Photo by Ian Tocher
6/9/03

Forever Red Just an Illusion?

hortly after Brandon Bernstein was injured in a crash at Englishtown, it came as no surprise when his father, Kenny, announced he would forego retirement to temporarily replace Brandon as driver for the Budweiser Top Fuel team. It just made sense. K.B. knows the car, he knows the crew, he's more than competent as a wheelman, and after all, he is the Bud King.

But a comment from the elder Bernstein in a story posted at nhra.com caught my eye: "I said, 'Brandon, you know I wanted to drive again but not this way,'" Kenny said with a laugh. "I'm out looking for money. I didn't want to take this risk. This wasn't the plan. I was planning on taking the whole year off before I got back in a car."

What? Did he say he planned on taking a year off before getting back in a car? Pardon me for pointing this out, but didn't Bernstein just finish his Forever Red -- A Run to Remember tour?

After suggesting in November 2000 that the next year might be his last if he won the Top Fuel championship (he did!), Bernstein confirmed on May 20, 2001 that 2002 would mark his final go as a driver. "We (Bernstein often refers to himself as 'we') will remain in the sport as a team owner," he said at the time, "and after the season finale next year, I'll hand the keys to the company car to my son, Brandon."

Therefore, as befitting a man who broke the 300-mph barrier and drag racing's only "Dual Fuel" champion -- he won NHRA's Funny Car title four years straight (1985-'88) and two Top Fuel crowns (1996 and 2001) -- Bernstein quite rightly was feted at practically every stop on last year's tour. Several cities and states declared Kenny Bernstein Day; Budweiser created a special advertising program to commemorate the occasion; Bristol Dragway dedicated a 500-seat grandstand to him; Gateway International Raceway named an access road Kenny Bernstein Drive, and he even was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel! Additionally, NHRA heavily featured Bernstein and the Forever Red logo on promo materials and commemorative race tickets, countless media outlets focused on Bernstein's impending departure from the cockpit, and who knows how many souvenir hats, T-shirts, videos, leather jackets, and die-cast cars were sold based on fans wanting a little piece of drag racing history.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being on an "I-hate-Kenny-Bernstein" crusade, let me emphasize that I loved watching K.B. race and he's always been friendly and courteous at the racetrack. I was as disappointed as anyone when I learned he was going to hang up his helmet since I saw no reason for him to go, especially so soon after his latest championship. I also recognize him as one of the sport's truly great drivers. So, I think he deserved every single one of the honors received, he warranted all the media attention, and NHRA did the right thing in aggressively promoting the departure of one of its legendary heroes.

The only thing is, we now learn -- just a half year removed from his final race -- that a return to driving was in the works, probably no later than the 2004 season. Unlike his contemporaries Joe Amato and Don Prudhomme with his Final Strike tour, Bernstein appears not to have been truly committed to stepping down and turning over the wheel to the next generation. Again, I completely understand why he's back in the saddle right now, but come on, was the whole Forever Red thing just a charade? How much meaning do those souvenir cars and ticket stubs now carry if Bernstein was so obviously ready to reverse his retirement decision? How long is it going to be until Forever Red, Part II hits the road?