A sign of the times.
By: Drew Hierwarter
The press release was short and to the point. “”We are basically closing the doors on 25 years of NASCAR racing if we don’t find a sponsor. . . “. And with that, the team of Morgan-McClure Racing laid off 28 employees and closed the doors on their Abingdon, Virginia shop. The race team that was once a force in NASCAR’s top series, wining the Daytona 500 three times, twice back-to-back, and recording 11 other wins, and 13 poles could no longer compete. They could not continue in a world dominated by super teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Roush-Fenway Racing, Richard Childress Racing, and others with much more money and resources.
Today’s NASCAR is a very different animal than it was back in 1998 when the #4 car last won a race, the “Goody’s Headache Powder 500” at Martinsville. The typical NASCAR team of 2008 employs hundreds of people and receives 20 to 30 million dollars in sponsorship money from major corporations. They routinely use equipment like a multi-million dollar seven post shaker rig, a computer operated machine that can “test” cars under simulated race conditions without going to a race track. Last year Hendrick’s engine department, nearly a separate company of its own, built more than 300 engines for itself and other teams. Several teams have looked outside the sport to merge with big money investors who bring not only a significant pile of cash but the knowledge and expertise to manage a large corporation. Something that many race teams have become whether they intended to or not. These teams are now heavily populated with highly paid, degreed engineers, some of whom have more letters after their name than in them. Personnel are flown to and from races, sponsor appearances, and test sessions in private jets. Racing is big business now and shows every sign of getting bigger.
The Morgan-McClure operation is miniscule by comparison. To make matters worse, they are located 170 miles from the epicenter of NASCAR, the
The Morgan-McClure press release included the statement that they will continue to search for a sponsor. If one can be found in time the team will enter a car in this year’s Daytona 500. But the times have changed and the chances of survival for a small bunch of racers in the NASCAR of today are very, very slim. Today it takes more than a passion for the sport and a willingness to work hard. You still need those things for sure, but you also need much, much more.
The list of drivers who have raced for Morgan-McClure is a long and illustrious one. It includes people like Mark Martin, A.J. Foyt, the late Bobby Hamilton, Sr., and Bobby Hamilton, Jr., Ernie Irvan, Sterling Marlin, Mike Skinner, Mike Wallace, Robby Gordon, Kevin Lepage, Jimmy Spencer, and, of course, Ward Burton. If sponsorship is found, Mike Wallace will get one more chance to put the #4 into the Daytona 500 starting field. If not, the list ends there. It’s for sure a sad day for Morgan-McClure but it’s a sign of the times. The days of a small independent team competing at NASCAR’s top level are over.