Kenny Bernstein is arguably among the most important competitors on the NHRA POWERade Series circuit.  As the president of Pro he wields considerable influence with both his fellow racers and the NHRA, and his two decades-plus relationship with Budweiser cant be ignored.  Last year, for example, Bernstein was brought into the initial discussions about the Countdown program with the NHRA hierarchy, although he was sworn to secrecy.  When his fellow racers found out he’d been involved in the discussions fro the very beginning, they weren’t happy until they realized that it was better to have had at least one racer’s voice o the panel than to have none at all.  But, that’s not to say that he’s totally pleased with the way the Countdown program has been structured thus far.
 
We asked him if he’d like to see some changes for 2008, and he didn’t hesitate in responding.  “Absolutely I’d like to see some tweaking to the system for next year.  I would like to see, and I think all of us on the PRO side would like to see something like this:  A 10-car situation instead of eight, maybe even 12, but 10, and run it from Indy until the end of the year, with no more step-down with the four and the two. Kenny Bernstein is arguably among the most important competitors on the NHRA POWERade Series circuit.  As the president of Pro he wields considerable influence with both his fellow racers and the NHRA, and his two decades-plus relationship with Budweiser cant be ignored.  Last year, for example, Bernstein was brought into the initial discussions about the Countdown program with the NHRA hierarchy, although he was sworn to secrecy.  When his fellow racers found out he’d been involved in the discussions from the very beginning, they weren’t happy until they realized that it was better to have had at least one racer’s voice of the panel than to have none at all.  But, that’s not to say that he’s totally pleased with the way the Countdown program has been structured thus far.
 
We asked him if he’d like to see some changes for 2008, and he didn’t hesitate in responding.  “Absolutely I’d like to see some tweaking to the system for next year.  I would like to see, and I think all of us on the PRO side would like to see something like this:  A 10-car situation instead of eight, maybe even 12, but 10, and run it from Indy until the end of the year, with no more step-down with the four and the two.
 
“We didn’t like that from the get-go, and even this early it’s already proven to be a tough game.  It puts undo pressure on the teams, undo pressure on sponsors and if you go three or four years and don’t make (the Countdown) deal and it’s going to affect you in the pocketbook with your sponsors because they’re going to say either you make that or we’re going to deduct some dollars, or if you haven’t been in the championship hunt, we’re going to find someone who can get there.
 
“I don’t have a problem with a 10-car deal.  Ten cars, starting at Indy, going to the end of the year, I think that’s great, I think that’s great for the sport.  I think it’s phenomenal for the exposure it’s gotten us, and will only grow over a period of time.  Just take out those last two steps.
 
Bernstein, among many other, is less than pleased about the addition of a 24th race for next year at a time when many sponsorship agreements have already been finalized based on a 23-race slate of races.  “A lot of us have three or four year deals.  Mine’s done until 2009.  I don’t get to re-do my contract until 2010, so I’m in trouble.  If they add races it costs me more money, and there’s no more income.  That’s what I explained to NHRA that they have to be careful here.
 
“Do I like the 24th race?  I cant say I don’t like it in that sense, but does it affect my pocketbook?  Certainly, it does, and everyone else’s out here, too.  You’ve got to be very careful in adding races in this arena because the dollars are still not at the level they should be for us to do what we do, and even if they were at the correct level for what we do, it still cuts into their pocketbooks and it costs them money.  And we have to go because our contracts say we do.
 
“I hope NHRA, and HD Partners in particular, because now the picture is a little different, don’t add races because that’s the easiest way to make more money.  I hope they all understand that we all out here have to survive, too.
 
“I guess if you’re an independent car, and don’t have a sponsor to answer to, it’s possible that some cars might not go to the last couple of races because there’s no possibility of them making any money other than the race purses.  I guess it’ll just depend on how badly you want to race.  I guess it will boil down to what a guy thinks he has to do.  Does he have anything going with a potential sponsor that he has to show them something, things like that.
 
“The sponsored cars that are out here like us will have to be there, and we want to be there, but that could affect things, especially with the four and two thing.  That really cuts it down.  If you’re outside the eight like we are, the best you could do is win races, but no matter how well we might do, we’ll still be ninth, and there’s no bonus for that.  But I’ll still take those race wins if I can get ‘em!
 
“I fought against the four and two thing from the very beginning.  I told NHRA I thought the eight sounded great, but 10 would be better, but the four and two was really tough.  It was almost a deal where they pretty much had their minds made up.  I thought I could fight all day, but they weren’t going to give in on that, but I was for the Countdown, and I told ‘em I was for it, but that I had real concerns about the step-downs at the end.
 
“I don’t think our sport can tolerate known laying down, which is why I supported the Graham Light letter.  I hope we won’t see that later on, but I do know one thing.  If it’s blatant and they announce it on television, we can’t stand that in our sport, and something has to be done.  Otherwise our sport becomes like wrestling.  It’s all fixed, and you can’t have it that way.  The sponsors won’t like it and the community won’t like that, and the fans won’t like that.  I understand that there are team cars, but still, you have to have a degree of ethics that’s important to the sport.  If you’re going to do it,  don’t make it blatant and don’t announce it.  I suggest don’t do it.  I would hope we would never go there.”