Scott Wimmer and owner Larry McClure have parted ways. Credit: Autostock

Wimmer out, Bodine in No. 4 Chevy at 'Dega

Craftsman Truck Series championship leader Todd Bodine will attempt Sunday's UAW-Ford 500 Nextel Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway, giving him a potential doubleheader weekend.

Bodine, who has 226 career Cup Series starts, has been named by Morgan-McClure Motorsports to replace Scott Wimmer for the next two weekends in the team's No. 4 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Stats at a Glance Scott Wimmer's 2006 season Race Start Finish Status California 38 39 engine Las Vegas 37 32 running Atlanta 42 30 running Bristol 40 19 running Martinsville 36 28 running Texas 43 28 running Phoenix 33 30 running Talladega 43 21 running Richmond 33 36 running Darlington 38 33 running Lowe's 38 27 running Dover 43 34 running Michigan 36 31 running Chicago 28 34 running New Hampshire 36 20 running Pocono 41 38 running Indianapolis 34 20 running Watkins Glen 28 25 running Bristol 43 42 engine California 17 30 running Richmond 6 29 running New Hampshire 39 31 running Dover 43 36 engine

Bodine will also drive the car at Lowe's Motor Speedway in two weekends, while team owner Larry McClure looks at possibly auditioning drivers for the balance of the season.

A Morgan-McClure release said the parting was "mutual." Wimmer has talked in recent weeks of entertaining several different options for 2007, including returning full-time to the Busch Series.

The No. 4 is 39th in Nextel Cup owner points, which means Bodine is one of 14 drivers in the 49-car entry list that will compete for eight available starting spots.

"We are sorry to lose Scott, but at the same time we all have to do what is best for each of us," team owner Larry McClure said. "He is one of the nicest young men I've had the opportunity to work with and we enjoyed having him with us this year and getting to know him and his family.

"I knew he was going to have to make a decision soon about his future in the sport and we wish him nothing but the best in his next endeavor."

Morgan-McClure lost its primary sponsor earlier this season and since then McClure has worked at securing the backing to continue, primarily from Lucas Oil Products. McClure has said his team will race in 2007 and he hopes to have a second car out of their shop in Abingdon, Va.

Bodine, who has 10 Craftsman Truck Series victories in the last three seasons, made his last Cup Series start -- and his only one in the last two seasons -- when he finished 20th for Morgan-McClure in the 2005 season finale Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"Todd got in our car last year at Homestead and really went out and showed us what we were capable of, so he was a good choice for us," McClure said. "We are looking forward to getting to Talladega and working with Todd again."

Bodine, the Chemung, N.Y., native was already scheduled to drive his No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota in Saturday's John Deere 250, the Truck Series' inaugural event on the newly repaved 2.66-mile oval.

Bodine currently holds a 91-point lead over fellow Tundra pilot Johnny Benson in the Truck Series' standings with six races remaining.

Scott Wimmer's last top-10 finish came at Dover in 2004. Credit: Autostock

Wimmer has struggled to get Morgan-McClure back into the Nextel Cup Series' critical top 35 in owner points after missing the season opening Daytona 500. The No. 4 failed to make six of the first 29 races, including two out of three restrictor plate events.

"We just decided to go different ways in '07," Wimmer said in the team's statement. "We were working real hard to put sponsorship together and get things going in the right direction and it just never seemed to materialize.

"I think we had a successful season. We ran real well at times, especially with losing our sponsor so early and having to go through all that. Unfortunately, we just couldn't find the consistency we needed and missed a few races.

"But I think we ran real good at other ones and definitely were building something. We just never could get decent funding or the sponsorship we needed, so we decided to go different ways in '07."

Going into last weekend's Banquet 400 at Kansas Speedway, Morgan-McClure was 39th in the owners' standings, 347 points out of 35th. After failing to qualify, the team is 424 points back.

"I really enjoyed the time that I was there," Wimmer said. "I think that they are great car owners and great people and definitely deserve to have success in this sport like they used to. I wish them the best and hope they can find what they had back in the 90's and be successful like they were there."

Bodine has eight Cup starts and nine Busch Series starts at Talladega, including three top-five finishes and the pole for the 2000 Touchstone Energy 300.

In 2003, his last full season in the Cup Series, Bodine failed to qualify for the fall Talladega event and was 28th in the spring.