| Subject: backstretch |
Author:
Rick
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Date Posted: Sunday, January 06, 06:03:08pm
It just seems to go from bad to worse for some of the most storied teams in NASCAR. Last season it looked like Morgan-McClure may have been on the verge of turning things around after signing Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton and bringing in sponsor State Water Heaters. Granted a name like State Water Heaters doesn’t resonate with the public like Kodak did, but at least it was a company willing to foot the bill to get a real race team back to the track. With a name like Burton on board things looked, well if not great, at least good.
Such is not to be the case. Right around Christmas Morgan-McClure was told State Water Heaters would be going to the 66 car driven by Scott Riggs. Well isn’t that a Merry Christmas? Burton has also left the team. Now the team is scurrying around trying to find a driver and a sponsor. The ideal situation would be a driver that can bring money with him. Usually when that happens it turns out to be a driver that can only find a ride because he has money, and not because of incredible talent. But right now, the 4 team needs money if they intend to compete.
If they can secure sponsorship, there is a chance they can hook up with another multi-car team so share technical information. That would be ideal but it hinges on money. Morgan-McClure will certainly be at Daytona: everyone with a car will be there. But beyond that, it’s all up to money.
A lot of newer fans won’t realize just how good the 4 car used to be. It’s like the 43 and the 21 cars. New fans don’t know how it used to be unless they watch old videotapes. It’s a shame to see those cars fall by the wayside. Maybe the 43 is starting to turn things around a little bit but for the 21 and the 4 car, it’s maybe not so good.
These teams deserve better than they’re getting. It was sad last year to see the legendary Wood Brothers pull their driver out of the car and replace him with someone who could do no more than guarantee six starting spots. That’s what it’s come down to and it isn’t right.
It’s all big business now. Lowe’s, Dupont and McDonald’s are not interested in being on the side of cars driven by Mike Skinner, Ricky Craven or Andy Houston, but you know what? At one time, they all were on the cars driven by those guys. Nowadays it’s all flash: the so-called young guns. If you can’t put a good looking kid on television every week, we’ll find someone who can. That’s what it’s all about now and because of that, the history of our sport is starting to disappear.
That’s what Morgan-McClure is, you know: history. Just as surely as the names Petty, Earnhardt and Wood are pieces of NASCAR history, so is Morgan-McClure.
I spent some time at Morgan Shepherd’s race shop a couple of years ago. What a sad state that was. He had one complete car in the shop. The day I got there Shepherd met me for lunch. He was just getting home with a new Arrington engine in his trailer, and yes, he was bringing it home himself. The shop was a far cry from the squeaky-clean shops I’d visited at Hendrick, Petty and BDR. The walls were just sheet metal and it was noisy. But there was this shelf, up near the ceiling, and sitting on it were all these trophies.
That’s what Morgan Shepherd was reduced to: a bunch of trophies on one shelf in an old metal building that housed one used race car. But think about it for a second. There were trophies. Today’s race fans have no idea how good Morgan Shepherd was.
No, Morgan-McClure, the Wood Brothers and Morgan Shepherd do no deserve special treatment. But they do deserve… I don’t know… something. Even if it’s just a little respect.
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