Kenneth Dale 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 2007, 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.
Collected via post October 4, 2023
| Occupation | NASCAR team owner IndyCar team owner NHRA Driver and Owner |
|---|---|
| Accomplishments | NHRA Funny Car Champion (1985, ’86, ’87, & ’88) NHRA Top Fuel Champion (1996 & 2001) First Owner to win events in IndyCar, NHRA and NASCAR Cup First NHRA Driver to top 300 MPH Career Racing Statistics At Ultimate Racing History |
| Awards and Honors | Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame (2006) International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2006) Don Garlits International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (2007) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (2009) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (2012) |
| NASCAR Drivers | * Joe Ruttman (1986) * Morgan Shepherd (1987) * Ricky Rudd (1988-89) * Brett Bodine (1990-1994) * Dick Trickle (1993) * Steve Kinser (1995) * Hut Stricklin (1995) |
| CART Drivers | * Scott Goodyear * Al Unser * Jim Crawford * Andrea Montermini * Wally T. Ribbs * Roberto Guerrero * Eddie Cheever * Geoff Brabham * Johnny Rutherford |
