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MADISON, Ill. – Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand has sponsored Kenny Bernstein’s NHRA drag racing team for 29 years, the longest current team/sponsorship association in all of auto sports.
It’s no wonder that Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster is excited about the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals May 2-4 at Gateway International Raceway.
“When we come to St. Louis , our friends at Budweiser roll out the red carpet for us,” said the second generation driver. “It’s as if St. Louis is our second home and all the executives at Budweiser that work with us are our extended family.
“Dad actually sold Budweiser on sponsoring his race team during a rainout at Baton Rouge in 1979,” explained Bernstein.
“The race rained out on Sunday, he went to St. Louis and met with Budweiser and sold the sponsorship, and then went back to Baton Rouge on Wednesday night and beat John Force in the Funny Car final.
“So they’ve been ‘family’ for 29 years. We couldn’t ask for a more supportive sponsor. They are the best!”
Brandon and Kenny have both had their turn in victory circle at Gateway. Six-time champion Kenny drove the Budweiser dragster to four final round appearances in seven years of competition at the track, winning in 2002, the year of his “Forever Red” tour.
Brandon has four years of Gateway competition in the record books, with two final round appearances in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster. He won in 2006 and dedicated the victory to his grandfather, Bert Bernstein, who succumbed to cancer just two months later. It was Bert’s last trip to a race track to watch his grandson compete.
So far this season, Brandon has logged a runner-up finish at Gainesville, Fla.
“We have a car capable of winning,” said Bernstein. “We were disappointed a couple of times because we’ve had some random mechanical failures that have stopped us when we should have been going rounds. There’s a lot of pressure on these parts and pieces.
“We’re fortunate to have veteran tuner Tim Richards, who we call “The General”, leading the charge for our team. Just to underscore his success, Dad hired him in 2001 and since that time we’ve won 33 races. That’s quite a resume.
“We like our odds going into St. Louis and we’re looking forward to going rounds.”
Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying begins Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m. with a second session at 6:30 p.m. There are two qualifying rounds Saturday, 12:30 and 3 p.m., with final eliminations scheduled to begin Sunday at 11 a.m.
Brandon Bernstein took the reins to the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster from his father, Kenny, whose 39 Top Fuel victories and 30 Funny Car victories make him No. 2 driver on the career nitro win list. Brandon was named Southern California Auto Club Rookie of the Year in 2003, and has amassed 17 career victories to date including a career-high five wins and a third-place overall finish in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Series.
Just like the Bernstein family legacy on the track, Budweiser American-style lager follows the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brew masters. Brewed with only the finest hand-selected ingredients and Beechwood aged for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment, Budweiser is “the Great American Lager.”
BERNSTEINS FEEL AT HOME FOR O’REILLY MIDWEST NATIONALS IN ST. LOUIS
MADISON, Ill. – Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand has sponsored Kenny Bernstein’s NHRA drag racing team for 29 years, the longest current team/sponsorship association in all of auto sports.
It’s no wonder that Brandon Bernstein, driver of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster is excited about the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals May 2-4 at Gateway International Raceway.
“When we come to St. Louis , our friends at Budweiser roll out the red carpet for us,” said the second generation driver. “It’s as if St. Louis is our second home and all the executives at Budweiser that work with us are our extended family.
“Dad actually sold Budweiser on sponsoring his race team during a rainout at Baton Rouge in 1979,” explained Bernstein.
“The race rained out on Sunday, he went to St. Louis and met with Budweiser and sold the sponsorship, and then went back to Baton Rouge on Wednesday night and beat John Force in the Funny Car final.
“So they’ve been ‘family’ for 29 years. We couldn’t ask for a more supportive sponsor. They are the best!”
Brandon and Kenny have both had their turn in victory circle at Gateway. Six-time champion Kenny drove the Budweiser dragster to four final round appearances in seven years of competition at the track, winning in 2002, the year of his “Forever Red” tour.
Brandon has four years of Gateway competition in the record books, with two final round appearances in the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster. He won in 2006 and dedicated the victory to his grandfather, Bert Bernstein, who succumbed to cancer just two months later. It was Bert’s last trip to a race track to watch his grandson compete.
So far this season, Brandon has logged a runner-up finish at Gainesville, Fla.
“We have a car capable of winning,” said Bernstein. “We were disappointed a couple of times because we’ve had some random mechanical failures that have stopped us when we should have been going rounds. There’s a lot of pressure on these parts and pieces.
“We’re fortunate to have veteran tuner Tim Richards, who we call “The General”, leading the charge for our team. Just to underscore his success, Dad hired him in 2001 and since that time we’ve won 33 races. That’s quite a resume.
“We like our odds going into St. Louis and we’re looking forward to going rounds.”
Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying begins Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m. with a second session at 6:30 p.m. There are two qualifying rounds Saturday, 12:30 and 3 p.m., with final eliminations scheduled to begin Sunday at 11 a.m.
O’REILLY MIDWEST NATIONALS TELEVISION ADVISORY
Qualifying – May 3- ESPN2 9-11 p.m. ET
NHRA Race Day – May 4 – ESPN2 11-11:30 a.m. ET
Eliminations – May 4 – ESPN2 7- 10 p.m. ET
Qualifying – May 3- ESPN2 9-11 p.m. ET
NHRA Race Day – May 4 – ESPN2 11-11:30 a.m. ET
Eliminations – May 4 – ESPN2 7- 10 p.m. ET
Brandon Bernstein took the reins to the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel dragster from his father, Kenny, whose 39 Top Fuel victories and 30 Funny Car victories make him No. 2 driver on the career nitro win list. Brandon was named Southern California Auto Club Rookie of the Year in 2003, and has amassed 17 career victories to date including a career-high five wins and a third-place overall finish in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Series.
Just like the Bernstein family legacy on the track, Budweiser American-style lager follows the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brew masters. Brewed with only the finest hand-selected ingredients and Beechwood aged for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment, Budweiser is “the Great American Lager.”
