April 19, 2007
Dupuis makes SPEED Debut - Premiers latest reality TV show: Setup

Premiering in primetime, SPEED aired their latest reality TV show – Setup – last night to rave reviews. During the show, Whelen Modified Tour regulars Renee, Billy ’Bear’ Calicchio and Justin Dutton made their debut as well.

On the episode, viewers were introduced to the first few rounds of eliminations. First, Setup participants traveled to the edge of California’s Mojave Desert to the famed Willow Springs International Motorsports Park. Rather than jump into the race-prepared Pontiac Solstice GXPs, Setup threw the first of many twists at the drivers – forcing them to qualify in shifter karts.

“I’ve never driven a shifter kart before and I have virtually no road course experience,” recalled Renee. “Combining the two could only mean trouble but, we survived - making the cut and advancing to the next stage,” she recently recounted.

Upon returning, to Race Central – a well-stocked warehouse where car construction and maintenance would occur – Dupuis’ team got down to business. Not the case for everyone though, as another team quickly got bounced from the show when they failed to attend a mandatory Crew Chief meeting.

“The possibility of being eliminated loomed large every day. You broke the rules, you went home. It’s as simple as that.” Renee reasoned.

Working as a team – outfitting their Solstice in aftermarket performance parts – Renee, Bear and Justin spent the rest of the show preparing their car for safety inspections and securing sponsorship. The team nailed the interview process and scored Reliable Carriers Inc. – a nationwide specialty automotive transportation company – to back their efforts.

Tune in to SPEED next Wednesday – April 25 – again at 8 PM to see how the team progresses. A programming schedule, listing specific airtimes, can be found on SPEED's website.

In the meantime, be sure to check out Setup’s website for in-depth information on the show. Preview clips, driver & team blogs, photo galleries and much more are included on the site.