Kenny Bernstein
Kenny Bernstein (born September 6, 1944) is an American drag racer and former NASCAR and IndyCar team owner. He is nicknamed the "Bud King" for his success in the Budweiser King funny car and dragster. He has also been nicknamed "The King of Speed," because he was the first driver to break 300 miles per hour in the standing-start quarter mile. Bernstein owned King Racing, which he drove for in the NHRA and fielded various cars in other racing series such as IndyCar and NASCAR. Bernstein retired from full-time competition in 2002 and moved his son Brandon into the Bud King Top Fuel dragster, but returned to finish the season in place of his son after Brandon suffered a severe injury. With the exception of a brief return to Funny Car in 2006, Bernstein did not return to the car and instead continued to run his team until the end of the 2011 season when he left drag racing altogether.
Early life
Bernstein attended Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas; he played on the high school's football team. Bernstein was attending the Arlington State College (now University of Texas at Arlington) in 1966 for business administration when he decided to quit to become a drag racer. He did not have enough money, so he became a traveling salesman for Whistle Stop (a clothing line for teenage girls). He drove throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee in a Cadillac.
