There are some things, like riding a bike or tying a shoe, which you never forget how to do. Is driving a Funny Car one of them?

Kenny Bernstein certainly hopes so.

The NHRA legend, who made his name in the nitro-coupe class during the 1980s before retiring in 2002 as a two-time Top Fuel champion, is returning to the driver's seat this season, piloting the Monster Energy Dodge Charger Funny Car, beginning with this weekend's 47th CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.

Bernstein, one of only three drivers to score at least four Funny Car championships, hasn't driven a fuel “flopper” since leaving the class after the 1989 season, but he is expecting a smooth transition.

Is it like riding a bike for the Funny Car legend?

There are some things, like riding a bike or tying a shoe, which you never forget how to do. Is driving a Funny Car one of them?

Kenny Bernstein certainly hopes so.

The NHRA legend, who made his name in the nitro-coupe class during the 1980s before retiring in 2002 as a two-time Top Fuel champion, is returning to the driver's seat this season, piloting the Monster Energy Dodge Charger Funny Car, beginning with this weekend's 47th CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.

Bernstein, one of only three drivers to score at least four Funny Car championships, hasn't driven a fuel “flopper” since leaving the class after the 1989 season, but he is expecting a smooth transition.

"A lot of memories have come back driving the Funny Car and how it feels," said Bernstein, who got reacquainted with the full-bodied hot rods during preseason testing during the past three weekends. "A few of the runs I made it went right down through (the top end) and it wasn't shaking and I drove it down the race track. Those memories came back pretty fast, and it felt pretty good.

"Mechanically, we have to get it (together). If we can get it sound, the driving will come around in a hurry, because it sure feels comfortable when it's right."

The team, which was put together this past fall after a surprising announcement at the 2006 U.S. Nationals in September that the King of Speed was returning to the driver's seat, had its share of problems during preseason testing.

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It started at the Nitro Blast-off at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in late January when the car failed to meet technical specifications, limiting the team to just two short blasts on Jan. 21. The team then struggled with the car’s tune-up at Phoenix, mustering no quicker than a 9.057-second run during the National Time Trials at Firebird International Raceway.

Bernstein, who continued to test at Firebird last week, finally earned his Funny Car competition license after satisfying the required elapsed times and speeds. The NHRA rulebook states that a potential Funny Car competitor must make two runs of 250 mph or better and two runs of 5.50 seconds or quicker. Bernstein, in testing, made runs of 5.312 at 209.85 mph and 5.146 at 271.13 mph on Jan 29 and a run of 5.94 at 296.89 on Feb. 1.

"It was disappointing, I guess," said Bernstein of those early struggles during testing. "We knew this was going to take some time. But until we can get the car underneath me mechanically right, where it doesn't shake the tires so hard, it's going to be difficult to drive. We have that pretty much solved, and that's encouraging. I feel pretty good with making some good runs. I think we are feeling a lot better about things."

And Bernstein is feeling good about getting back in the seat of a race car after spending the past three seasons on the sideline watching son Brandon take over the controls of the Budweiser dragster and win nine races since 2004.

The New Mexico native, who now lives in Southern California, retired from driving in 2002 after a stellar racing career that dates back to the late 1960s. Bernstein, who grew up in Lubbock, Texas, won 69 national events and is one of only two drivers to win world titles in Top Fuel and Funny Car, scoring flopper crowns from 1985-88 and Top Fuel championships in '96 and 2001.

He returned to the driver's season in 2003 when Brandon injured his back in a crash at Englishtown, N.J., and scored four wins in the final five races. But he was back on the sideline as the head of Budweiser King Racing by February of 2004. The desire to drive eventually brought him back to the cockpit this season.

"It’s been no secret that it’s been difficult for me to sit on the sidelines," Bernstein said. "I’ve been in the cockpit for so many years that at first, I couldn’t even find a comfortable spot to stand at the starting line. And I really missed the competitive side. I can’t explain the rush and the kick you get from driving a 330 mile-per-hour nitro car down a quarter-mile, but that’s a feeling you can’t replace or find a substitute for."

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And with help from Monster Energy drinks, he gets that chance to feed his need for speed. The deal was paved through the connections between Anheuser-Busch, whose Budweiser brand has backed Bernstein for nearly 30 years, and the Monster Beverage Company.

"The relationship through Anheuser-Busch and Monster, the partnerships they had, that's what opened the door," Bernstein said. "They are partners on the distribution (end), so it gave us an opportunity to team up with them."

Some have suggested that since Monster Energy is a beverage that is being marketed to a young group of consumers, and Budweiser, which for the most part is a product aimed at a much older audience, that it might make logical sense to have the Funny Car in Budweiser red with Brandon's Top Fueler in Monster black and green. But Kenny Bernstein disputed that possibility.

"Budweiser's driver is Brandon and that's the way it is," Kenny Bernstein said. "Monster has the choice to do what they wanted. I told them I'd put someone younger in the car if that's what they wanted, or if they wanted me, I'd love to do it. They elected to go with me and I appreciate the opportunity and I think we'll be just fine."

That opened the door for Bernstein to slowly put together his team, which included hiring Ray Alley as crew chief. Alley, who worked for Bernstein during parts of the 1980s and '90s, had served as NHRA's director of Top Fuel and Funny Car racing the past few seasons. Initially, the fact that he was leaving that role to tune Bernstein's new ride angered some teams who felt his previous position gave him an unfair advantage.

But those feelings have all but disappeared.

"It was an issue then," said Bernstein, who announced he had hired Alley that same weekend of the U.S. Nationals. "I don't think it's an issue now. It wasn't really an issue then, as far as most people were concerned. It's been wonderful (during testing). John Force and (Force crew chief) Austin Coil have been wonderful giving Ray some help. I've had John helping me and Gary (Scelzi) helping me...and a lot of people. A lot of drivers have come up to me and we've talked about some things. It's been great."

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Bernstein, who will turn 63 in September, will be the senior entry in a class that features some youthful, but highly competitive drivers. They include rookie Ashley Force (24-years-old), Robert Hight (38), Tommy Johnson Jr. (39), Tony Pedregon (42) and Ron Capps (42), just to name a few. He's not concerned about the age differences.

"John (Force, who turns 58 in May), is no spring chicken, but he can whip you every time you go (to the starting line)," Bernstein said. "He's fantastic. But the young ones are good. Ron Capps is good; Scelzi - he's not a young one either - but he's great.

"There are a lot of good ones out there. This Funny Car class is awfully strong. It's going to take everything we have just to be able to smell their tail pipes."

Some believe he will more than hold his own. But Bernstein is going to take a wait-and-see approach.

"We're just going to go out there and do the best we can," he said. "We're going to put forth the best effort, like we always do, and leave no stone unturned and hope everything comes out good.

"What's a good year? I've been asked that, and I suppose if we finished in the top five or six and won a couple of races, that would be a good year. Anything above that will be icing on the cake."