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Written by Randy Fish |
 Some people think producing a bi-monthly magazine is actually a part-time job - six issues and half the work as a monthly. Hah! Nothing could be further from the truth. If you saw what it takes to do my job, you'd either nominate me for a "Most Dedicated Editor" award or pay me twice the salary. Each production period is best described as Sunday Eliminations. All of a sudden, it's time to suit up, get in the car, and go four rounds. It's a thrash. Those in between times are only a bit more casual, but still busy, nonetheless.
Before this issue started its normal cycle of material due-dates, yours truly had a non-stop hit list of places to be, people to see, and things to accomplish. However, please don't misconstrue this as a complaint. Truth be known, I can't wait to get to work every day.
I drove several hundred miles in order to create the photos and content I thought you'd enjoy seeing (and reading) on these pages. A long time ago, I learned that a magazine couldn't be all things to all people. That said, I constantly brainstorm ideas that (as they say in the South) "might could" be interesting on many different levels. Where am I going with this?
Okay, I'm extremely proud to have been invited to follow the build-up of Kenny Bernstein's Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car. And thanks for the comments many of you have made on Part 1, which contained photos directly from Murf McKinney's chassis shop in Indiana.
So why was this series of articles so important, you ask? Well, I was a fan in the stands long before I became lucky enough to live, eat and breathe championship drag racing on a daily basis. I consider myself fortunate to have witnessed several of Kenny's milestone performances over the years. Like when I saw his Chelsea King Funny Car decades ago in Gainesville, Florida. Years later, I also watched as Kenny broke 260 mph (also at Gainesville). I saw the famed "Batmobile" change the Funny car world forever, and I was also in attendance when the Budweiser King Top Fuel Dragster broke 300 mph, coincidentally at (you guessed it) the Gatornationals.
Twenty-plus consecutive years at Englishtown and Gainesville, many more at Maple Grove, Pomona, and countless other road trips made me respect our drag racing legends much the same as a star-gazer on Hollywood Boulevard admires famous entertainers. Can't help it . . . that's what I'm made of. Personal feelings aside, it's also a source of pride from the professional side of things, in regards to publishing. Granted, Kenny needs to garner as much ink as possible for his sponsors, and of course, there'll be no shortage of exposure for the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car, but at least I can be proud to say "I got first dibs." Updates as they become available - film at 11:00.
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