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TonyB
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Bristol Herald Courrier
Silver, red and white Chevrolets sitting in Morgan-McClure shop
BY RAIN SMITH
Morgan-McClure Motorsports are in an unfamiliar situation heading in to the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season.
For the first time in two decades, their cars will not carry Kodak’s familiar yellow paint scheme. Though Kodak remains an associate sponsor on the team’s Chevrolets, it moved its primary sponsorship to Roger Penske’s No. 77 Dodge, piloted by rookie Brendan Gaughan.
"It’s different," team owner Larry McClure said. "It’s been 19 years since we’ve been in that situation. We’ve had a yellow car for a long time."
Though no official announcement has been made concerning sponsorship for the 2004 season, silver, red and white Chevrolets sit in the team’s Abingdon shop. McClure said a deal is nearly completed and should be solidified by the end of the week.
"We haven’t signed an agreement with a sponsor but we had a conference call on Sunday and agreed on everything," McClure said. "There’s no use in me announcing who it is until it happens, but we feel pretty good about that."
While five different drivers sat behind the wheel for Morgan-McClure last season, the team’s settled on Kevin Lepage as its 2004 driver.
The 41-year-old Vermont native drove the No. 4 car in 21 races over the 2001 season, as well as in several events last year.
"I think he should give us some consistency," McClure said. "The end of the year we had some pretty good runs with him, so we ought to be pretty decent. It should be easier for us to get where we need to be and it should give us a better start to the season since we do have that continuity."
Last year’s nameplate, Pontiac, has pulled out of Nextel Cup, prompting Morgan-McClure to once again field Chevrolet Monte Carlos. Though changing bodies is a large expense, McClure believes the Chevrolet’s have an aerodynamic edge over last year’s Grand Prixs.
"We were caught off guard a bit and had no idea (Pontiac would stop competing)," McClure said. "But after it’s all said and done, besides the expense, I think it’s a plus."
In preseason testing at Daytona, the Morgan-McClure Chevrolet was strong - the 16th fastest on the time sheet when running alone and the 10th fastest in the draft.
The team has three wins in the "Super Bowl" of racing: The first in 1991 with Ernie Irvan; the second and third back to back in 1994 and 1995 with Sterling Marlin behind the wheel.
"We did have a good test," McClure said. "We had no glitches in our testing and have been to the wind tunnel four or five times. If that’s good enough to be up front then that’s where we’ll be. I feel like we’ll run pretty good down there.
"We’re looking forward to the year. I feel like if we go to Daytona and finish 10th or 15th it would be a great way to start. If we go down there and finish in the top five it would be even better."
Team manager and Crew Chief Tim Brewer is entering his second year with the team. The 48-year-old has 53 Winston Cup wins to his credit as well as two championships - on with Cale Yarborough in 1978 and the other in 1981 with Darrell Waltrip.
The sport’s growth has meant more expense and more stress for car owners. McClure said though it isn’t as fun or laid back as it used to be, excitement builds as the season opener nears.
"If I had to measure the attitude of the race team I’d say they are more excited then they have been in a while," McClure said. "Everybody is working as a team and we should have some success. We have that capability. We’ve won at Daytona and know how to run good at Daytona. Everybody here has got to perform and they realize that, so the burden is on us."
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Okay. Any guesses as who the sponsor is is the colors on the car are Silver, Red, and White?
Silver, red and white Chevrolets sitting in Morgan-McClure shop
BY RAIN SMITH
Morgan-McClure Motorsports are in an unfamiliar situation heading in to the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Season.
For the first time in two decades, their cars will not carry Kodak’s familiar yellow paint scheme. Though Kodak remains an associate sponsor on the team’s Chevrolets, it moved its primary sponsorship to Roger Penske’s No. 77 Dodge, piloted by rookie Brendan Gaughan.
"It’s different," team owner Larry McClure said. "It’s been 19 years since we’ve been in that situation. We’ve had a yellow car for a long time."
Though no official announcement has been made concerning sponsorship for the 2004 season, silver, red and white Chevrolets sit in the team’s Abingdon shop. McClure said a deal is nearly completed and should be solidified by the end of the week.
"We haven’t signed an agreement with a sponsor but we had a conference call on Sunday and agreed on everything," McClure said. "There’s no use in me announcing who it is until it happens, but we feel pretty good about that."
While five different drivers sat behind the wheel for Morgan-McClure last season, the team’s settled on Kevin Lepage as its 2004 driver.
The 41-year-old Vermont native drove the No. 4 car in 21 races over the 2001 season, as well as in several events last year.
"I think he should give us some consistency," McClure said. "The end of the year we had some pretty good runs with him, so we ought to be pretty decent. It should be easier for us to get where we need to be and it should give us a better start to the season since we do have that continuity."
Last year’s nameplate, Pontiac, has pulled out of Nextel Cup, prompting Morgan-McClure to once again field Chevrolet Monte Carlos. Though changing bodies is a large expense, McClure believes the Chevrolet’s have an aerodynamic edge over last year’s Grand Prixs.
"We were caught off guard a bit and had no idea (Pontiac would stop competing)," McClure said. "But after it’s all said and done, besides the expense, I think it’s a plus."
In preseason testing at Daytona, the Morgan-McClure Chevrolet was strong - the 16th fastest on the time sheet when running alone and the 10th fastest in the draft.
The team has three wins in the "Super Bowl" of racing: The first in 1991 with Ernie Irvan; the second and third back to back in 1994 and 1995 with Sterling Marlin behind the wheel.
"We did have a good test," McClure said. "We had no glitches in our testing and have been to the wind tunnel four or five times. If that’s good enough to be up front then that’s where we’ll be. I feel like we’ll run pretty good down there.
"We’re looking forward to the year. I feel like if we go to Daytona and finish 10th or 15th it would be a great way to start. If we go down there and finish in the top five it would be even better."
Team manager and Crew Chief Tim Brewer is entering his second year with the team. The 48-year-old has 53 Winston Cup wins to his credit as well as two championships - on with Cale Yarborough in 1978 and the other in 1981 with Darrell Waltrip.
The sport’s growth has meant more expense and more stress for car owners. McClure said though it isn’t as fun or laid back as it used to be, excitement builds as the season opener nears.
"If I had to measure the attitude of the race team I’d say they are more excited then they have been in a while," McClure said. "Everybody is working as a team and we should have some success. We have that capability. We’ve won at Daytona and know how to run good at Daytona. Everybody here has got to perform and they realize that, so the burden is on us."
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Okay. Any guesses as who the sponsor is is the colors on the car are Silver, Red, and White?
