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NASCAR evolution: only the strong survive: it looks as if Morgan-McClure will be the latest in a long line of shops to end up on the auction block

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Lee Spencer

There's a closeout sale of No. 4 die-cast cars on eBay with your choice of 2004 drivers: Kevin Lepage, Jimmy Spencer or Mike Wallace.

I'll opt for the glory days when the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Chevrolet could race with the best of them. Give me Ernie Irvan in his prime or Sterling Marlin. That No. 4 car was unstoppable at Daytona long before Dale Earnhardt Inc. had a restrictor-plate program.

Now, Morgan-McClure is an after-thought, a field filler. Since losing the Kodak sponsorship to Penske Racing after the 2003 season, the best owner Larry McClure has been able to do is pick up scraps such as Lucas Oil. Is it any wonder that even Ward Burton, who's unemployed, steered clear of Morgan-McClure?

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It's hard to survive in NASCAR as a single-car team--whether it's in the Nextel Cup, Busch or Craftsman Truck Series. It looks as if Morgan-McClure will be the latest in a long line of shops to end up on the auction block.

Unless you're a factory-backed, well-financed team, it's impossible to race against the big dogs. And as the day draws near when Toyota and, eventually, Honda will join the Cup ranks, look for an even greater disparity between the haves and the have-nots.

It's too early to tell which teams will jump to Honda, but considering Rick Hendrick has Toyota and Honda dealerships, 1 can see technical partners MBV/MB2 and Haas-CNC jumping ship and providing Hendrick with a view of Honda's or Toyota's operation.

Roger Penske's United Auto Group also holds Honda/Acura dealerships.

If five automakers compete in Nextel Cup, each will have roughly eight teams. Until then, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota will have about 10 each. Teams such as Morgan-McClure will be lost.

This is purely hypothetical, but it's not too early to guess what the future could look like.

Chevrolet

Hendrick Motorsports. The bow tie powerhouse will field four solid teams.

Dale Earnhardt Inc. When Martin Truex graduates to Cup in 2006, DEI will have three full-time teams.

Richard Childress Racing. Although it will take time to rebuild, expect RCR to maintain three Cup teams unless Childress gets lost in his vineyards. There's always a possibility that DEI and RCR will combine forces.

Dodge

Evernham Motorsports. EMS has been and will continue to be the top dog at Dodge. Expect a third fulltime team in 2006.

Penske Motorsports. Insiders expect Penske to stay put with Dodge, partially because of his Mercedes connection (DaimlerChrysler owns both Mercedes and Dodge). Perhaps the Penske-Jasper car, No. 77, could join with Toyota or Honda.

Joe Gibbs Racing. Gibbs never will be top dog at Chevrolet, but his outfit would be a solid addition for Dodge.

Petty Enterprises. The sentimental favorite already has switched to Evernham engines.

Ford

Roush Racing. Roush has five teams, and who can argue with the organization's success?

Robert Yates Racing. RYR puts the power in blue oval horsepower. Expect a third team in 2006.

Wood Brothers Racing. Moving and rebuilding the operation has saved this shop from going the way of Morgan-McClure and Bud Moore. A second team could come in the future.

Toyota

Ganassi Racing. Don't be surprised. Ganassi gave Toyota its first Champ Car title.

Bill Davis Racing. BDR is hoping the time and effort put into Toyota trucks will be rewarded when Cup deals materialize.

Possibilities: Penske or Gibbs.

speed reads

Kudos to Dodge Motorsports for Continuing its diversity program, The latest addition is Deborah Renshaw in the No. 8 truck at Bobby Hamilton Racing. With the opportunity to race in the 2004 champion's equipment, there's no doubt Renshaw will have a fair shot.

Stephen Wallace's win in the prestigious Snowball Derby is proof that Wallace, 17, has inherited his father Rusty Wallace's short-track prowess.

INSIDE DISH

Don't think NASCAR drivers train in the offseason? Think again. Michael Waltrip runs five to six times a week and is preparing for the January 30 Las Vegas marathon. Waltrip's Operation Marathon fund-raising effort will donate $1 million to the Victory Junction Gang Camp. * Testing continued in earnest last week. New Penske Racing rookie Travis Kvapil tested with the No. 77 team at Lakeland, Fla. Kentucky Motor Speedway was host to 10 teams, including Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Jason Leffler, Evernham Motorsports was testing its new Chargers at Kentucky with Bill Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield and Kasey Kahne. Evernham was instrumental in the development of the new Charger, which is expected to have less drag and be considerably stronger on superspeedways. The Evernham teams should get acquainted with the cars more quickly because of the the addition of Chris Andrews (Elliott's crew chief) and Slugger Labbe (Mayfield's crew chief) to the organization. * Waltrip is optimistic regarding the crew switch at Dale Earnhardt Inc. that puts him with chief Tony Eury Jr. "They bring a winning attitude to this team," Waltrip says. "They won a lot of races last year, and there's no doubt what they expect." * Bill Davis Racing is closing its Busch Series shop. The departures of Kenny Wallace and Stacker 2 have left Davis' No. 23 without a driver or sponsor. BDR will continue to field the No. 22 Dodge in Cup, with Scott Wimmer. It also will run three Toyota trucks, with Mike Skinner, Johnny Benson and Bill Lester.--L.S.

NASCAR evolution: only the strong survive: it looks as if Morgan-McClure will be the latest in a long line of shops to end up on the auction block

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Lee Spencer

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