Kendall Bumbera

KATY, Texas – FOX 26 Morning News will visit some of the great cities surrounding Houston each Friday over a period of several weeks. Katy was the second city featured during Hometown Fridays.

“That’s the way it is; people watching their neighbors,” described Katy Mayor Don Elder Jr. about residents in his city.

Anchors Jose Grinan and Melissa Wilson visited Bumbera’s Performance Associates, where the next generation of female auto racing stars has developed. They also visited Midway South Tex Bar-B-Que & Smokehouse.

FOX 26 reporter Ruben Dominguez and Dave Morales from BackstageOL.com visited Westside Houston Recording Studio on West Little York Road where musician Kevin Black performed the song “A Tear for You,” which he dedicates to his daughter who died at the age of 16 from Rett Syndrome. He is the brother of country music veteran Clint Black. Brothers Kevin, Clint, and Brian Black were born and raised in Katy.

Reporter John Donnelly visited Canine Country Club on Katy – Ft. Bend Road where he met with the owners and married couple Jeff and Adrienne Murphrey. Kerry Scott, owner of KS Performance Horses, also described how the center is helping children who survived abuse.

Students from various high schools in the Katy Independent School District gather at a centralized location to learn how to become media professionals by operating the scoreboard and video replay system at Rhodes Stadium.

Read more: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/111104-hometown-fridays-katy#ixzz1d30huheF

Lee Faulk Racing will end the season just as busy at it started by testing two new 2012 driver prospects.

The first of the two drivers, Kendall Bumbera will test Oct. 7th at Hickory Speedway in the #15 Monte Carlo. The 18 year-old late model standout is from Houston, TX and currently competes in a partial late model schedule at ThunderHill Speedway. Kendall already has 2 rookie of the year titles to her name and looks to add to that total at Hickory Speedway next season.

The second driver to test for LFR will also be competing in his first race for Lee Faulk Racing at the Fall Brawl, Oct. 15 at Hickory Motor Speedway. Tyler Laing, just made the move to Mooresville from his south Florida residence and currently attends school at NTI (NASCAR Technical Institute). Tyler has a lot of super late model experience racing in Florida as well as one NASCAR K&N series event start where he came home in the 11th position at Gresham Motorsports Park. Tyler will do a full test day as well as the 177 lap Huffman Memorial race in hopes of making plans full time for the future. Tyler was the 2009 Florida Fastruck series champion.

“We are really looking forward to having Kendall and Tyler come drive for us. We have been friends of the Bumbera family for a couple years now and we have done business with them in the past. They are great people and are a perfect fit for what we want representing us at LFR. I have only spoken to Tyler and his dad on the phone but they also seem like a great group and we look forward to building a lasting relationship with them as well.” Michael Faulk said about the upcoming events.

Everyone at Lee Faulk Racing is excited to see such great, young talent coming through our program in the future and looks to continue their success through the 2012 race season.

- Icon 25 Motorsports Marketing

http://www.leefaulkracing.com/modules.php?name=News&action=view&id=53

Kendall Bumbera takes home a 3^rd place finish at the Texas Stock Car Spectacular held at Thunder Hill Raceway to wrap up her 2011 season. The racing was a little crazy with many cautions – two of which Kendall found herself tangled up in.  In her return to the 3/8’s mile track Bumbera has never placed lower than 5^th this season.  “Two years ago here I was driving a different chassis – it was good enough to win Rookie of the Year – but this “BAD FAST” chassis is freakin’ awesome.” says Bumbera.   There is no mistaking that Kendall loves to race.  Pulling into the tech area after the race many could hear her yelling from inside her car as she pulled off her helmet, “That was so fun!  I did it on the outside – I loved it!”

Bumbera has many reasons to be excited these days, in two weeks she’ll be heading to Charlotte, NC to test for Lee Faulk Racing.  Should all go well she’ll be racing at historic Hickory Motor Speedway, the “Birthplace of NASCAR Stars” next season. The legendary short track has been credited as the longest continually operating motor speedway in the country and celebrated its 60^th anniversary this year.  Bumbera would be competing in the NASCAR Whelen All American Series Late Model Division as the teammate to Pietro Fittipaldi, the 15-year-old grandson of racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi.  Pietro just won the championship this weekend with Lee Faulk Racing and Bumbera sees a great opportunity to join the team.

Now that the season is over Bumbera goes to work on securing sponsorship for 2012.  She’s looking for a marketing partnership with a company who is ready to give their product “the ride of a lifetime”.

Bumbera herself is no newcomer to the sport having won Rookie of the Year titles in 2007 and 2009 at the ages of 14 and 16.  Her father, Kenny, laughs when older men drivers new to oval track racing in Texas come try to give Kendall advice about how to start from the pole, restarts, or the move-over flag and then she goes out and spanks ‘em in the race.  “They don’t ever seem to come back over and chat with her after the race.  She never ceases to amaze me.  She holds her own and her excitement on the radios is contagious.  I love to watch what she can do in our cars.” says Kenny.

For more information visit www.kendallbumbera.com and www.stingersportsmarketing.com.

via The Auto Channel

Houston – Kendall Bumbera, the 18-year-old of the racing family, has taken the lead for the Next Generation Racing Team. While older sister and NASCAR driver Kristin takes maternity leave this season, Kendall is the sole driver in the seat. She herself is no newcomer to the sport having won Rookie of the Year titles in 2007 and 2009 at the ages of 14 and 16. In her return to Thunderhill Raceway in Kyle, Texas this month driving in the NASCAR Late Model Series, Kendall has taken home 2 top 5 finishes. Saturday night she earned the best finish of her racing career placing 2nd in the #06 Bumbera’s Performance Associates – “Bad Fast” Racecar. She led for 15 laps of the race the most of any driver.

Not only is she competing in the toughest late model series in the state of Texas she is also the test driver for the new Bad Fast Racecar Chassis that is being developed by the team. Car builder and father, Kenny Bumbera says, “Research and development has been an ongoing process and based on the success that we’ve had with Kendall in the new car this month it looks like we’re very close to production of the new racecar chassis.” The newly designed chassis is lighter weight, easily adjustable and the simplest design possible. “This is just a fast racecar that amazes the tech officials and competitors with its simplicity and speed.” says Kenny Bumbera.

HOUSTON, Texas — The Bumbera girls keep making racing history as Saturday night at Thunder Hill Raceway 16-year-old Kendall Bumbera won the title of 2009 Rookie of the Year in the Texas Super Racing Series Late Models. The TSRS is the premier touring late model series in Texas. Its roster contains 22 drivers with championships and rookie of the year honors.

As the only female competitor in the series Bumbera finished 6th in the overall points standings against a field of 34 men. In her first year of driving late models she had 1 top 5 finish, 8 top 10’s, and 1 hard charger award. Her highest finish of 4th came in May at Houston Motorsports Park where she also won the hard charger of the race award.

“This season was extremely challenging and the rookie battle was intense all season long,” Bumbera said. “The drivers in this series have much more racing experience overall than I do. I had a lot to learn about late models this year in general and to do that and be contending in a tight points battle every race was trying but we pulled it off in the end. I thank God first for getting me here and then my family and the Next Generation Racing crew, Chuck Edenfield, Dave Riggs and Eric Snyder. It was a lot of fun and a great experience.”

At the age of 14, Bumbera in her first year of racing won the Rookie of the Year Title in the Pro-Stock Class at Houston Motorsports Park. So this is not her first rookie title and she doesn’t plan on it being her last. Her plans are to compete next season in a national late model touring series.

Kendall Bumbera is proudly sponsored by Bumbera’s Performance Associates, Bad Fast Racecars, and her own company, Super Bouncers, which she co-owns with her sister. Older sister, Kristin Bumbera, competes in the NASCAR Camping World Series and late model races throughout the U.S.

For more information visit www.kendallbumbera.com, www.bumberas.com, www.badfastracecars.com, and www.superbouncers.com

HOUSTON, Texas — The Texas Super Racing Series (TSRS) is the premier touring late model series in Texas. Its roster contains 22 champions and rookie of the year winners. So one could say the field is pretty competitive even for a veteran driver.

However this season rookie, Kendall Bumbera, has added a little more excitement to the series becoming the first female driver to lead in the Rookie of the Year chase. She relinquished that lead to Levi Krauss of Schertz, TX earlier in the season, however this tough little lady is battling back hard in the closing races.

This weekend at ThunderHill Raceway in Kyle, TX Bumbera closed the gap between she and Krauss to just 3 points. She drove to a 6th place finish in the Rusty Bush Memorial 75 in a field of 16 late models. With only 2 races remaining Bumbera currently sits in 8th place in the points standings and has 1 top 5 and 6 top 10’s this season.

September 12th Bumbera will return to the 3/8’s mile paved oval in Kyle, TX with hopes to retake the rookie points lead for good. Bumbera said, “I was surprised to finish as well as I did considering the bad luck we’ve had lately. It’s been a tight rookie chase but it’s all been friendly competition. All of us have a good time racing together in this series but I hope I’m the one taking home that title in the end. Levi is an awesome driver and one thing’s for sure, I’ll be putting up a good fight.”

Kendall Bumbera is proudly sponsored by Bumbera’s Performance Associates, Bad Fast Racecars, and her own company, Super Bouncers, which she co-owns with her sister. Older sister, Kristin Bumbera, competes in the NASCAR Camping World Series and late model races throughout the U.S.

For more information visit www.bumberas.com, www.badfastracecars.com, and www.superbouncers.com

16 year old Kendall Bumbera will race the full 2009 schedule in the only late model touring series in Texas, the Texas Super Racing Series.  She chose the TSRS for her first full season of late model competition because the series visits all four paved short tracks in the state.  This year for Bumbera will be all about gaining experience and she should get plenty of it at ThunderHill Raceway – Kyle, Red River Speedway – Wichita Falls, Corpus Christi Speedway and the track which she began her career at Houston Motorsports Park.  She began racing a the age of 14 in the pro stock class and is most remembered for her very first race.  Kendall was involved in an accident that sent her car barrel rolling three times before it landed on its roof and slammed into the concrete wall.  She would go on to be named the 2007 Rookie of the Year.

In Bumbera’s first race of the season, March 14th, she qualified her #72 Monte Carlo in a respectable 10th position.  The rookie driver elected to start her first late model race in the rear as the temperatures dropped to record lows in Texas and the field of racecars were struggling to gain grip on the cold and wet racetrack.  She put her first race in the record books with a top 10 finish and very little damage to her car.

Looking forward to the second race of the season this weekend at ThunderHill Raceway Bumbera said, “This is going to be a great season and I’m excited about being able to gain experience on a variety of short tracks.  That along with the level of competition that I’ll be up against is going to teach me a lot this year.  This series has the best talent in Texas with 22 track and series championships and 3 other rookie titles among us.  When that green flag drops, it’s all business out there.”

Next Generation Racing, Inc. based out of Houston, TX fields cars for all three children of veteran racer Kenny and wife Cheri bumbera.  Kendall’s older sister, 21-year-old Kristin Bumbera, competes in the NASCAR Camping World Series as well as various ASA and NASCAR regional late model races.  Younger brother, Boyd, age 10 is a successful racer in the Bandolero class.  Marketing partners include Bad Fast Racecars and Bumbera’s Performance Associates.

For more information, visit www.bumberas.com and www.kristinbumbera.com.

Auto Racing – Texas Racefest

By Mark Swanson, American Statesman Correspondent

Kendall Bumbera’s initial view of her future as a professional race car driver wasn’t exactly clear.  It was more skewed, actually – up was down and down was up.

Still, she righted herself and, only one month after she received her driver’s permit, is well on her way toward continuing a deep family tradition.

Bumbera, 16, will compete in the Texas Super Racing Series Late Model portion of Saturday’s Texas Racefest event at Kyle’s Thunderhill Raceway.  The all-day event will be capped by the Allstate Texas Thunder 150, the opener of the NASCAR Camping World Series West season.  Before that, Bumbera will take another green flag and another step in a promising career that didn’t exactly begin the way she anticipated.

Undoubtedly, the Bumberas are a racing family.  Father Kenny has dozens of professional starts to his name, owns a performance shop in Houston and with wife Cheri operates a traveling pit team.  Their oldest daughter, Kristin, is already making a name for herself in NASCAR, having won 16 professional races and made her Camping World Series West debut a year ago in the Texas Thunder 150.  The youngest, Boyd, 10, is already getting his feet wet.

Kendall made her racing debut at age 14 at Houston Motorsports Park.  With two laps left, a mistake by another driver sent her flipping three times.  Her car landed on its hood, with Kendall tangled in her safety belts.

“We’ve been in racing, so we know that this is possible,” said Cheri, who was Kendall’s spotter that night.  “I don’t think I’ve ever run faster in my life.  I was fearing the worst, but her radio button was left open, so I could at least hear her breathing.”

Kendall wasn’t so much breathing as, well, giggling.  The wreck hadn’t hurt her seriously outside of a couple of bruises and her senses were most definitely still there, even if it wasn’t readily apparent.  She was upside down and trapped, but she was as fine as a driver can be after pulling a triple barrel roll.

“Everyone else was freaking out, but I was fine,” Kendall said.  “This is racing, and that’s going to happen.  It just happened to me the first time I went out there.”

She continued to go out there and was named the park’s rookie of the year for 2007.  She wants to turn what is now a serious passion into a profession, running races like tonight’s regularly.

“I get to do things that nobody else does,” she said.  “Where else can you run at 100 mph for 100 laps?  It’s an adrenaline rush.”

The Texas Thunder 150, the main attraction on the card, will be headlined by defending race and series champion Eric Holmes, who also won in 2006.  A year ago, Holmes took the pole and used that advantage to hold on to the short-track wien on the 0.375-mile course, on highlight of a season that ended with his second Camping World Series West title in three years.