It looks like Toyota- now tied with Mazda for most LeMons wins for a manufacturer- is the dominant marque here at the Yeehaw It's Texas 2009 24 Hours Of LeMons.

The SCHWING Corolla FX16 (that's a California-built NUMMI car, by the way) had a comfortable lead... right up to the point at which their engine suffered catastrophic overheating and probable internal damage with about 30 minutes to go in the day's session. They're going to thrash on the engine all night, get the car onto the track tomorrow, and hope to gain back the dozen or so laps they've lost. Meanwhile, the leader is the winner of the Laissez Les Crapheaps Roulez LeMons race, the GT$500 Toyota Celica.

At the same time, the Index Of Effluency competition remains hot; looks like the Fiat Brava just can't keep running, the VW Fastback took some nasty collision damage, and the longshot Ford Festiva just keeps going around and around. Who will it be? You'll find out tomorrow night!

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