News

Coming off a podium finish of third two weeks ago at the famed Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, the 18 year old Independence, Missouri, native Kendell Lopez came right back to answer with a fifth place finish this past weekend at the ½ mile.

Kendell qualified the Wilwood Engineering #97 seventh quick with a 20.712, only 4 tenths off the leader to line the S-2 on the inside of the fourth row for the start of the main event.

“I really need to work on my qualifying,” says Kendell after her seventh place time, “It is something we are working really hard on, and it seems like we can always move forward, so it would be good to start closer to the front!”

Kendell is one of those drivers who don’t let her starting position scare her as she muscled through the field and up to third all the way from the fourth row throughout 23 of the 25 lap contest. But in the last two laps, Kendell was then overtaken by two cars and sent back to fifth at the time of the checkered.

“It was certainly disappointing not being able to keep the car at third,” exclaims Kendell, “But a top five finish still makes for a good points night. I really enjoy driving for Tony Porto Racing and Wilwood Engineering, and I think a win is certainly right around the corner. We are making good decisions in the pits and making the car right in the practice sessions, so a little more work on qualifying, we’ll be good to go!”

Kendell put down a 6th quick time two weeks ago at Toyota Speedway with a 20.503 and 87.792 MPH, so the 18 year old certainly can wheel the Wilwood Engineering #97 around the famed ½ mile. Just a little more work and the team will earn their first victory.

With her 5 top five finishes out of 6 races in the Langers S-2 Sportsman’s class, she sits second in the points, only 4 points behind the leader.

Marketing Partner of the Week:
The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area located near Los Angeles, Ontario, Burbank, Arcadia, Duarte and Irwindale, California in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, offers contemporary hotel accommodations with spectacular views of the Foothills. The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area is conveniently off the 210 Highway at Huntington Drive; Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT) and Los Angeles (LAX) International Airports are within 20 to 45 minutes.

Kendell Lopez Official Website:
The next race on the schedule is coming up on June 19th so be sure to follow Lopez and her accomplishments as a driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Tony Porto Racing:
Tony Porto has built and owned USAC TQ midgets, Sprint Cars, and full-size midgets for both dirt and asphalt for many years having Rick Hendrix out of Palmdale, CA as one of the drivers. The team was able to conquer all three championships, the Triple Crown; Tony is certainly no rookie when it comes to owning cars and selecting drivers. He purchased an S2 frame from the Racecar Factory last year and finished the assembly to get the car ready for the 2009 season. Jeff Phillips drove the car for the 2009 season, until giving up his chair to take over the crew chief position on the team, in hopes of bringing some new young talent to the seat.

Special Thanks to:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), DoubleTree Hotel (www.doubletree.com), Rocking L Ranch, MPM Marketing (www. marketwithmpm.com), Aviation Fuel Depot, Wilwood Engineering (www.wilwood.com), Racecar Factory, Ron’s Rear Ends, Aviation Fuel Depot, Konstant Design, The Racing Experience (www.racingexperience.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Driver Websites (www.driverwebsites.com).

For Marketing or Sponsorship Opportunities with Kendell Contact MPM Marketing at tonyamac44@marketwithmpm.com

Independence, Missouri native Kendell Lopez and the Tony Porto owned Wilwood Engineering #97 are only ten points behind the leader, Roman Lagudi and tied with the #56 following the race last Saturday at the ½ mile of Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

The team decided not to practice on Friday to save tires and equipment and just go right to the race on Saturday to start out the weekend.
Kendell sat fifth on the lap charts in the first practice session with a best time of 21.053 which was only .147 seconds off the second place driver.

“The car was a little tight in turns 1 and 2,” explains Kendell, “But, we practice for a reason and we were able to shave off some time for the second practice session with a time of 20.941. We felt pretty good going into the race knowing that we were making the right decisions!”
Kendell started fourth in the expected 35 lap event on the famed ½ mile speedway and after falling to the back of the pack early in the contest, Kendell raced the Wilwood Engineering #97 back up to fifth.

As the race went on, Kendell ended up falling back to seventh with a projected 12 laps to go, but she wasn’t worried as she knew that she had plenty of laps to go. Coming around turn four, the sophomore season driver seen the white flag come out early and the race ended on lap 25.

“We were looking forward to the 35 lap event,” explains the Missouri native, “When the white flag came out we were all confused. But, we’ll take it as it is and move on to the next race in a couple weeks. We have been getting a lot better on our restarts and our car is certainly up to par, so I can’t wait for the next race, it should be a good one!”

Marketing Partner of the Week:
The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area located near Los Angeles, Ontario, Burbank, Arcadia, Duarte and Irwindale, California in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, offers contemporary hotel accommodations with spectacular views of the Foothills. The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area is conveniently off the 210 Highway at Huntington Drive; Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT) and Los Angeles (LAX) International Airports are within 20 to 45 minutes.

Kendell Lopez Official Website:
The next race on the schedule is coming up on May 8th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Tony Porto Racing:
Tony Porto has built and owned USAC TQ midgets, Sprint Cars, and full-size midgets for both dirt and asphalt for many years having Rick Hendrix out of Palmdale, CA as one of the drivers. The team was able to conquer all three championships, the Triple Crown; Tony is certainly no rookie when it comes to owning cars and selecting drivers. He purchased an S2 frame from the Racecar Factory last year and finished the assembly to get the car ready for the 2009 season. Jeff Phillips drove the car for the 2009 season, until giving up his chair to take over the crew chief position on the team, in hopes of bringing some new young talent to the seat.

Special Thanks to:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), DoubleTree Hotel (www.doubletree.com), Rocking L Ranch, MPM Marketing (www. marketwithmpm.com), Aviation Fuel Depot, Wilwood Engineering (www.wilwood.com), Racecar Factory, Ron’s Rear Ends, Aviation Fuel Depot, Konstant Design, The Racing Experience (www.racingexperience.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Driver Websites (www.driverwebsites.com).

For Marketing or Sponsorship Opportunities with Kendell Contact MPM Marketing at tonyamac44@marketwithmpm.com

Kendell Lopez Earns Hard Charger in Wilwood Engineering #97!

The 2010 season is all about new experiences for the 18 year old Kendell Lopez out of Independence, Mo. Earlier in the season Kendell signed on with MPM Marketing and was able to secure a spot with Kirk May Racing based out of Athens, Georgia. She will be driving their #14 late model in a touring season on the East Coast. Following that, Lopez came back to Toyota Speedway at Irwindale to drive Tim Huddleston’s #59 for just two races.

This past weekend brought another new turn in the young lady’s career. She was contacted by Tony Porto, owner of the Wilwood Engineering #97 S-2 car, and was asked to drive the silver machine throughout the remainder of the 2010 season. Kendell, wanting to race more than ever, jumped on the opportunity and made it out for the first time in the new car with the new team just this past Saturday.

“We came off of last race kind of rough in the 59 car with the altercation between us and the 56 car,” says Kendell. “But, I knew that Tony (Porto) had a great car and a great team, so I was very excited to be sitting in that seat. The entire team is fantastic, everyone there is very willing to help and Steve (Phillips) is a great crew chief. I communicated very well with him and his brother, Jeff (Phillips) as my spotter. Everyone was great!”

Kendell qualified just outside the invert and started on the outside of the third row for the beginning of the 25 lap contest. She was fast right off the drop of the green as she overcame the fifth position going through the first turns. Coming back to the line to start out lap two, Lopez passed another car putting her in the fourth position.

She battled with third as the race went on until a caution came out to bunch up the field. She had a great restart, staying with the pack and in contention for a podium finish, but young Kendell ran out of laps and finished her first race in the new ride at fourth, also collecting the “Hard Charger” award.

“We had great restarts,” exclaims Kendell. “I realize how important those are and have been working on them for quite some time. Now we need to work on qualifying and we’ll be set! I am very pleased on how the night turned out, I was able to move forward throughout the evening and nail down the hard charger award for the race.”

That was the fourth Hard Charger award the young Missouri teen received at the famous Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.

Kendell Lopez would also like to give an extra shout to the DoubleTree Hotel for coming on board with the team. Lopez stays at the DoubleTree Hotel every time she is away from home and the entire Lopez team is very thankful for the DoubleTree Hotel to come on board and market their business with Kendell Lopez Racing.

The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area located near Los Angeles, Ontario, Burbank, Arcadia, Duarte and Irwindale, California in the heart of the San Gabriel Valley, offers contemporary hotel accommodations with spectacular views of the Foothills. The Doubletree Hotel Monrovia - Pasadena Area is conveniently off the 210 Highway at Huntington Drive; Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT) and Los Angeles (LAX) International Airports are within 20 to 45 minutes.

Fast Facts on the Weekend:
- Kendell jumped in a new car with a new team to give the team a top five finish and a Hard Charger award.
- Kendell will be going into the next event on May 8th second in the points standings.

Kendell Lopez Official Website:
The next race on the schedule is coming up on May 8th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Tony Porto Racing:
Tony Porto has built and owned USAC TQ midgets, Sprint Cars, and full-size midgets for both dirt and asphalt for many years having Rick Hendrix out of Palmdale, CA as one of the drivers. The team was able to conquer all three championships, the Triple Crown; Tony is certainly no rookie when it comes to owning cars and selecting drivers. He purchased an S2 frame from the Racecar Factory last year and finished the assembly to get the car ready for the 2009 season. Jeff Phillips drove the car for the 2009 season, until giving up his chair to take over the crew chief position on the team, in hopes of bringing some new young talent to the seat.

Special Thanks to:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), DoubleTree Hotel (www.doubletree.com), Rocking L Ranch, MPM Marketing (www. marketwithmpm.com), Aviation Fuel Depot, Wilwood Engineering (www.wilwood.com), Racecar Factory, Ron’s Rear Ends, Aviation Fuel Depot, Konstant Design, The Racing Experience (www.racingexperience.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Driver Websites (www.driverwebsites.com).

For Marketing or Sponsorship Opportunities with Kendell Contact MPM Marketing at tonyamac44@marketwithmpm.com

It’s been a long and busy winter for the Independence, Mo native Kendell Lopez, but last weekend the season began on the fast Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Kendell, just getting off her rookie season and moving into her second season, qualified 4th quick out of the ten S-2 cars that entered on the 27th of March, 2010 and finished third behind two champions, Rod Johnson, Jr. and Travis Thirkettle.
“It was so amazing getting back behind the wheel in these S-2’s,” exclaims Kendell. “We came to the track earlier on Thursday and the High Point Racing team was able to rent the track for a team practice. That certainly helped, but as soon as I strapped in the car for the first time this year, it was like I never left!”

Kendell had the opportunity for a Thursday practice in her High Point Racing Rent Your Ride #59 S-2, and it certainly helped her get her line back and ready for the race on Saturday. “My spotter Steve (Mason) really helped me work through some of the rookie drivers on the racetrack,” explains Kendell, “There were a couple close calls in the practice runs, but we made through it and kept the car straight for Saturday!”

Kendell qualified to start on the inside of row number 3 for the start of the 2010 S-2 season opener and right off the start she was making it three wide with the two leaders. The two champions, Rod Johnson, Jr. and Travis Thirkettle battled just ahead of Kendell throughout the main event and Lopez held tight and managed a podium finish by the time the checkered flag threw.

Kendell’s last race before this past weekend was on the 6th of November in 2009 at an exhibition race in Las Vegas where she qualified on the pole and capped off the evening with a top five finish. She ended the 2009 season third in points in her rookie season in the Langers S-2 Series with six top five finishes out of the eight races she entered and her lowest finish was only sixth.

There have been a lot of changes for the 19 year old Latina that happened throughout the off season, and one of the biggest changes is that you will see Kendell driving on both sides of the U.S.! Throughout the off season, Kendell signed on with MPM Marketing and was signed on with Mays Motorsports based out of Georgia. Kendell will be driving the #14 Pro All Stars Series Late Model, a super late model touring series that covers the east coast.

“We are very excited going into this season,” says Kendell. “We have a lot of great people behind us this year and I am more than determined to make a name for myself in the Pro All Star Series on the east coast.”

Kendell has proved that she is a very quick learner throughout her rookie season of 2009, and even though there is going to be a transitional period going into the Late Model series on the East Coast, Lopez will be ready and open to learn from the team to make her faster and faster week in and week out.

Fast Facts on the Weekend:
- Kendell started out the first race of the year qualifying 4th and finishing on the podium.
- Due to some rule changes in the S-2 Class, Kendell will be going into the April 10th event at Toyota Speedway on the top of the points chase.

Kendell Lopez Official Website
The next race on the schedule is coming up on April 10th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Special Thanks To:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), Rocking L Ranch, MPM Marketing
(www. marketwithmpm.com), Aviation Fuel Depot, High Point Racing (www.highpointracing.com), Racecar Factory, Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Aviation Fuel Depot.

Eight races ago, Kendell Lopez began her racing career. Starting out in the new Langers S2 Series formed by High Point Racing and the Racecar Factory, Kendell has proved that she has the talent to be a very competitive driver in a full-bodied racecar. She has the drive and focus to make a respectable career and she answered any questions that anyone may have about her as a driver this past weekend at Toyota Speedway.
Her qualifying time was faster than any others she has made throughout the season and with the invert set from the officials, her time of 20.58 put her on the pole for the start of the 25-lap main event.
“I have started on the pole before, but it meant much more this week than in past races,” explains Kendell. “It was the last race of the season and I really wanted to win this.”
Kendell got a very respectable start, but shortly into the event Randel King made his way by the Rent Your Ride High Point Racing #59. Kendell fell back throughout the first four to five laps of the race, but once she seen that the pack of four were leaving her she knew she had to get up on the wheel.
“I seen them in front of me, and I didn’t want them to leave me,” says the Rookie Latina driver. “My crew chief RJ told me to keep digging and that’s exactly what I did.”
Kendell began making faster lap times the group ahead of her and slowly began running them down and leaving the cars behind her. Lopez gained nearly a car length every lap, but by the time the checkered flags flew she was still in the number five position only a few tenths off the pack.
“We got another top five for the season,” exclaims Lopez. “But I am disappointed in myself to let the other cars get ahead of me so quickly. I learn something new every race, and this time I really learned that I have to be up on the wheel right from the start!”

Fast Facts on the Weekend:
- Kendell has raced 8 races in the Langers S2 Sportsman Class including an exhibition race on the fourth of July. Throughout those eight races, she has been in the top five 6 times and her lowest finish is 6th.
- Lopez earned her third Hard Charger Award of her rookie season this past Saturday.
- Kendell finished out the 2009 season in Third Place for the championship.

Kendell Lopez Official Website
The next race on the schedule is coming up on September 26th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a rookie driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Special Thanks To:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), High Point Racing, Rocking L Ranch, Justice Brothers (www.justicebrothers.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Aviation Fuel Depot.

High Point Racing
High Point Racing (HPR) is the premier organization in NASCAR currently at Toyota Speedway. The Team currently fields five Late Models, 1 Super Late Model and 3 S2 teams for a total of 9 cars in the stable. Tim Huddleston, a three-time racing champion, owns High Point Racing based out of Simi Valley, California.

Langers S2 Sportsman Car
The series features a turnkey spec economy stock car with a fully fabricated chassis built by Race Car Factory of Irwindale, California. and High Point Racing of Agoura Hills, Calif. The car includes a spec plastic body featuring a NASCAR Sprint Cup style rear wing from Five Star Racecar Bodies of Twin Lakes, Wis. and a Chevy 350hp sealed crate engine power plant. The complete turnkey cost of the racecar, estimated at $25,000, will serve as a stepping-stone for those competitors graduating from the Legends Cars or other similar divisions, and expects to attract sportsman drivers who are looking to compete in an affordable and competitive racing series.

Seven races in and the Independence, Missouri native Kendell Lopez has scored 5 top five’s with her highest finish being a third and the lowest at a sixth. Very impressive for a rookie driver.
Kendell came into this season with only a few karting events and a couple stock car driving schools under her belt and teamed up with veteran car owner, Tim Huddleston with High Point Racing, to drive the #59 Langers S2 car. She has proven that she is one to contend with week in and week out and it is very exciting to watch her drive the Langers S2 because she consistently passes cars and puts on a show for everyone at the speedway.
This past weekend was the second to last race for her in the Rent Your Ride High Point Racing #59 at the famed Toyota Speedway and she showed once again that she was determined to move through the field of cars. In her qualifying efforts, she nailed a time just outside the top five to put her sixth on the board. The top five had the invert, so the 18 year old Latina driver had to start the race from the outside of the third row.
At the beginning of the 25 lap event, Kendell did not get the best of starts and fell back from the pack. With the start that was handed to her, she began gaining momentum and racing hard with fellow competitor, Jeff Phillips. Phillips got by Kendell early in the race to put Kendell back in the seventh position.
“When I fell back to seventh, I knew that wasn’t where I wanted to be,” exclaims Kendell. “I started entering the corners harder and harder which gave me so much drive back off the corners. We started getting faster and faster and then we caught back up to Jeff (Phillips).”
Kendell advanced to sixth as she went by the #97 and focused her attention to Robert Tallini in the number five spot.
“Tallini was about a half of a straightaway ahead of us,” says Lopez. “We were closing in on him every lap and I knew we were fast enough to make it into the top five.”
Kendell kept making here consistent fast laps and after just a couple more turns she was able to overtake Robert Tallini and put the Rent Your Ride High Point Racing #59 into the fifth position.
With Kyle Longmore a full straightaway ahead of #59, Kendell drove the car hard attempting that last lap pass for fourth. Unfortunately Kendell ran out of laps and fell short to finish the race at fifth.
“Good qualifying times and great starts are what we need for every race,” explains Kendell. “I just didn’t get the best start and we certainly didn’t qualify where we needed to this week. But, I am very happy with the night as we were able to win the Hard Charger Award and put the Rent Your Ride High Point Racing #59 in the top five once again. Every week I learn something new and that is what it is going to take. Seat time is what I am looking for and eventually we will get that win!”
Kendell has one more regular scheduled race coming up in the Langers S2 on the 10th of October so be sure to stay tuned to www.kendelllopezracing.com for all the latest news and other updates!

Radio Show!!
Be sure to tune into www.midvalleysports.com at 9PM (PST), 11PM (CST) to listen to Kendell on the sports show and alongside Kendell on the radio show will be Toyota Speedway AC Delco Super Late Model Track Champion, Nick Joanides.

Fast Facts on the Weekend:
- Kendell has raced 6 races in the Langers S2 Sportsman Class including an exhibition race on the fourth of July. Throughout those six races, she has been in the top five 5 times and her lowest finish is 6th.
- Lopez earned her second Hard Charger Award of her rookie season this past Saturday.

Kendell Lopez Official Website
The next race on the schedule is coming up on September 26th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a rookie driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Special Thanks To:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), High Point Racing, Rocking L Ranch, Justice Brothers (www.justicebrothers.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Aviation Fuel Depot.

High Point Racing
High Point Racing (HPR) is the premier organization in NASCAR currently at Toyota Speedway. The Team currently fields five Late Models, 1 Super Late Model and 3 S2 teams for a total of 9 cars in the stable. Tim Huddleston, a three-time racing champion, owns High Point Racing based out of Simi Valley, California.

Langers S2 Sportsman Car
The series features a turnkey spec economy stock car with a fully fabricated chassis built by Race Car Factory of Irwindale, California. and High Point Racing of Agoura Hills, Calif. The car includes a spec plastic body featuring a NASCAR Sprint Cup style rear wing from Five Star Racecar Bodies of Twin Lakes, Wis. and a Chevy 350hp sealed crate engine power plant. The complete turnkey cost of the racecar, estimated at $25,000, will serve as a stepping-stone for those competitors graduating from the Legends Cars or other similar divisions, and expects to attract sportsman drivers who are looking to compete in an affordable and competitive racing series.

This past weekend was 18-year old Kendell Lopez’s sixth start in the Langers S2 Sportsman Series at Toyota Speedway and the weekend started with an engine problem in the first practice session on Friday. Kendell noticed that the engine didn’t sound like at should and it certainly didn’t have the power that she’s used to so she came over the radio and explained the issues to crew chief Rod Johnson.
With the hood up during the practice sessions, the crew of the Tim Huddleston owned High Point Racing Rent Your Ride #59, went to work to find the engine issues and realized that some parts of the ignition system needed to be replaced. Following the hard work of the crew to get the car back up to shape, Kendell went on to the speedway and laid down a third place time on the first practice session on Saturday.
“The car was fast,” explains the 18-year old Hispanic female. “Once the crew got the engine fixed we were ready to rock. I was very excited to be where we were on the board once we came in after the practice session. I just had that feeling that we were going to have a great day!”
Kendell qualified the High Point Racing Rent You Ride #59 in the number five position and with the invert and a fellow racer electing to start at the rear, she was granted the front row outside starting spot for the 25-lap main event.
Kendell had an amazing start when the green flag dropped and she took the lead early on in the first lap and led field of cars to the line. She led the race for the first seven laps until Randel King began to battle with the #59. She put up a fight, but King made the advance and put Kendell back to second. There was a three way battle amongst King, Lopez and Ryan Reed for awhile until Reed was able to sneak past Kendell setting her back to third.
The three cars led the field of ten until the caution flag flew on lap 21 bunching up the pack.
Kendell held her line and position for the remaining 4 laps to the end and earned her first podium finish of the season in the Langers S2 Sportsman class.
“This is so exciting,” exclaims the Independence, Missouri native. “I knew we were going to have a good day after our practice session. RJ (crew chief Rod Johnson) is amazing…he talks me through every lap and having his expertise in my ear is certainly a confidence booster. We have finished higher and higher in the standings every week and I learn so much every race. I can’t wait for the next one!”

Fast Facts on the Weekend:
- Kendell has raced 6 races in the Langers S2 Sportsman Class including an exhibition race on the fourth of July. Throughout those six races, she has been in the top five 4 times and her lowest finish is 6th.
- Lopez earned her first podium finish of her rookie season this past Saturday.

Kendell Lopez Official Website:
The next race on the schedule is coming up on September 26th so be sure to follow Lopez and her amazing accomplishments as a rookie driver in the Langers S2 Sportsman’s via her official website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. While at the website, be sure to sign the guestbook to let young Kendell know that you stopped by.

Special Thanks To:
Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), High Point Racing, Rocking L Ranch, Justice Brothers (www.justicebrothers.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Aviation Fuel Depot.

High Point Racing
High Point Racing (HPR) is the premier organization in NASCAR currently at Toyota Speedway. The Team currently fields five Late Models, 1 Super Late Model and 3 S2 teams for a total of 9 cars in the stable. Tim Huddleston, a three-time racing champion, owns High Point Racing based out of Simi Valley, California.

Langers S2 Sportsman Car
The series features a turnkey spec economy stock car with a fully fabricated chassis built by Race Car Factory of Irwindale, California. and High Point Racing of Agoura Hills, Calif. The car includes a spec plastic body featuring a NASCAR Sprint Cup style rear wing from Five Star Racecar Bodies of Twin Lakes, Wis. and a Chevy 350hp sealed crate engine power plant. The complete turnkey cost of the racecar, estimated at $25,000, will serve as a stepping-stone for those competitors graduating from the Legends Cars or other similar divisions, and expects to attract sportsman drivers who are looking to compete in an affordable and competitive racing series.
Photo By: Marv Keller (www.marvsphotography.com)

Kendell Lopez out of Independence, MO puts another top five in the record books this past weekend at Toyota Speedway in her High Point Racing Rent Your Ride #59 Langers Juice S2 Sportsman. She wanted to “push her car to the limit,” explains Kendell, and that is exactly what she did on Friday’s qualifying session. She ran the High Point Racing Rent Your Ride S2 to its limit, finding the break point as she got loose out of turn four and spun the car, but made a “text book save,” as explained by team owner Tim Huddleston and kept the car out of the outside retaining wall.

“I wanted to see how hard I could run the car,” says the 18 year old female driver. “We (Huddleston and Kendell) talked going into the session and we just wanted to make sure that I was running as hard as I could going into and coming out of the turns. We found that break-point with the set-up we had in the car and it greatly improved me as a driver.”

Kendell qualified 6th quick just missing the invert so she lined her Rent Your Ride #59 on the outside of row number three for the start of the 25 lap main event. Kendell got an amazing start of the line as the green flag dropped following the first caution and trained Robert Tallini into the first turn.

With 14 laps down, Kendell and fellow racer Robert Tallini got together which put Lopez into the outside retaining wall just enough to knock the sway bar out of the car. This made the car very unstable and hard to drive, but with the determination of young Lopez, she stuck with it and was able to pass her way up inside the top five to finish fourth and cap off the day with her third top five finish of the season. “Tallini and I are good friends,” notes Kendell. “We always have a lot of fun racing against each other!”

Lopez mentions that Rod came over the radio after she brushed the wall and asked her how the car was and she explained to Rod that she wanted to stick it out and finish the race. She was able to advance herself another position and hold onto the number four spot throughout the remaining 10 laps with an ill-handling racecar.

“Rod Johnson Jr. was my crew chief on Saturday and with his knowledge as well as the car chief, Joe Anderson, it gave me a huge confidence booster behind the wheel throughout the race,” explains Kendell. “We had the car where we wanted it and we met our goals that were set two weeks ago of getting better starts...I would like to dedicate this weekend to Rod!”

Kendell also notes that she would like to thank Mackena Bell for all of her support throughout the season.
“Mackena is always there for me before and after the races,” notes Lopez. “I wish her the best of luck for the remainder of the 2009 season and beyond in her #30 AC Delco Super Late Model.”

Next on the schedule for Kendell and the High Point Racing Rent Your Ride #59 will be another event at Toyota Speedway on the 12th of September.

Stay up to date with Kendell throughout the 2009 season via her new website, www.kendelllopezracing.com. The site will be updated weekly with latest news, results and photos so be sure to check it out every week. Also, do not forget to swing by the guestbook to let Kendell know that you stopped by!
Fast Facts on the Weekend:

- Kendell received the “Hard Charger Award” this past weekend at Toyota Speedway which made her the first female in the series to receive the award.

- Lopez finished fourth after starting sixth out of the 8 Langers S2 cars.

Special Thanks To:

Rent Your Ride (www.rentyourride.com), High Point Racing, Rocking L Ranch, Justice Brothers (www.justicebrothers.com), Racing Plus (www.racingplus.com) and Aviation Fuel Depot.

High Point Racing:

High Point Racing (HPR) is the premier organization in NASCAR currently at Toyota Speedway. The Team currently fields five Late Models, 1 Super Late Model and 3 S2 teams for a total of 9 cars in the stable. Tim Huddleston, a three-time racing champion, owns High Point Racing based out of Simi Valley, California.

Langers S2 Sportsman Car:

The series features a turnkey spec economy stock car with a fully fabricated chassis built by Race Car Factory of Irwindale, California. and High Point Racing of Agoura Hills, Calif. The car includes a spec plastic body featuring a NASCAR Sprint Cup style rear wing from Five Star Racecar Bodies of Twin Lakes, Wis. and a Chevy 350hp sealed crate engine power plant. The complete turnkey cost of the racecar, estimated at $25,000, will serve as a stepping-stone for those competitors graduating from the Legends Cars or other similar divisions, and expects to attract sportsman drivers who are looking to compete in an affordable and competitive racing series.