Darlington Pre-Race Thread

[Cynon]

Tony Durbin Returns to TM Master Cup Series

2007 TM Master Cup series driver's champion Tony Durbin will return to the series for the upcoming race in Darlington, South Carolina. Durbin will drive for his own team, Tony Durbin Motorsports, in a Saar model that was used during the Indianapolis weekend last year. Durbin's car will carry the #56, the same number he runs in the American Stock Car Championship. Despite being part-time in the ASCC, Durbin's team has won twice in three starts, the only repeat winner in the 5 ASCC races held this season.

"I think it'll be fun to come back and show everyone I haven't lost anything." Durbin said to the media.
"Some of these guys think I left because I can't do it anymore... and it'll be great when I shut all of them up."

While Durbin will use a 2013 Saar, he will have the same engine as Team Saar USA currently uses in their cars. Durbin is mostly associated with Team Saar USA, who formerly competed in the ASCC. Sponsorship for his entry was not immediately announced, but it is expected that his ASCC sponsors will follow him over to his TM Master Cup foray.

Durbin did not rule out more appearances at more TM Master Cup races.

"If everything falls together we'll be there for most of the remaining American races. I think I owe it to the American fans."

ASCC stars Tom Delgado and Garth McCallister, Jr. have both been entered as Promoter's Options.

Kard Returns to #6 Lenard

Ontario native Jacob Kard will return to the #6 Shafer Group Lenard after sitting out the last three rounds due to health issues. While Kard's issues have been subject to speculation, Kard said that he had fallen off his moped in the Karjala paddock.

"Basically after the motor let go, the medical guys got me out and I got checked out in the care center." Kard told the press.
"That's the last thing I remember, really, but my buddy TJ told me that we were going back to the team hauler on my moped, we slipped, and my head hit the side of Scott Falkner's hauler. Kinda funny, really, I think he crashed me in practice, hope he doesn't feel too bad about it."

Kard was not cleared to race in the Round of Russia, and for precautionary reasons, Lenard International kept him out of the car for the remainder of the European tour, replacing him with Boston native Paul Lyons. In those three races, Lyons scored more points than Kard had the remainder of the season, raising questions about the relative abilities of Lyons and Kard.

"I'm really grateful that Paul kept team spirit up. Up until Karjala we really had a lot of bad luck... and even in Karjala we had bad luck but at least the boys gave me a rocketship there. I think I could have beaten Alessandro." Kard insisted.

Paul Lyons will reportedly be on stand-by should Kard be pulled from the #6 car.

FIAM Could Enter TMMC with Volpi/Tutino Tie-In?

Reports have surfaced that Italian automaker FIAM, which has regularly entered cars for the Karjala Grand Prix, could be poised to enter the TM Master Cup series in support of an existing outfit. The teams it is looking at are widely believed to be Volpi and Tutino. Volpi has regularly tested its SR560 and SR564 road cars on FIAM's testing tracks in Italy, and the Volpi family has competed in other categories with other Italian brands before.

Cyril Volpi admitted there were conversations between the Volpi Racing Team and FIAM executives during the Round of Wales weekend, but downplayed those conversations.

"It's not often I get to see some of my friends at FIAM, so I will take every opportunity to meet them in person. We had some conversations, yes, but they involved, as we put it in America... life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness." Volpi commented.

Volpi driver Alessandro Rossini currently leads the TM Master Cup driver's championship, and started his career with many ties to FIAM. FIAM sponsors the Scuderia Tutino cars as well, which many believe could lead to a FIAM takeover of Tutino, if not both Tutino and Volpi.

Marino Tutino, owner of Scuderia Tutino, has largely funded Scuderia Tutino out of his own pocket. The Italian playboy-turned-racer has the second-smallest reported budget of all full-time TM Master Cup series teams. Tutino did not say if he had been contacted by FIAM about any kind of deal.

[NASCARLOVER427]

Rumor: Velocity Motorsports to be bought out by RKO Self Defense.

Rumors have sprouted that RKO Self Defense, a St. Louis based martial arts class has wanted to sponsor Australian based Velocity Motorsports, who has had problems with sponsorship, and funds all around, and hasn't started a race since Road Atlanta due to funding issues. Keith Emerson, the CEO of RKO Self Defense, has come out in light of the rumors, and had this to say, "I have always been a fan of motorsports, and had only recently started watching the TM Master Cup Series, so I found it rather discusting that even though Donzelo and Mackay are very talented drivers, they don't even get to race because of dwindling funds. So, to get to the point, I have been talking to the owner of Velocity and we have been talking about possible sponsorship, if the sponsorship goes through, Velocity would be able to enter the next race of the season at Quebec."

[Magus978]

Delgado Makes Surprise Return Amidst ASCC Championship Bid

ASCC title contender Tom Delgado makes his return to the TM Master Cup Series as he is slated to start the Round of South Carolina in the #37 Jimmy Johns Brute for DeGarmo-Delgado Enterprises. Delgado, 39, last attempted to qualify for the Karjala Grand Prix, failing to do so after withdrawing from last chance qualifying due to a bout of food poisoning.

"These shorter ovals are an opportunity for DDE to get some points. We won't outpace the fastest cyclists in the world, so that means we have to be smarter than everyone else. Tricky task, considering I'm not exactly a Harvard graduate. We'll see what happens though, these short tracks tend to be high on attrition, so maybe we can fluke a point or two and make it look like we had a good day when we really didn't" Delgado said in an interview, ribbing his team's lack of pace this season. When asked why he was throwing his team under the bus, Delgado shot back, accepting responsibility for the group's struggles: "We readily acknowledge how much of a struggle this season has been. We've had a torrid time trying to keep up with the back end of the field. They know they have to do better, and I know I have to do better as a co-owner. With any luck, we will do better. Better is at least one point, and that will be huge for our morale going forward"

[gwoodard41]

Woodard to run Cheerwine as primary sponsor.

Greg Woodard has been sponsored by Cheerwine in the upcoming race. The local/regional soda is a favorite of Woodard's, so it seemed to be a good match.

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