Indianapolis Diary

Day Four

By Susan Wade
8/31/03

DAY FOUR, ENTRY ONE

CLERMONT, Ind. -- Late Saturday afternoon, Brandon Bernstein sat in the Budweiser King Dragster for the first time since the May 18 accident that left him with two broken vertebrae.

Able to remove the clamshell-style brace in controlled environments, the 31-year-old Bernstein appeared excited simply to sit in the car again, checking out the new foam seat and head-restraint and seat-belt systems installed to suit dad Kenny.

Brandon, who worked out faithfully and maintained a physically active life before the first-round crash at Englishtown, has begun rehabilitation.

The Lake Forest, Calif., driver, who won three of the first six races of the season, was second in points when he was injured. He still was in the top 10 entering the U.S. Nationals, while his father had to begin accumulating his own points when he took over the ride at Topeka.

DAY FOUR, ENTRY TWO

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Angelle Savoie couldn't stop thinking about the encounter with the man at the gas station. The three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion and her husband Nicky were on their way home to New Orleans from Pensacola, Fla. She was wearing no racing gear or logos, had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and didn't think anyone in the remote little Florida convenience store would recognize her. Nevertheless, a stranger approached her and asked, "What's the matter with you? You need to start kicking butt on the race track."

He was referring to her four-race string of first-round losses. And that was weighing on her mind as she prepared for her first run Saturday, her first run of the weekend.

But crew chief Mark Peiser told her, "Relax and be yourself. Do what you do best. You've done this before."

Savoie shook off any doubts and made a 7.172-second pass to become preliminary No.1 qualifier Saturday. "When they told me what I ran, I felt like I had won the race," she said.

DAY FOUR, ENTRY THREE

While Savoie took her class' top qualifying spot for the first day, Reggie Showers won the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash.

He earned the $15,000 winner's share of the $36,000 purse by eliminating defending Klash champion Craig Treble, top qualifier Shawn Gann and finally NHRA POWERade points leader Geno Scali. Now he and crew chief George Bryce have their eyes on the $10,000 double-up bonus NHRA would pay them if they win the U.S. Nationals, as well.