#4 Morgan-McClure Motorsports was at Bristol Motor Speedway Wednesday for a test session in preparation for the upcoming Food City 500 on March 28. The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series team had two cars to test, one with sponsor decals and one without. After the end of the 2003 season, the #4 Monte Carlo ended its long running sponsorship with Kodak. Prior to this year’s Daytona 500, team manager Larry McClure entered into an agreement with YOKETV for primary sponsorship of the car over the course of this year’s 36-race schedule. But last week in Atlanta the Morgan-McClure team showed up for the running of the Golden Corral 500 with the YOKETV sponsor decal missing from their car. “The best thing for me to say is that we have some differences and we are trying to work them out,” said McClure of the current status of the contract. “Then, depending on whether it does come back and we hope it does, we are looking in some other directions and right now we don’t have anything in the other direction. “We’re just talking to some other folks and hoping something will happen.” McClure is optimistic something can be worked out with YOKETV to continue until year’s end but reiterated that the sport is definitely too expensive to continue without sponsor dollars to pay the bills. “There is a possibility (to continue the current sponsorship) but we just need to shore up some things,” added McClure. “If that happens, then we’ll be OK. If it doesn’t then we hope that we get something else and if we do, we’ll be fine throughout the year. We plan on continuing as of now and just see what transpires in the next little bit.” When asked the team’s plans for the immediate future, and whether the sponsor decals will be on the car this weekend at Darlington, McClure said, “we know we are going to run Darlington, Bristol, Talladega and I think Texas is in there. Past that, we’ll need to get something (worked out). At this time, the YOKETV won’t be on the car (at Darlington). Tomorrow, it may be if we get things worked out. If we can work out the details, we’d love to have them on the car.” The team’s driver, Kevin Lepage, said the team is focused on doing its job on the track and not letting other happenings be a distraction. “I don’t think it affects anything,” said Lepage, whose best finish this year was 22nd at Rockingham. “He’s (McClure) committed to the race team to do his best effort to give us the best equipment, both in the motor department and the cars and the people week to week.”(Kingsports Times News/Bristol Herald Courier)(3-18-2004)
