Morgan-McClure Motorsports general manager Larry McClure confirmed Monday that the #4 team will have a new primary sponsor for the upcoming season. The current 18-year marriage between Kodak and the Abingdon-based M-M organization has been one of the longest in the sport’s history. “We should have our major sponsor signed by Dec. 8,” McClure said. “A few details are still being worked out. And Kodak will still be an associate sponsor on our car for the next three years.” McClure did not divulge details on the length of the new sponsor package. As for the other big question mark at M-M – who will be the driver next year – stay tuned. Veteran Kevin Lepage, who finished the season as the driver of the #4 Kodak Pontiac, actually visited the sprawling race shop Monday morning. “Kevin is still on top of our list right now,” McClure said. “He has done the best job for us. Over the last six races, we had an average finish of 24th in the points and that’s about the best we did all season. We had some opportunities to finish better in several of those races, but we were competitive and feel pretty good about what we accomplished.” Veteran crew chief Tim Brewer will return in the twin role of team manager and crew chief as Morgan-McClure switches back to the Chevrolet banner this season. “Right now, Tim is wearing those two hats,” McClure said. “If Tim chooses to put somebody else in the crew chief position, that will be his call. The rest of the pit crew is pretty much intact.” Bristol native Chris Carrier and longtime crew member Mark Prater are no longer with the team. Carrier began the 2003 season as the crew chief. After dealing with numerous interview requests and questions in recent weeks, McClure is eager to quell the speculation regarding the financial backing. “I am real excited. This is going to be a high-profile sponsor who hasn’t been in the sport before. They have a lot of promotions planned, including a marketing push on TV,” he said. “We’ve been working on this for about two months and we look forward to the announcement. It’s been a good relationship for us and Kodak,” McClure said. “I wish the best for Kodak. They are going to be a major sponsor with another team. We’ve all seen the Internet reports, but I have no idea what team that will be. We will just see how it goes for Kodak and for us.” It also appears that Eric McClure, son of team co-owner Jerry McClure, will compete in several NASCAR Busch Series races.( Bristol Herald Courier )(12-2-2003)
