Their careers inescapably have been entwined, almost by cosmic edict, and cast in drag-racing legend.
So, it continued Sunday for John Force and Kenny Bernstein. Their O’Reilly Fall Nationals quarterfinal match-up promised to be memorable: two of the sport’s giants in performance and popularity in a classic Funny Car showdown between their suddenly hot hot rods.
The 14-time champion Force, a surprising underdog who had risen from 20th place to third in his Castrol Ford Mustang, but found himself struggling again after his DNQ at the U.S. Nationals for the first time in 23 years. He met his match.
Bernstein, in the Monster Energy Drink Dodge Charger, was a member of the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame and the state’s favorite son candidate for a third victory at former rival Billy Meyer’s Motorplex.
The draw had championship implications. The Don Schumacher Racing troika of Jack Beckman, Ron Capps, and Gary Scelzi, as well as Mike Ashley — all ahead of sixth-place Force in the standings — had lost in the first round. So, Force had a chance to make the final cut for title contention. Bernstein wasn’t eligible to compete for a seventh championship. But he hadn’t lost an ounce of his competitiveness, and NHRA has generated the “spoiler-chic” concept.
The Force-Bernstein second-round run was unforgettable, all right — for so many unfortunate reasons.
Force’s rallying cry for this pivotal race in the inaugural Countdown to the Championship was, “Our goal is to hurt some feelings.” Instead, he ended up at the center of a disaster that hurt everyone’s hearts.
The cars collided near the finish line as Force won; but Force ran into Bernstein’s car, then hit the wall hard. Force was airlifted to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas with multiple injuries, particularly to his ankle and feet. Bernstein was unhurt, although he experienced what he called a “teeny headache.”  
Competitors prayed in the staging lanes. Fans fell silent. The chaos on the track justifiably wiped out any concern about the Countdown.
This was Our John Force, — everybody’s John Force. How much more misery must John Force and his organization endure? And how can so many grievous things happen to the man who has tried to make so many things right for everybody else?
He’s the man who has won more than any other drag racer and, ironically, maybe lost more. His hot-selling merchandise at the race track used to reflect his team’s semi-swagger as “The Untouchables.” Now, we know they’re not.
First came the death of teammate and protege Eric Medlen in March. Then a string of performance flaws from the nearly flawless performers stunned fans.
Still, this is Our John Force, who turned helplessness into hope, working alongside leaders — including Bernstein —to minimize injury in case of accidents such as Sunday’s.
Because of John Force’s commitment and John Medlen’s exhaustive work and leadership in persuading NHRA to mandate increased padding around a driver’s head, Bernstein said Sunday he was spared a more severe headache.
“I’m thankful for that,” Bernstein said. “I had a pretty severe headache for an instant there, and if it had been the old pads, I’d have had a lot worse headache. I want to give John and his team credit for that.”
And this was Our Kenny Bernstein. He is drag racing. His business savvy is the yardstick by which all others are measured. His professionalism is second to none. And he has as soft a heart as Force’s. He just is more private about it.
It was easy to see that his heart ached when he tried to calm down Force after the accident. Force kept asking if he hurt anybody. Bernstein said he kept telling him, “John, it’s Bernstein. I’m OK. I’m OK.” Then, Bernstein told reporters, “He was worried that he hurt me. That’s John.”