1986 Dallas
Kenny Bernstein's run to his second consecutive NHRA Funny Car championship in 1986 was filled with memorable moments, but probably none was more spectacular than his dominating win in the fall in Dallas, where the Budweiser King Ford knocked the field on its collective beer cans at Texas Motorplex's debut national event.

Bernstein won a titanic semifinal clash against points rival Mark Oswald in what was then the quickest side-by-side Funny Car race in drag racing history, 5.57 to 5.61.

The all-concrete supertrack had been promising record-shattering elapsed times, and history came through in spades. At the event, Darrell Gwynn set both ends of the national record in Top Fuel, 5.261 and 278.55 mph, and Pro Stock winner Bob Glidden became the first NHRA racer to reach 50 wins, but Bernstein overshadowed them both.

In Friday night's qualifying session, the red and white Tempo left the line with the wheels in the air and massive header flames sprouting from its sides and charged right into the 5.40s. Bernstein didn't just nudge his way into becoming the first Funny Car racer into that magical zone, either; he blasted deep into the .40s with a stunning 5.425.

Later, a 5.543 qualifying pass gave Bernstein the national record (he needed a 5.479 to back up the 5.42) and an extra 200 points in his crucial points race against Mark Oswald. But Oswald got the points right back in eliminations when he set the national speed record with a blistering 268.09 in round two that was backed up by a 265-mph charge against Bernstein in the semifinals.

That semifinal was a good news/bad news round for the driver of the Candies & Hughes/Old Milwaukee Trans Am. Both drivers had entered the event 1-2 in the standings — Bernstein led by 756 points, or just shy of four rounds — and Oswald had defeated Bernstein in three final rounds. Bernstein also was coming off a less-than-impressive second round, where he ran a 5.75 after breaking a rocker arm, and Oswald had lane choice based on his 5.59 conquest of a red-lighting Tim Grose.

But Bernstein emerged the victor in their semifinal race, then the quickest side-by-side Funny Car race in drag racing history, 5.57 to 5.61. The win may have proved to be the pivotal race in their championship duel. Bernstein ended up winning the next two races and the championship by more than 2,000 points.

The Funny Car field sported a record group of 16 cars, and Jim Head held down the bubble with a 5.806. Several unlikely heroes emerged in qualifying and took advantage of the Motorplex's great traction to record their best times ever, such as renowned match racer Doc Halladay, who surprised everyone with a first-day 5.597 that held for the No. 2 spot.

Perhaps spurred by all of the record breaking in qualifying, Sunday's crowd was the third largest single-day attendance in drag racing history, and they watched Bernstein bring down the curtain on the race — and Oswald's season — when he capped his Sunday effort with his easiest win of the day in the final round. Tom McEwen, who was having by far his greatest year ever and would eventually finish seventh in points, broke the blower belt on the Coors Corvette and slowed to a 6.23 in the final. Bernstein meanwhile stormed to his third 5.5 run of eliminations, a 5.549, to record his 15th career win.