Racing
By GREG ZYLA

Kenny Bernstein will return to full-time Funny Car racing in 2007, two decades after he won his third Funny Car championship in 1987 in the Budweiser King Buick LeSabre. (www.NHRA.com photo)

We've received some emails recently about the NHRA's new "playoff" rule for 2007. The NHRA's press release states, "The NHRA's POWERade world championship just got a little more interesting for fans, sponsors and race teams."

Specifically, the NHRA announced that its new multitiered "Countdown to the Championship" in Professional categories would kick-off in 2007. The new format features three distinct periods during the 23-race series when competitors will be eliminated from the title chase in a playoff-style format.

Drivers must be in the top eight in points after the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa., on Aug. 19, 2007 - the 17th event of the season - to qualify for the six-race playoff. The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend will serve as the first race of the "Countdown to Four," a four-race portion of the playoff that will cut the eight-driver field in half for the last two races - the AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals (Oct. 24) and Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals (Nov. 4).

When asked their opinions on ESPN2, team owner Don Schumacher and Funny Car driver Del Worsham were neutral to positive, saying they pretty much left it to the NHRA to make the "big" decisions. However, former Top Fuel champions Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney, both interviewed on the same live TV coverage of the U.S. Nationals, didn't like the new format. These initial reactions mirror NASCAR's now highly regarded "Chase for the Cup" points arrangement: Lots of people didn't like the idea; some did.

Still, it's a move that, when combined with other good NHRA happenings, raises the quarter-mile sport another rung on the "great corporate buy" ladder.

Case in point: John Force's reality TV show, "Driving Force" on A&E Network (Mondays at 9 p.m. EDT). The NHRA receives invaluable endorsements every airdate, resulting in more fans and prospective sponsors. The program is receiving rave reviews, and in Times Square in New York City, billboards proclaiming "Driving Force" are everywhere. That's hitting the "big time" for sure.

Case in point: Kenny Bernstein's announcement that he will return to full-time competition in Funny Car, with Anheuser-Busch's "Monster Energy" drink ready to pay the bills. Bernstein, who played his car-owner role as best as expected, was gnawing at the bit to get back behind the wheel of a nitro race car. His choice is a good one, as Bernstein's roots are in Funny Car, as evidenced by his beautiful Chelsea King entries of the late 1970s and his dominating Bud King cars of the '80s. Kenny's participation in this class guarantees added exposure and excitement.

Case in Point: The NHRA's new ownership limit in the Pro categories, limited to a maximum of four per category (Pro Stock Bike, Pro Stock, Funny Car, Top Fuel). NASCAR unveiled a similar program a while back to protect itself from owners controlling too many teams.

Personally, this new "Countdown to the Championship" caught us off guard. But the NHRA's willingness to change when things aren't broken, and the business acumen

necessary to look three to five years down the road is good for the industry. We applaud the continuing push to make its quartermile sport better, attract more sponsors and enhance its reputation as one of motorsport's best corporate sponsorship buys.

Write to Greg Zyla in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL32853-6475, or send an e-mail to letters.kfws@hearstsc.com.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.