship, second in Top Fuel
• Won eight NHRA National Events (Las Vegas, NV; Englishtown, NJ; Topeka, KS; Chicago, IL; Sonoma, CA; Memphis, TN; Chicago, IL, and the season finale at Pomona, CA).
• Eight wins are the most single season victories in Bernstein’s career.
• Won 61 rounds of competition, the most rounds won in one season in NHRA Top Fuel history.
• Reached twelve final rounds out of 24 events, an NHRA record for Top Fuel final round appearances.
• Qualified on the pole nine times (Las Vegas, NV; Bristol, TN; Atlanta, GA; Englishtown, NJ; Topeka, KS; Chicago, IL; Sonoma, CA; Indianapolis, IN, and the season finale at Pomona, Ca.).
• First father/son in NHRA history to win at same national event: SummitRacing.com Nationals April 6, 2001 and Lucas Oil Products Nationals, Chicago, IL June 3, 2001.
• Current NHRA world elapsed time record holder (4.477 seconds). This is the quickest run in the history of the sport. Record was set at Route 66 Raceway, Chicago, in June.
• Ran the table three times, qualifying #1, setting top speed, low elapsed time, and event winner at Las Vegas, NV; Chicago, IL; and Sonoma, CA.
• Set NHRA world speed record (332.18 mph), Oct. 1 at Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.

2002 

• Won four NHRA National Events (Houston, TX; Englishtown, NJ; St. Louis, MO; Brainerd, MN)
• Finished Runner-Up at four NHRA National Events (Pomona, CA; Gainesville, FL; Chicago, IL; and Seattle, WA)
• Qualified on the pole in Atlanta, GA and Seattle, WA
• This season marked Bernstein’s “Forever Red..A Run To Remember” retirement tour.

2003 

• Won four NHRA national events: Fall Chicago event; Dallas; Fall Las Vegas; and Pomona Finals Notable: This totals 39 career Top Fuel victories for Bernstein that surpassed the number of victories by Don Garlits and moved Bernstein to second place in career Top Fuel victories. Including 30 Funny Car victories, Bernstein has 69 career wins which puts him No. 2 in the nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car ) category career victories. Bernstein also has competed in over 1000 rounds of NHRA national event competition, placing him second in the Nitro category of rounds of competition completed.
  Finished sixth in POWERade Top Fuel point standings, substituting for his son who was injured May 18 in a first round accident in Englishtown, N.J. Bernstein began competing in the 9th race of the season.
• Was the No. 1 qualifier at St.Louis

2005

• Named by the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association as one of 12 nominees for the Newsmaker of the Half-Century award. In alphabetical order, the nominees were: Mario Andretti, Kenny Bernstein, Dale Earnhardt, John Force, A.J. Foyt, the France family, Jeff Gordon, Dan Gurney, the Hulman-George family, Wally Parks, Roger Penske and Richard Petty.

2006