KENNY BERNSTEIN’S COPART/LUCAS OIL TEAM READY FOR THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEW SEASON

POMONA, Calif. – There are big changes in the Kenny Bernstein Racing camp this season and driver Brandon Bernstein can’t wait for the season kick-off Feb. 11-14 at the Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals.

“We can’t remember being this stoked about the start of a racing season,” said the second generation driver. “This will be our inaugural event with our new sponsor Copart, and their executive team has created a lot of contagious enthusiasm which has permeated through the entire Copart/Lucas Oil team.

“We are very excited to see Brandon Bernstein in the Copart dragster this year!” said Copart President Jay Adair. “The Bernsteins are known champions, and at Copart we know winning is awesome, so together I’m confident we will be able to make a strong run at the NHRA Top Fuel championship this year.”

“We love the new look of our team and car,” said an enthusiastic Bernstein. “My stepmom, Sheryl, has tended to every detail of the design and Dad and I are excited about taking Copart mainstream and introducing them to fans of our sport.

“On the performance side, our pre-season testing at Firebird International Raceway went well though we lost some track time to rain. We still got about three good days of runs under our belts and clocked some very competitive elapsed times and speeds.

“We were running strong at the end of the ‘09 season, we won in Richmond, Va., and we’ve spent the winter working on fine-tuning our combination. We have paid particular attention to the blower area. Using our Phoenix test results as a barometer, we think we’ve made some positive strides.

“Rob Flynn will be calling the shots again this year with assistance from Mike Guger and Todd Smith. Mike worked with us last year and Todd was recently hired from the Don Prudhomme team where he worked these past few seasons. The remainder of our team has stayed the same. The team has jelled really well and the positive attitudes and good-natured kidding makes our team fun while everyone puts in the long hours and digs deep to pursue the Top Fuel championship while maintaining the race track image that is so important in representing our sponsors, Copart, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools and all the others who make it possible for us to chase our dream.”

Six-time champion Kenny Bernstein will be one of the featured drivers at the NHRA Legends Dinner Saturday, Feb. 13 in the Avalon Room at the L.A.County Fairplex. The dinner is part of a weeklong celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Kragen O’Reilly Winternationals. In addition to Bernstein, drivers spanning five decades slated to be formally involved in panel discussions at the dinner include Don Garlits, Bob Glidden, Bill “Grumpy” Jenkins, Shirley Muldowney, John Force, Joe Amato, Tony Schumacher and Larry Dixon. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-884-NHRA.

KRAGEN O’REILLY WINTERNATIONALS TELEVISION ADVISORY

Qualifying – Feb. 13 – ESPN2
11 p.m. – 1 a.m. ET
8 p.m. – 10 p.m. PT

NHRA Race Day – Feb. 14 – ESPN2
10:00 a.m. ET
7:00 a.m. PT

Eliminations – Feb. 14 – ESPN2
8 p.m. – 11 p.m. ET
5 p.m. – 8 p.m. PT

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