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Skinner fired by Morgan-McClure Motorsports
By Lee Montgomery, Turner Sports Interactive June 16, 2003
2:37 PM EDT (1837 GMT)
nascar.com
After failing to qualify for this weekend's Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Mike Skinner was released Monday as driver of the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Pontiac.
Skinner had just one finish better than 20th in 2003. Credit: Autostock
No replacement has been named, but John Andretti could be a logical choice. Andretti was released last week by Petty Enterprises and is available.
A statement from Morgan-McClure said a replacement driver would be named for this weekend's Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway soon.
Skinner did not post a top-10 finish in the car this season, and had finished 30th or worse in 10 of the 14 races the team has run.
"We feel it is necessary to perform better for our race team and for our sponsor, Kodak," team owner Larry McClure said in a statement. "We appreciate Mike's efforts in the car, but it is time for a change."
Skinner joined the team in 2002 after recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. He had spent five winless seasons with Richard Childress Racing prior to Morgan-McClure.
Morgan-McClure brought a new car to Michigan, but it was untested and was too slow to make the field.
"We brought a new car here that did not have a lap on it," Skinner said Friday. "We had not tested it. We all thought it would be better, obviously it was not. We missed it somewhere.
"This was a group decision made on Tuesday, so there is no one to point fingers at. I feel bad. I wish I could have done more as a driver. Our cars and race team is strong enough to make races and compete. We have dug in a hole, and they are not easy to dig out of."
Morgan-McClure hasn't exactly been an elite Winston Cup team lately. Bobby Hamilton had the team's last top-five finish in 1999, and since then, the team has gone through five drivers.
This season, Tony Furr joined the team as crew chief, but he left and was replaced by Chris Carrier
"We have to finish races, and that has not been happening," McClure said. "We went to Charlotte a few weeks ago and qualified third. Then earlier in the year, we qualified sixth at Bristol. I feel this shows our team has potential that is not being utilized in a maximum way."
By Lee Montgomery, Turner Sports Interactive June 16, 2003
2:37 PM EDT (1837 GMT)
nascar.com
After failing to qualify for this weekend's Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Mike Skinner was released Monday as driver of the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports Pontiac.
Skinner had just one finish better than 20th in 2003. Credit: Autostock
No replacement has been named, but John Andretti could be a logical choice. Andretti was released last week by Petty Enterprises and is available.
A statement from Morgan-McClure said a replacement driver would be named for this weekend's Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway soon.
Skinner did not post a top-10 finish in the car this season, and had finished 30th or worse in 10 of the 14 races the team has run.
"We feel it is necessary to perform better for our race team and for our sponsor, Kodak," team owner Larry McClure said in a statement. "We appreciate Mike's efforts in the car, but it is time for a change."
Skinner joined the team in 2002 after recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. He had spent five winless seasons with Richard Childress Racing prior to Morgan-McClure.
Morgan-McClure brought a new car to Michigan, but it was untested and was too slow to make the field.
"We brought a new car here that did not have a lap on it," Skinner said Friday. "We had not tested it. We all thought it would be better, obviously it was not. We missed it somewhere.
"This was a group decision made on Tuesday, so there is no one to point fingers at. I feel bad. I wish I could have done more as a driver. Our cars and race team is strong enough to make races and compete. We have dug in a hole, and they are not easy to dig out of."
Morgan-McClure hasn't exactly been an elite Winston Cup team lately. Bobby Hamilton had the team's last top-five finish in 1999, and since then, the team has gone through five drivers.
This season, Tony Furr joined the team as crew chief, but he left and was replaced by Chris Carrier
"We have to finish races, and that has not been happening," McClure said. "We went to Charlotte a few weeks ago and qualified third. Then earlier in the year, we qualified sixth at Bristol. I feel this shows our team has potential that is not being utilized in a maximum way."
