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| Owners |
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|---|---|
| Base | Abingdon, Virginia, United States |
| Series | NASCAR Cup Series |
| Race drivers | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Closed | 2012 |
| Career | |
| Debut | 1983Winston 500 (Talladega Superspeedway) |
| Latest race | 2009Sharpie 500 (Bristol Motor Speedway) |
| Races competed | 703 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 14 |
| Pole positions | 13 |
Morgan–McClure Motorsports was an Americanauto racing team that competed in theNASCAR Cup Series full-time until 2007. It operated for 28 years, starting in 1983 and ending in 2012. The team was most notable for running the No. 4 from 1983 to 2010. The team notably won theDaytona 500 three times during the 1990s. They won withErnie Irvan in 1991, then won back-to-back in 1994–1995 withSterling Marlin. Irvan (1992) and Marlin (1996) also each won thePepsi 400 for a total of five points-paying wins atDaytona for the team over a six-year period.

Morgan–McClure Motorsports was owned by business partners Larry McClure and Tim Morgan. It began in1983 when the two purchased a race car fromG. C. Spencer. The car debuted atTalladega Superspeedway and was piloted byConnie Saylor. The car finished 40th after suffering engine failure. After firing Connie because they wanted a younger driver and after obtaining the rights to No. 4 & the car he drove for G. C. Spencer,Mark Martin took over the driving duties later that year, and had one top-10 finish. In1984, the team signedFolgers as a sponsor and began racing as car No. 4.Tommy Ellis ran twenty races that year for the team, withLennie Pond andJoe Ruttman running the rest of the schedule. Ruttman drove sixteen races for them next season, notching one top-5 and four top-10 finishes. In1986, MMM gotEastman Kodak sponsorship and signedRick Wilson to handle the driving chores. Wilson got the team its firstpole position atBristol Motor Speedway in1988, its first full season on the circuit. When Wilson announced he was leaving the team in1989, the team was eighth in points.

For the1990 season, the team hiredPhil Parsons, but after three races, Parsons was released in favor ofErnie Irvan. In his first race with the team, Irvan started 30th, and finished third. Two races later, Irvan won his first pole position atBristol Motor Speedway. The team switched fromOldsmobile toChevrolet in order to get more manufacturer support. Their first race after the switch was at the 1990 Bud at the Glen. Irvan picked up his first career victory, as well as the first victory for MMM the following week at Bristol, in the Busch 500. The next season, Irvan won theDaytona 500 andThe Bud at the Glen (The latter was marred by the death of popular veteranJ. D. McDuffie). When the checkered flag fell at the end of the season, the team was fifth in points. The next season, Irvan won three races over a two-month stretch, atSears Point International Raceway, thePepsi 400 at theDaytona International Speedway, and atTalladega Superspeedway, respectively. In1993, Irvan won the pole twice, as well as a victory at Talladega. WhenDavey Allison died in an aircraft accident,Robert Yates asked Irvan to take his place. Irvan wanted out of his contract with MMM, and it ensued into an ugly lawsuit. Irvan was able to get out, but there were hurt feelings on both sides.
For the1994 season, the team hiredSterling Marlin to drive. In his first race in the team, Marlin won theDaytona 500, beating out, ironically, Irvan. Marlin won the 500 the next year as well, in addition to two more races atDarlington Speedway and Talladega. In1996, Marlin won two races, at Talladega and thePepsi 400 at Daytona.

After the team went winless with Marlin in1997, finishing 25th in points, the team and Marlin decided to part ways. MMM hired two-time race winnerBobby Hamilton. Hamilton led 378 out of 500 laps and won from the pole atMartinsville Speedway and finished 10th in the final points standings. Soon, the team was not able repeat its success, and Hamilton left forAndy Petree Racing in2001. He was replaced byRobby Gordon, but Gordon struggled in the ride and was released after just five races.Mike Skinner andKevin Lepage shared the driving duties for two years without much success. In2003, MMM switched toPontiac. They lost their Kodak sponsorship in2004, but MMM remained open, switching back toChevrolet (almost being required to do so, as Pontiac had withdrawn from the Cup series at the end of 2003).Jimmy Spencer drove the car most of that year, and team co-owner Larry McClure's sonEric drove another team car to finish 26th atTalladega Superspeedway. For2005, the team signedLucas Oil as a sponsor, and hiredMike Wallace to drive. Wallace was replaced byJohn Andretti,P. J. Jones, andTodd Bodine for some of the races in 2005. In2006, Scott Wimmer was announced as the 2006 driver with new sponsorship from the Utah-basedAERO Exhaust. Wimmer had an average start of 35th and average of finish 29th, no wins, top fives, or top tens. On October 3, 2006, Larry McClure announced that the team and Wimmer parted ways. They hiredTodd Bodine to drive the next two races, Charlotte and Atlanta, until they could find a permanent replacement. The last three races the team hired veteranWard Burton, who at the time had not driven in the Cup Series in several years. On December 12, 2006, MMM announced they signed Burton to take full-time seat in2007 with sponsorship from State Water Heaters. Burton was released before the last race of the 2007 season. Furthermore, Morgan–McClure Motorsports shut down weeks shy of the 2008 Daytona 500 due to financial problems, but had agreed to letMike Wallace drive in the2008 Daytona 500 if sponsorship was found. Sponsorship was found, but Larry McClure said that he was tired of just sliding by and would come back when major sponsorship could be secured. WhenTony Stewart announced on August 14 thatRyan Newman would drive the No. 4 car in 2009, Morgan–McClure Motorsports protested. Tim Morgan stated, "There's some sweat and history in that number 4. We feel like it ours,[1]" in an article for the Bristol Herald Courier. After discussions with MMM and NASCAR, on August 18 Stewart announced that Newman would drive the No. 39 instead of a No. 4 car in 2009. In 2014 Stewart did acquire the No. 4 to use with driverKevin Harvick, who replaced Newman and the No. 39 in the 2014 season.
Rumors indicated that Morgan–McClure Motorsports would prepare a No. 4 Chevy to attempt the2009 Daytona 500, but this did not happen. On April 11, 2009, the team made public their intentions to attempt theAaron's 499 atTalladega Superspeedway with driverEric McClure in the No. 4Hefty/Walmart Chevy, however the team failed to qualify for the race. Scott Wimmer attempted to qualify the car at Bristol. Wimmer made the event, Morgan–McClure's first start since 2007. He finished 29th. Wimmer also attempted Dover but they were the only team to not qualify.
Since 2009, legal problems have prevented Morgan–McClure from actively competing. Larry McClure was charged with federal income tax fraud for not reporting $269,000 for cars used in the ARCA series. He was also forced to pay back $60,000 to Eastman-Kodak for falsifying an invoice. McClure spent eighteen months in jail and works at a family car dealership.
MMM returned to the Cup Series at Bristol in August 2010, butKevin Lepage failed to qualify for the race. The team never attempted another race again, with their No. 4 being used byRed Bull Racing Team forKasey Kahne in 2011 without any objections from Morgan-McClure. The team closed its doors in 2012.[2] Larry McClure died June 25, 2025 at the age of 81.[3]
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time.Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
| NASCARSprint Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Owners | Pts | |||
| 2003 | David Reutimann | 04 | Pontiac | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | TAL | MAR | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA DNQ | POC | IND DNQ | 62nd | 93 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Johnny Miller | GLN 36 | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | NHA | DOV | TAL | KAN | CLT | MAR | ATL | PHO | CAR | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Eric McClure | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | MAR | TAL 26 | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY DNQ | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | TAL | KAN | CLT | MAR | ATL | PHO | DAR | HOM | 66th | 112 | ||||
| 2006 | Eric McClure | 04 | Chevy | DAY | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL 31 | CLT | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | 64th | 70 | |||
| 2007 | DAY DNQ | CAL | LVS | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | NHA | DAY DNQ | CHI | IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | 68th | 8 | ||||||