NHRA legend Kenny Bernstein roars back for a one-off with Antron Brown at Denver
It may take years, even decades, but you just can't keep some legendary drag racers away from either the quarter-mile or other forms of racing (like how Don "Snake" Prudhomme has competed in several off-road races in Mexico the last few years).
When Kenny "The Budweiser King" Bernstein announced two days after the 2011 NHRA season that he was officially retiring once and for all -- actually, it was the second time he had retired -- many of his longtime fans were saddened that they'd never see him wheel a Top Fuel dragster or Funny Car down a dragstrip ever again.
But like I said, sometimes you just can't keep some drag racers away from feeling the need for speed.
A few years ago, Bernstein took part in an exhibition event of several drag racing greats including Prudhomme, Shirley Muldowney, Ed McCulloch and others at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway.
Then, a few weeks ago, three-time NHRA Top Fuel champ Antron Brown picked up the phone and called Bernstein, now 78, and invited him to join him as his guest at this weekend's NHRA Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in suburban Denver.
Bernstein couldn't pass up the opportunity to hang out with Brown and agreed to show up, particularly since this would be the final NHRA event ever held at the legendary Bandimere facility.
The land the track sits upon is being sold, but track officials are hoping to build a new state-of-the-art facility in the Denver area -- rumor has it will be somewhere near Castle Rock, south of Denver -- within the next two years.
Brown then added a sweetener to Bernstein: he wanted the legendary racer to start up Brown's dragster Friday before qualifying began.
For those fans unfamiliar with various types of drag racing protocol, when one driver asks another to start his race car, it's like a badge of honor -- or in Bernstein's case, giving him another shot at glory without having to run the risk of going 330 mph again.
Judging by the look on Bernstein's face in the following video, he was all business behind the wheel with his noted ice-cold stare he displayed countless times during his racing career once the motor came to life. But when he climbed out, there was that familiar "Kenny The King" wide smile he flashed thousands of times in his career.
Given that Brown embarked upon ownership of his own team last year, who knows, since he convinced Bernstein to get behind the wheel again, maybe Brown can talk Bernstein to get back on-track at some point. That would be a guaranteed sold-out situation for NHRA, for sure!
Here's video of Bernstein turning the key and starting Brown's dragster. Enjoy!