Skinner signs three-year deal with Morgan-McClure
By Dave Rodman, Turner Sports Interactive
October 2, 2001
12:04 PM EDT (1604 GMT)
ABINGDON, Va. -- Mike Skinner has signed a three-year deal to drive Morgan-McClure Motorsports’ No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, beginning with Speedweeks 2002 at Daytona International Speedway.
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Mike Skinner
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Skinner is scheduled to undergo knee surgery in Florida on Wednesday morning. He delayed the surgery a day, he said, in order to participate in a teleconference to make the announcement. He said he anticipated being ready for pre-season testing in January at Daytona.
“We needed to get back to where we were,” said team owner Larry McClure, who added the deal was signed Tuesday morning. “To get somebody like Mike, who is always a threat to win, is a competitor and who has a lot of desire was a good opportunity. I know Mike likes to mash the button and that’s what I like.”
On Monday, Morgan-McClure announced Bobby Hamilton Jr. would drive its car in seven of the eight remaining races this season, with the exception of the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The team agreed to part ways with interim driver Kevin Lepage as of Monday.
“We’ve been working on this for a while,” said Skinner, who was released from his driving responsibilities with Richard Childress Racing prior to last weekend in order to have surgery. “It’s a great opportunity for Mike Skinner, to be sure, to go with an owner like Larry, who’s had a great amount of success in the past.”
That success has eluded the team of late. Morgan-McClure started the season with a long-term agreement with driver Robby Gordon, which ended up lasting only five races. Since then, Lepage has driven the car in 21 races, missed two others and had a best finish of 11th.
Morgan-McClure, which scored three Daytona 500 victories in the 1990s with Sterling Marlin and Ernie Irvan, has not won a race since 1998, when Bobby Hamilton was behind the wheel.
Skinner, who won the inaugural NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 1995, is winless in 167 Winston Cup point races.
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