Championship Drag Racing

Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals
Sonoma, CA
(July 28-30)

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Brandon Bernstein MAV TV/Lucas Oil dragster

Sonoma, prerace: The Kenny Bernstein-owned Budweiser/Lucas Oil Top Fuel team is in a position to challenge for this year’s NHRA POWERade Top Fuel championship as they enter Fram Autolite Nationals competition July 28-30.

 “The Sonoma race is the 15th race in our 23-event series and it’s the final leg in our three-race West Coast swing,” said driver Brandon Bernstein. “At the mid-way point of the season, we had been in four final rounds, winning two events.”

Bernstein won the O’Reilly Spring Nationals in Houston in April, the Pontiac Performance Nationals in Columbus, Oh. in May, and was runner-up at the O’Reilly Summernationals in Topeka in May and the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals in St. Louis in June.

“If we can go rounds and rack up some points at Infineon Raceway, then we can be right in the middle of the dogfight for the championship trophy going into the homestretch,” continued Bernstein.

“Tim (Richards, crew chief) has a lot of experience to draw from. He knows what it’s like to handle the pressure of a championship run, having won five championships as a crew chief for Joe Amato, and one for my dad the first year he joined our team in 2001.”

“All the teams that will be mathematically in the championship hunt are going to have to have consistency and they’re going to need to go rounds. There will be no room for bobbles. The competition is just too tough.

“Crew chiefs will be agonizing over every tune-up every round. And this just doesn’t go for race day. You’re going to have to get some consistency in qualifying as well. It’s hard to get behind in qualifying and then try to pull out of it on race day. It’s going to be interesting.”

Local Napa Valley businessman Matt Cordeiro will join the Budweiser/Lucas Oil team as an associate sponsor for the Fram Autolite Nationals July 28-30 at Infineon Raceway.

Cordeiro, owner of Matthew J. Cordeiro Enterprises, was born in Vallejo and moved to Napa Valley in 1982, graduating from Justin Sienna High School in 1984. Cordeiro now owns several local businesses which include Royal Coach Limousine and Bus Charters, Cordeiro Brothers Trucking and Cordeiro@Cammaroto investment company.

“NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon grew up in Vallejo and was a few years behind me in high school,” said Cordeiro. “That heightened my interest in racing and I’ve become a big auto racing fan.”

“We’ve known Matt for a couple of years,” said Kenny Bernstein. “He was introduced by a mutual friend of ours, Joe Murducca. Matt and his brother have been guests of ours at Infineon. It’s great to have someone who really is passionate about our sport have the opportunity to share the excitement of a race weekend with us.”

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