2009 Texas strike

The 2009 Texas strike was a controversy during the 5th round of the 2009 TM Master Cup season. During pre-race testing at the race's venue, the Texas World Speedway, every team that wasn't running the Saar or Lenard chassis was averaging five to six laps around the track before they would need to pit for tires, whereas the Saar and Lenard teams could push their tires to 20-25 laps. Many drivers and team owners protested the outrageous difference in tire wear on the Saars and Lenards but continued testing to try and fix the problem. Four-time TM Master Cup champion Leonid Roderick made a statement claiming that "the Saar and Lenard teams had obviously been cheating, and the concrete surface of the Texas World track, which isn't used all that often, was bringing it out and making it more apparent than it would anywhere else."

First practice session
Many drivers had expressed their concern before the first practice session, stating that the fast nature of the track combined with dangerous tire conditions would certainly be hazardous. To support the driver's concerns, 15 drivers made contact with the wall during first practice, all caused by tire blowouts. Unsurprisingly, all 15 drivers were from teams using a chassis other than Saar or Lenard. Many of the 15 drivers hit the wall at a considerable amount of speed. When the smoke cleared and all the damages were accounted for, several cars were totaled and the rest needed a good effort of work to be considered race-worthy. Controversy erupted after the disastrous first practice session, and many teams and drivers began accusing Saar and Lenard of using cheats, while teams using the two manufacturers defended their case. Unofficially, it was reported that members of National Racing taunted the other teams, calling them slow and questioning their abilities, however it was never confirmed.

The race
All 42 scheduled cars took the grid to start the 2009 Round of Texas, however as the cars came back around off the fourth turn for the second parade lap, over half of the field pulled into the pits and into the garage area. Only 16 drivers officially started the race, all of them using either a Saar or Lenard. The pack would eventually pull to the bottom and run single file before pit stops separated the field. Tony Durbin of National Racing took the win, his first of the 2009 season. Drivers that did not start the event expressed their displeasure with the Master Cup officials for not doing something about the difference in tire wear, while drivers from Saar and Lenard praised their decision. Many TM Master Cup Series supporters regard this race as one of the most embarrassing races of all time.