KENNY BERNSTEIN MAKES MONSTER ENERGY/LUCAS OIL FUNNY CAR RACE DEBUT IN POMONA

POMONA, Calif. – Six-time NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein acknowledges that at times his enthusiasm for a project overrides the knowledge of just how enormous a task really is. So it was with the building of the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car team and preparing for the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals Feb. 8-11 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona .

“Before we made our comeback announcement the end of last summer,” said Bernstein, “I knew our Monster sponsorship was going to come together, and I had already had Murf McKinney building the Funny Car chassis and had orders in on some of the rolling equipment. For months, I made ‘to do’ notes on my yellow legal tablet and didn’t get much sleep. It seemed my brain was always switched on.

“Remember we didn’t have the first Mac tool or toolbox.

“Crew chief Ray Alley, assistant crew chief Johnny West, and the entire team worked well into the night seven days a week to get the race car, transporter, and support vehicles on the road to testing.

“Sheryl (wife) has put in a tremendous amount of time designing hospitality and race trailer interiors, team uniforms, and attending to what must be millions of details. In fact, the entire staff at Kenny Bernstein Racing has pulled together to help launch the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car team.

“We tested at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 20-22 and then moved to Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix the next weekend. We shake, rattled and did everything but roll, including losing a few battles with the race track cones. The shake was so severe it was blinding.

“After a few days of this at Firebird Raceway, we got some help from some friends. The first was John Force, who is a great champion with a great heart. John sent Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly, and John Medlen over to lend some assistance. Those men comprise a big part of his brain trust. I owe a big debt of gratitude to John for helping us sort through some tuning issues.

“Also Gary Scelzi came to our aid. We received a lot of support from the drivers that were testing and we are truly humbled by the actions of the members of NHRA drag racing family that lent a helping hand.

“After many days of trials, tribulations and two days lost to desert rain showers, we finally completed our Funny Car licensing runs Feb. 1. John Force and Gary Scelzi signed our license. That’s pretty stout when you think about it. John has an unprecedented 14 Funny Car championships, Gary has four titles, and I have six. That’s a total of 24 years of championships.

“I am very excited about getting back in the race car,” continued Bernstein. “When the car goes down the track instead of sashaying or shaking, it’s like sliding back into a comfortable pair of shoes.

“The black paint scheme with the signature green Monster “M” claw is spectacular. It’s led to the motto ‘Bernstein is back in black.’

“We have our fingers crossed that we will have a respectable season this year and find our way to winner’s circle a few times. We’ll see what fate awaits us when the season kicks off Feb. 8-11 at Pomona .

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.

Follow the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team at Kenny Bernstein Sponsors for 2006. Please visit Monster Energy - Unleash the Beast, 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.