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A Monster Fit For a King
Kenny Bernstein's New Funny Car, Part 3 |
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Written by Randy Fish |
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Page 1 of 2  Editor's note: Just as we went to print with our previous issue (May 2007) key personnel changes were made at Kenny Bernstein Racing in order to step up the performance of the car. This final installment will chronicle the team as it began to qualify regularly and compete at the highest level of the sport.
Five months from concept to creation, Kenny Bernstein and his talented crew assembled all the pieces necessary to field a first-class Funny Car operation. We're talking everything from nuts and bolts, to transporters, canopies, hospitality equipment, engines, clutches, and race cars. It was nothing short of a Herculean task. Staging a comeback bid that's fueled by determination, sheer desire and an unshakable competitive spirit, Bernstein knew full well that all eyes would be upon him. He also knew he'd be judged at every step of the way. As such, Kenny experienced nothing but consternation when one run after another produced less than the desired results in pre-season testing. Let's fast-forward to the Auto Club Raceway at Pomona for the opening event of 2007. In what this writer feels is one of the season's most memorable runs, Bernstein mustered a "full pull" in his last-ditch qualifying attempt at Pomona, fighting his way to (an almost good enough) 4.84 seconds at over 321 mph. Though too little too late, that first competitive run showed signs of promise.
Truly disheartened by his team's failure to qualify at its debut race, more testing was planned, followed by a trip to its next event at Firebird Raceway just outside Phoenix. Bernstein decided to bring in well-known tuner and clutch specialist, Garry "Skippy" Kennedy, to provide another set of eyes in hopes of solving the car's repeated propensity to shake the tires. Try after try resulted in severe tire shake and aborted runs. However, Kennedy told us, "Those guys were very close to getting that car down the race track. My advice was to take power away, but Ray (Alley) stayed the course. I must say that Kenny was very gracious and extremely thankful for my assistance. It was a good experience."
Shortly after the Phoenix DNQ, Bernstein announced an abrupt change in his crew chief and assistant crew chief positions. Kenny welcomed Jimmy Walsh and Danny DeGennaro, the successful duo that tuned J.R. Todd to three wins last year, as well as the big season-opening victory of 2007. Unfortunately, various Web sites hurled a landslide of ridicule at Jimmy Walsh. He was accused of being a traitor, being disloyal and labeled with just about every other "dis" that could be tossed his way. Jimmy told us, "I didn't pay any attention to all that, and to be honest, I wasn't even reading any of it. My wife kept seeing all those comments about me online and it really upset her. That's what bothered me through it all."
To set the record straight, Jimmy comes from a drag racing family, as his older brother Bill was a three-time (consecutive) Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, using power from Tim Richards Racing Engines. Young Jim paid his dues in spades, working for Joe Amato for 20 years. Do we hear any more slanderous comments about loyalty? In this writer's opinion, Walsh seized an opportunity to join an established organization, one that's run with the utmost professionalism by one of drag racing's most accomplished individuals. In no way is that statement intended to demean the efforts of his former team, as their performance speaks for itself, and J.R. Todd is undeniably one of this sport's brightest young stars.
Perhaps most important in this personnel scenario remains that Jimmy worked diligently under the tutelage of Tim Richards early in his career. That friendship and mutual respect has never wavered even though the two went their separate ways working for other teams. And while they both have immense responsibilities, there's no doubt that both are pleased to be working for the same organization.
Walsh made his debut in Gainesville and immediately served notice that things had changed. On what many would call an evil race track, Kenny charged out of the box with a fine 4.91, which stood for number six on opening day. As the event progressed, the Monster Energy/Lucas Oil Funny Car made a strong semi-final showing. As a serious proponent of innovation and safety, Kenny regrouped a bit following the tragic events that beset Eric Medlen in testing following the Gatornationals. The shock sent through the Funny Car community was unnerving, in light of the stellar safety record for the Funny Car class as a whole. Much like John Force did, Bernstein reacted immediately to retrofit the car with whatever modifications were necessary to increase the already high degree of safety built into his machines. These were certainly not knee-jerk reactions. They had a fine run going in Houston, only to fall in round one - but that's racing. In Las Vegas the team qualified 12th in yet another tough field, took out the higher-qualified car in round one, and lost a very close contest in round two. All in all, things were clicking in much better fashion.
 We were present when the Monster came to life for the first time under the direction of Jimmy Walsh in Gainesville. His demeanor and his experience contribute to a confident and capable atmosphere in the Monster pit. These guys make it look easy. |  Following the warm-up procedure, Kenny consulted with Walsh and exchanged ideas for the clutch setup. |  |  The lion's share of tune-up parameters were taken care of as the car made its way to the staging lanes. Walsh and DeGennaro walked the track to assess their final clutch adjustments and before long, sent Kenny on his way. |  Bernstein made a great first run, which stood for the number six qualifying position. No stranger to Gainesville Raceway, this fabled facility yielded his first 260-mph run (Tempo Funny Car, 1984), and first over 300-mph (Budweiser King Top Fuel Dragster, 1992). |  |
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