1994 Finals
If Kenny Bernstein hadn't already established himself as drag racing's King of Speed with his 300-mph barrier-breaking 301.70-mph clocking at the 1992 Gatornationals, he certainly completed the job with his 311.85- and 314.46-mph clockings at the 1994 NHRA Finals that shattered the previous-best 308.64-mph mark set one year earlier in Topeka.

What would have normally been a close side-by-side contest became a runaway when Kenny Bernstein pulled ahead of Cory McClenathan's 4.79, 297.42 with a surging 4.72 at 314.46 mph.

The 314-mph clocking, which Bernstein set in taking a 4.720-second final-round match over Cory McClenathan to win the event, was almost too swift to be backed up by the 311-mph pass, but it became the established record that wouldn't be broken until two seasons later.

Bernstein wasted no time in setting the tone for his speed-fest weekend when he recorded a new Pomona track record of 307.06 mph on his second qualifying shot, then ran 303.23 on just one magneto in the third qualifying session.

"The rotor of the other magneto broke on the burnout," said then-crew chief Dale Armstrong, who cautiously predicted better things to come. "I think we have all the ingredients to run the [e.t.] record; we could do it before the race is over."

Though Bernstein would lose out in his bid for the e.t. mark to Shelly Anderson's pole-position 4.718, he would come away with the speed record in such a fashion that he grabbed all of the post-race attention.

Bernstein's first two wins produced ho-hum speeds of 292.77 and 289.01 mph due to, respectively, engine breakage and tire smoke. "Kenny should have lost the second round," said Armstrong, "but he still won the race by doing an excellent job of backpedaling. This kind of thing happens when your motor's running good, but the last thing you want is to take the power out in case you need it at the other end. You have to try to let it slip out the bellhousing, but it takes time to find the point where you have enough power and enough slip. If we can do that, it'll jump right up."

After getting Bernstein's input, Armstrong and consultant Bob Brooks took 20 grams out of the clutch, and the car stepped up with the 4.77, 311.85-mph semifinal win over Connie Kalitta. The speed, which was not only the first clocking to exceed 310 mph but also nearly three miles per hour better than the previous standard, caught everyone by surprise, especially Bernstein.

"It was a real smooth run, not violent like you would think on a high-speed run," said Bernstein. "I thought it was an 06 or 07, but not a 311."

The subsequent 314 in the final was similar. "It just had a little more acceleration," said Bernstein. "They both were the picture-perfect runs you look for: smooth, nothing out of kilter, no vibrations."

The entire Bud King crew celebrated their accomplishment. Dave Fletcher, who buttoned up the bottom end of Armstrong's engines, said, "It's like running the first 300 again because it was so much faster than anything else. It's unbelievable: 314 mph; that's 10 mph more than a car runs on a really good run."

Bernstein's speed surge not only took him out of his subpar sixth-place finish in the national standings in an otherwise winless season, but it also ruined the winter for his competition.

"Those two runs made us put in a lot more hours every week in the off-season," said a crew chief from another team. "Kenny and Dale had obviously stumbled onto something, and we all had to work overtime to try to find it ourselves."

Despite the added efforts of the Top Fuel contingent, Bernstein's mark would not be broken until two seasons later, when Scott Kalitta went 315.67 mph at the 1996 Western Auto Nationals in Topeka.