BRANDON BERNSTEIN READY TO GET THE SEASON STARTED

POMONA , Calif. – Brandon Bernstein is enthusiastic about the start of the 2007 season at the upcoming CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb. 8-11. Coming off his most successful year behind the wheel of the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster in which he made seven final round appearances and was a legitimate challenger for the Top Fuel championship, Bernstein’s performance in pre-season testing has been stellar.

“Our first full pass down the quarter-mile in Phoenix testing was a 4.487 second elapsed time at 328.46 miles per hour,” said Bernstein.

“Our team was excited to run a number like that pretty much right out of the box. We had another sub 4.50-second run as well and we were running speeds in excess of 330 miles per hour.

“It feels like we’re starting off right where we left off at the end of last year. Tim certainly seems to have a handle on the combination.

“You can never tell about mechanical gremlins like those that bit us at the start of last season, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that we can get some early points and build a strong starting base.

“I’m feeling very, very comfortable in the car these days,” confided Bernstein, “and that is a result of more experience and a lot of trips down the race track. I’ve still got plenty to learn and there always seems to be something new coming at you, but we’re feeling very positive about the new season.”

Bernstein finished third in 2006 Top Fuel point standings, winning four events, the most wins in a single season for the second generation driver. He was runner-up at three events and was the No. 1 qualifier three times.

“Though our Budweiser/Lucas Oil team was very competitive in testing, the same competition we had last year is looking strong too,” continued Bernstein. “It looks as if the fans are going to be treated to another year of great racing.”

Nitro (Top Fuel and Funny Car) qualifying begins Thursday, Feb. 8 at 2:30 p.m. There is a second session Friday at 2:30 p.m , followed by two qualifying sessions Saturday, 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations begin Sunday at 11 a.m.

Notable: 2007 marks the 28th year of Budweiser/Bernstein sponsorship association, the longest current sponsorship in all of auto sports, and the 20th anniversary of Mac Tools sponsorship.

Follow the Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team at Kenny Bernstein Sponsors for 2006. Please visit our sponsors at Budweiser, Lucas Oil, Initializing...., AlphaTrade.com - Get real time stock quotes, charts, market news, level 2, portfolios and more (OTCBB:APTD) and AlphaTrade FN - Free stock quotes, stock market news & personal finance.