Morgan-McClure Motorsports Team Hopes To Qualify At Talladega

ABINGDON, Va. – This week has been a blast from the past at the headquarters of Morgan-McClure Motorsports: The phone was ringing, the engine room was humming and the No. 4 car was shining.

That’s the way it used to be during a 25-year run that featured 14 victories, including three in the famed Daytona 500, but Southwest Virginia’s NASCAR Sprint Cup team hasn’t been on the track since the end of the 2007 season.

This week, however, the team is back.

Eric McClure, a regular in the Nationwide Series, will attempt to qualify the No. 4 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday.

Steve Gray, the former car chief for the Morgan-McClure operation, will be the crew chief. Several other old-guard members from the MMM organization have returned, at least on a part-time basis. The car will have sponsorship from the Hefty brand, which also sponsors McClure in the Nationwide Series.

“It’s kind of like the Blues Brothers, we’re putting the band back together,’’ Gray said Tuesday as he went the final stages of race preparation. “Everybody I’ve talked to is real excited to see the No. 4 car back out there racing.”
McClure, 30, has competed in two Cup events for the family-owned team with a top finish of 26th.

“I always dreamed of driving the No. 4 car,” McClure said. “To have an opportunity to do it at Talladega, a place that has always been special to my family over the years, is pretty amazing.”

McClure has been ranked among the top 20 in Nationwide points nearly all season. If McClure qualifies for Sunday’s race, he will be supported by the pit crew from his Rensi-Hamilton Nationwide team.

Gray said he hopes to have a productive weekend, especially because the car count for Sprint Cup events has been gradually shrinking due to the ailing economy.

“Our No. 1 goal is to make the race; anything beyond that is just gravy,” Gray said.  “We’re using the same speedway car we built the last time we attempted to make the Talladega race in 2007. The car was real good the last time we took it to the wind tunnel, so we’re hopeful.”

Members of the organization went their various ways after the team suspended operations at the end of the 2007 season because of a lack of sponsorship. Former crew chief Robert Larkins is among the longtime MMM employees who helped to ready the No. 4 car for its return.

“I worked here 10 years before I left for the [Richard] Petty team,” Gray said. “It was tough to leave.”

Gray was laid off at the end of last season when the Petty Enterprises team was absorbed by the Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

“I came to Abingdon this January to help the [MMM] team get ready for Daytona, but they decided not to go to the race,” Gray said. “Since then, I’ve just been sitting around and watching TV.”

For now, the adrenaline has returned in the expansive MMM race shop. A team spokesman said that numerous fans have called the shop in recent days to express their excitement about the return of the No. 4 car.

“Our engine room has been working hard, they’ve already built three engines,” Gray said. “We’re behind since we haven’t been on the track, but I’ve got a lot of friends in the garage and I’ve been able to pick up some tidbits.”

The immediate goal is simple: earn a spot in Sunday’s 43-car field.

“There’s been some talk about us doing races like Dover and Richmond. I’d say if we make this race and do well, we would at least be at Daytona,’’ Gray said, referring to the Coke Zero 400 on July 4.
“Even though there [are] not going to be as many cars at usual at Talladega this weekend, we still have to earn our way. They’re not going to give anything to us.”

McClure realizes the stakes are high and the sentiment is strong for No. 4 Chevrolet.

“The team not running last year was tough on everybody, and there have been so many different people, as well as the folks from Hefty brand, [who] have pitched in to make this effort possible,” McClure said.
“I’m hopeful we can get in the race. It would mean a lot to all the people [who] have been a part of or have followed MMM over the years.”

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