Some experiences just don’t fade away. Such is the case with Kenny Bernstein when he rolls through the gates of Gainesville Raceway.

On March 20, 1992, Bernstein became the first drag racer to drive a piston-driven car to a 300-mile per hour run.

“For many years it was a little emotional when we got back in there but now it's just kind of a sense of pride in the fact that we got it done and it was here,” Bernstein said. “It was a great accomplishment by a team that worked extremely hard to get it done. Dale Armstrong and the boys wanted to be the first to do this. I just got to go along for the ride, it was fun.” Some experiences just don’t fade away. Such is the case with Kenny Bernstein when he rolls through the

gates of Gainesville Raceway.

On March 20, 1992, Bernstein became the first drag racer to drive a piston-driven car to a 300-mile per hour run.

“For many years it was a little emotional when we got back in there but now it's just kind of a sense of pride in the fact that we got it done and it was here,” Bernstein said. “It was a great accomplishment by a team that worked extremely hard to get it done. Dale Armstrong and the boys wanted to be the first to do this. I just got to go along for the ride, it was fun.”

Bernstein added a second memory to the list when he was appointed to introduce his longtime crew chief Dale Armstrong as an inductee into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame on Thursday afternoon in Gainesville, Florida. The speed accolade was an excellent accomplishment, but as Bernstein adds, he’s gained other experiences that could easily rival the 300 mile per hour run.

“I've been real fortunate in my life to fortunately have great teams across the board and crew chiefs and to do a lot of things,” Bernstein reflected. “There have been three occasions that I really enjoyed and one -- I got to introduce Wally Parks into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Number two I got to introduce Don Garlits at the same one and to be able to introduce my crew chief, who really was responsible for helping us get where we are today, Dale Armstrong with the Garlits Museum. That's been three great things that mean more to me than probably all the records.”

 

Bernstein remembers the day he lost a final round to Gary Scelzi. The six-time nitro drag racing champion pointed out the unique bond he shared with Armstrong which helped him to cope with the disappointing loss.

“Believe me I've done everything right and everything wrong with these cars that you can do,” Bernstein said. “That day I was late against Scelzi and the next morning I went in and I was down in the dumps saying, ‘How did that happen in the final round? How can you be late in the final round?”

“He just started laughing and he said you're a human being man. He said you're not perfect.”

“That's the way Dale looked at everything, he never said anything about my driving at all. He always was positive about it and always tried to help me get through the rough times or the good times.”