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A Monster Fit For A King Building Kenny Bernstein's New Funny Car - Part 2 |
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Page 2 of 2 Once the bare chassis arrived in SoCal, it was time for crew chief, Ray Alley, and his assistant crew chief, Johnny West, to orchestrate the assembly until two complete Funny Cars were ready to thunder. The entire operation at Kenny Bernstein Racing was fully involved. Ray and Johnny kept track of various task lists and before long, check marks noted which jobs had been accomplished. Please keep in mind, the assembly of a nitro Funny Car isn't as simple as bolting it all together. Brand-new equipment needs to be mocked up, measured, unbolted, adjusted, mocked up, measured again, and readjusted before it's deemed ready for service. For the most part, it's a painstaking process. However, veteran racer Johnny West is regarded by many as one of the most meticulous craftsmen in the sport. Having built a great deal of the Funny Cars that he drove for so many years, Johnny has learned the important lessons that only a lifetime of racing can teach you. The same can be said for Ray Alley. Now don't forget, during the same timeframe when the chassis were fabricated, shipped and fully outfitted and assembled, Kenny and Sheryl Bernstein were equally busy planning, designing and ordering a host of equipment, supplies, trucks, trailers, awnings, uniforms, and more. This whole operation began to gain steam after their big announcement during the 2006 Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. That's only five months time to build an entire race team. And during those months, some people questioned why Kenny was coming back. Well, it's really simple. Kenny Bernstein is a drag racer - he's a champion - he's a record setter, and he's got the fire to compete at the highest level of our sport. 'Nuff said. Let us show you how things came together. DR |  Another feature finds additional absorbent inserts that fill voids between the diaper and the cylinder block.  The cylinder blocks are drilled and tapped for four studs on each side, so the engine containment diaper actually bolts to the block for a more secure fit. |  The Wednesday before Pomona, Kenny found time for an interview with 95.5 KLOS radio personality 'Uncle' Joe Benson |  It was time for business as the long months of preparation gave way to the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals. These guys combined the best parts available with the utmost in ingenuity and workmanship while crafting Kenny Bernstein's latest masterpiece. |  After the burnout, Johnny West made his final adjustments, in hopes they'd dialed in just the right amounts of clutch, fuel and timing. Even if the numbers ended up being a bit soft, at least one complete run would have given them a baseline to tune from. |  Having encountered tire shake and mechanical problems in three previous attempts, Bernstein took the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car right down Broadway on this last ditch qualifying run. In a strange twist of fate, he did bump his way into the field, but was bumped out at the same time by the car in the other lane. |  Aerodynamicist Tim Gibson (L) was contracted to assist in developing pieces that would reduce drag in key areas, as well as designing air inlet flanges that surround the injector opening. An accomplished Top Fuel driver in his own right, Gibson was responsible for designing John Force's Mustang bodies and he's also joined Bill Miller in the development of the Gibson-Miller supercharger. | | |  Out in Pomona, Kenny and the boys warmed the motor and put out a nice nitro cloud for their admiring fans. |
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