Brandon Bernstein drove the Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster to the finals at the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, his second final round in two weeks. At the halfway mark of the season, and only six races before the field of drivers in each pro category is reduced to 10 who advance to the playoffs, the Kenny Bernstein-owned team has tallied three runner-up finishes. With Sunday’s final round appearance at Summit Motorsports Park, the second-generation driver advanced to sixth in NHRA Top Fuel point standings and is presently comfortably seeded in the group that will be eligible for the 2008 world championship.
Bernstein qualified third with a 4.640-second elapsed time, and with the category’s top speed, 315.86 mph.
After eliminating Luigi Novelli in the first round, Bernstein rolled to the starting line to face Antron Brown in the second. Bernstein never trailed and led wire to wire. The Budweiser/Lucas Oil dragster streaked across the finish line with a 4.650/307.72 while Brown struggled with an ailing engine, 4.861/274.16.
“That’s a great team,” said Bernstein. “Antron is tough on the lights, and you have to be up for him, but our Budweiser/Lucas Oil team needed that win. We need to keep racking up rounds and points.”
In the semifinals, opponent Cory McClenathan left before the Christmas tree was activated, signaling a foul start. Bernstein automatically got the win, running a competitive 4.654/300.93.
“I didn’t see Cory’s red light and I thought I was dead late,” said Bernstein. “Cory is a friend and a good competitor. I’m just glad I wasn’t late like I thought I was. Another round win! Kudos to Tim (Richards, crew chief) and Kim (Richards) and the team.”
The Budweiser/Lucas Oil team leads the season’s Full Throttle Pit Crew Championship for excellence and consistency in qualifying.
FUNNY CAR
Tony Pedregon drove his Q-Horsepower Chevy Impala to his third win of the season and moved to second in the POWERade Series points standings, by outrunning top qualifier Robert Hight in the final. Pedregon earned his 39th career victory with a performance of 4.882 at 306.26, while Hight trailed in his Auto Club Ford Mustang with a 4.903 at 304.74.
“We knew we had a tough opponent in the final round, it always is any time you race a Force car, and my crew chief (Dickie Venables) really nailed it for the conditions,” Pedregon said. “We expected a tough race, and they were right there. Just to reach the winner’s circle at any race is good, but this one puts us right back in the game, and I think every race from this point on is going to be very important.”
Pedregon, who outran Jim Head, points leader Tim Wilkerson and Ron Capps in early rounds and moved to second overall in the points. He said his victory was in memory of Scott Kalitta, who died tragically in a crash in Englishtown, N.J. last weekend.
“I am dedicating this win to Scott’s kids and his wife,” Pedregon said. “I think it’s important that everyone out here wants them to know we care about them. I think the time coming up we’ll use to regroup and heal, and we’ll never forget him.”
The ProCare Rx Dodge Charger R/T nitro Funny Car driven by Melanie Troxel was disqualified following the first round of qualifying in the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals because NHRA officials identified unsecured ballast in the car.