2009 Round of Texas

The 2009 Round of Texas took place on June 5th, 2009, and was the 5th round of the 2009 TM Master Cup season. The race was held at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. The race was marred with controversy concerning the tire wear of the Saar and Lenard chassis as they were able to run approximately 20 laps longer on one set of tires than anyone not using one of those two chassis types. Perhaps the most memorable statement from this race was from four-time TM Master Cup champion Leonid Roderick, who stated that Saar and Lenard were using cheats and the concrete surface of the track was causing their cheats to become more apparent than they would anywhere else. Protesting continued throughout the entire round schedule, especially after the disastrous first practice session. The conclusion to all the chaos occurred when all teams not running Saar or Lenard pulled off prior to the second pace lap, and only 16 cars started the race.

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Qualifying Round

 * - Notes missing information/unfinished events.

Pre-race notes
Up and down the pitlane following the first practice session, a few orange shirts were seen running up and down the garages.

Leonid Roderick, Adam Samson, and Frank Lawrence in particular, with the apparent intent on talking to all the other team bosses (deliberately skipping the Saar and Lenard teams), but what they were doing was unclear. Work in the Hodges-Walter Racing camp noticeably slowed after Roderick, Samson, and Lawrence visited.

Roderick addressed the media after first practice, stating that the redwall tire that the series normally uses "wears way too quick, but the problem is not that the tires blow out quickly, but that a very clear section of the series rules is in violation. Only tracks that eat tires would expose it for what it is."

The rule in question?

"There's a rule in the TM Master Cup series technical regulations that states that, at speed, a certain amount of weight must be placed on the car." Adam Samson, one of FLASH Racing's co-owners stated. "At that weight with the track surface being what it is, tires will go in ... five laps if you're being easy on them. But on the same compound, a Saar Tyrant and a Lenard Q9 can go as long as 26 laps. That should send warning sirens."

Saar spokesperson Shane Wood stated that Saar and its teams would not level the playing for teams with "inferior engineering". Inferior engineering, or a clever route around the technical inspections?

Saars from both the McCallister Motorsports team and the National Racing team have been able to go 20 laps on tires, and the Lenard Q9s have done the same.

Roderick and Samson's argument is that McCallister Motorsports and National Racing both build their cars in-house, and thus the problem is the manufacturer blueprints.

The solution offered was to force all teams on the whitewall tires, which are considerably harder than the redwall tires.

Tony Durbin said that the whitewall tire was "so hard that the only thing they're good for is parades", and was among the whitewall's critics.

"Some of these people need to man up and just stop more often." he added. "Take care of your stuff and you won't hit the damn walls."

TM Master Cup series officials have confiscated four 2009 Saar Tyrants from random teams as well as four 2009 Lenard Q9s to test the apparent bypassed rules, but said that the cars as they are will be approved to race.

Alexis Rainsford stated; "What happens Saturday will dictate the race Sunday. The tire compounds both suck but I'd rather parade around in a fuel mileage race than sitting behind a pace car for 50, 60, however long the race is... whatever happens, it'll be big."

Roderick and Samson made no comments as to what they were up to in the pitlane, but some sources claim they were 'rallying confederates'.

Sam Morel reportedly told his driver Tom Delgado to spin any Saar or Lenard he came across, but a crewman stated it was a tongue-in-cheek comment.

Team/Driver strike
See 2009 Texas strike.