ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (June 20) – Six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein celebrated more career victories (seven) at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park than any other track on the 23-race circuit. While the New Jersey track has been Kenny’s most successful, it has been his son’s most troublesome.

There was, however, one bright spot in the weekend.

Brandon Bernstein and the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team qualified at the top of the field for the K & N Filters SuperNationals, with an elapsed time of 4.565 seconds at 325.85 miles per hour. It was Brandon’s second consecutive No. 1 qualifying position, his third this season and fifth career.

The jubilation of qualifying No. 1 turned to dismay in the first round of Sunday’s final eliminations. Bernstein squared off against Bobby Lagana, Jr. and both drivers fought tire smoke and loss of traction, but Lagana got to the finish line first.

“It was sunny and the track conditions were marginal,” said Bernstein. “We tried to back down the tune-up, but we were still too aggressive. I pedaled it a couple of times to try to get it to hook back up again, but the second time I got off and back on the throttle, it blew the burst panel out of the engine, and we were pretty much dead in the water. I still thought I might make it to the stripe first, but he passed me right at the end.

“With the accident last year and the first round loss this year, we need to find a way to tame this track and get back on its good side,” concluded Bernstein.

Only 48 points separate first and third place in the Top Fuel POWERade chase. Bernstein is second, 38 points out of the lead.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. – Brandon Bernstein will head to the K & N Filters SuperNationals June 18-20 with no fond memories of last year’s race at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park but with a positive attitude and hopefully a winning combination.

After a brilliant beginning to his 2003 rookie season, winning three of the first eight events and leading the Top Fuel point standings for a race, Bernstein’s fairy tale season took a tragic turn when he suffered severe injuries to his T-3 vertebra in a first round crash May 18.

In a tire-smoking duel with rival John Smith, Bernstein’s car got airborne enough to smack the inside guard wall with the seat bottom. The impact sent an immediate severe pain shooting through his back.

“I never lost consciousness through the whole ordeal,” said Bernstein. “I remember it all very clearly. I knew I was in trouble when I felt the pain at the first impact. The center upright behind the middle of the seat contributed to the injury.

“We owe everything to the members of the NHRA Safety Safari who were on the scene so quickly I was startled. It seemed the car had barely stopped moving and there was a man right there at the cockpit ready to help. They used a backboard to extricate me from the cockpit, and when I got a chance to see an MRI of my spine a couple of weeks later, I realized how close I came to maybe not being able to walk again. The Safety Safari members did a good job stabilizing me before they lifted me out of the car.”

Bernstein spent a week in Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick, N.J. and then spent the rest of the year recuperating at his father’s home in California, under the care of California physician, Dr. Robert Watkins.

Though the second-generation driver did not have to undergo surgery, he was confined to a clam-shell back brace for four months, 24 hours a day.

“At first, we just spent the days getting through the pain. Then I played a lot of Play Station and watched television. I couldn’t even go out much for fear of getting sick or getting a cold. Sneezing or coughing with a back injury can bring you to your knees.

“My dad and step-mom Sheryl were with me for the greatest part the recovery. My mom came from Dallas and stayed with me when I was first in the hospital in New Jersey and then once in California.”

Six-time champion Kenny Bernstein substituted for his injured son, driving the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster for the remaining 15 races, winning four of the last five races of the season.

Brandon is fully recovered after undergoing rehabilitation and now has an exercise regimen he follows religiously.

This season he has returned to his winning ways, having been to the final round in four of the first 9 events, winning three. He took the Top Fuel point lead following his May 30 win in Topeka, Kan.

“I probably will never forget leaving this track in an ambulance last year, but it’s not something I want to continue to focus or dwell on.

“I know when I get to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, and the team starts the engine, I’ll forget about the past and concentrate on the race at hand.

“As a team, we went through the ordeal, and as a team, we’ll move on.

“We have made some changes in the cockpit with a molded seat manufactured by BSR Products in Mooresville, N.C. This seat is used by many of the NASCAR competitors.

“We have also changed the cockpit support with two bars on either side of the compartment, instead of one upright in the middle.

“Dad has won more races at this track (seven) than any other, and we need to go rounds to continue our quest for the championship, so I’m ready to rock and roll.”

Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying for the K & N Filters Supernationals begins Friday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a second session at 7:30 p.m. There are two rounds Saturday, 1 and 4 p.m., with final eliminations Sunday at 11 a.m.

K & N FILTERS SUPERNATIONALS

TELEVISION ADVISORY

Qualifying – June 19 – ESPN2
6 – 8 p.m. ET

Eliminations – June 20 – ESPN
5 – 7 p.m. ET