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KRISTIN'S FAST FACTS:
Birthdate: October 5, 1987 (Age 25)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
16 Wins - 53 top 5’s -- 97 Top 10’s
First female to compete & lead a race in the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
2-time Rookie of the Year How It Began
Kristin began her career at the age of 8 racing go-karts at Hilltop Raceway Park in Waller, TX. To this day she still gets butterflies driving down the road near the racetrack. Although she doesn’t remember a lot about her very first race she does remember that rush of adrenaline that she first experienced as a
little girl on that dirt track. Kristin honed her skills in go-karts until 1998 when she turned 11. Seeing that Kristin was not giving up on the racing idea, her parents began looking for a safer vehicle. They ran across a Super Mini Cup race on television and decided that had to be their answer. The Bumbera’s were instrumental in bringing a class of cars to Texas. One of Kristin’s competitors in the class was eleven-year-old Brad Coleman, now NASCAR Cup and Nationwide driver. Kristin would win every race that season, the points championship and the rookie of the year award. Bumbera would spend the next couple of years traveling with her Dad’s super late model team learning everything she could about racecars. This time in the pits has proven to be invaluable to the young driver. Not only can she communicate what the car is doing but she knows how to get out and fix it herself if she needs to. As a high school freshman at the age of 15, Bumbera took over one of her Dad’s late models competing at Houston Motorsports Park. This first year in late models she was crowned Rookie of the Year, finished 7th in the points championship and earned 2 top 5’s and 6 top 10’s.Already at the age of 16, Bumbera knew that she didn’t want to wait any longer to pursue her racing career full time. She graduated from high school in only three years by attending summer school and dropping fast-pitch softball, which she had played since the age of 7. At 17 Bumbera moved away to college and drove back and forth to race every weekend. Realizing that this was cutting into her testing time on the track, she would transfer to a college closer to home her sophomore year. 2005 and 2006 would prove to be history making years as Bumbera continued her success in Texas late model racing. She consistently ran up front and became the first female to win a late model race in the state of Texas. She won not once but twice and moved up to finish 2nd, 3rd and 4th in three different late model championships. It was only a matter of time before Bumbera would become the first female to take the lead in a Texas late model point’s championship. She did just that in 2007 and held the title for over 2 months as the only female against a field of 37 men. At the final race of the season she ultimately finished 2nd in the championship, was named “Most Improved Driver”, and racked up 5 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s.The racing world began to hear about a young blond girl from Texas who was making history not in North Carolina but way down south.
She was encouraged to apply for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program in 2008. Bumbera was selected from over 200 applicants to participate and signed with Golden State Racing in Roseville, CA to race in the NASCAR Whelen Late Model Series. Now 20 years of age she was still working year-round towards her marketing
degree, often taking on-line 2008 was a real test to see if the lifestyle of a NASCAR driver was really something she wanted to pursue. Nothing seemed to interrupt her determination and will to succeed. In addition to a 25-race schedule across the country, Bumbera was selected to participate in a yearlong driver development program with the Women in the Winner’s Circle Foundation, founded and lead by Indy 500 driver, Lyn St. James. This required extensive mental and physical assessment and training as well as professional training on both oval and road courses. Driving for her family-owned team, Next Generation Racing, Inc., Bumbera made her first start in the NASCAR Camping World Series qualifying 13th and finishing 11th on the lead lap in her home state of Texas. Her second NCWS race would be at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, CA, a track she had never seen before. Bumbera qualified 22nd and finished the race in 14th after being a victim of the big one. Through the 2008 season Bumbera would qualify on the pole 5 times, shatter 2 track records, take home 2 wins in the NASCAR Whelen Late Model Series, earn 12 top 5’s, and 15 top 10’s overall. To top off her busiest and most successful season to date, Bumbera was named the 2008 NASCAR Drive For Diversity Participant of the Year. This award is in recognition of her commitment, professionalism and performance off the racetrack as well as on the racetrack. These achievements did not go unnoticed throughout the racing community and NASCAR invited her to participate in the diversity program again in 2009. Bumbera gladly accepted the invitation and signed an agreement to race the #94 for Hamilton Racing in the NASCAR Camping World East Series for 2009. BEHIND THE SCENES Kristin Bumbera has earned respect for her driving skills as well as her professional appearance and character on and off of the racetrack. Her wholesome Christian values and strong will to succeed in all areas of her life are evident. She has won the hearts of many fans through the years and is extremely popular with men, women and children of all ages. The media continues to recognize Kristin and corporate sponsors are already seeing her as a "class-act" marketing tool to sell their products. In the highly competitive sport of auto racing, this is one driver that stands out above the rest. Kristin's goal away from the track is to be a role model for other female racers - proving that a lady does not need to sacrifice a moral lifestyle to be successful.
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