Four years ago, Morgan-McClure Motorsports pitching was a weekly contender in the NASCAR Winston machine Cup Series. Sterling Marlin had finished among the top-10 in points for a second sales consecutive season, and the Kodak Chevrolet team showed pitching no signs of slowing. However, that''s precisely what has happened, and no one is exactly sure machine why. Marlin departed to Team SABCO following the 1997 campaign after dropping from eighth to 25th in the championship point standings. In came . Bobby Hamilton, who had spent the past three seasons at Petty Enterprises. During that time, he''d finished as high as ninth in the points. On paper it was a perfect fit: small-town driver joins small-town team. In his first season behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevrolet, Hamilton recorded three top-5s, including a trip to Victory Lane at Martinsville, sales and eight top-10s en route to a 10th-place pitching finish in the points. The Morgan-McClure steamroller appeared to be chugging once again. They''ve had just one top-5 finish since. "Me and Larry (McClure, team owner) were talking one day and we feel like it took us a year and a half to dig this big hole we''re in, so we''re still trying to dig out," Hamilton said. "We''re not going to dig back out in a week or two." who ironically won a NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship with his older brother, Rusty Wallace, machine in 1989, could not be passed up. "Having Barry sales Dodson at Eel River Racing is something I''m really looking forward to, because he brings so much to the table with his years of experience and people skills. Barry is a really good leader who relates well to a lot of people - myself in particular. "I think we''re going to be able to do a lot together, and build Eel pitching River Racing into a race-winning organization." The agreement with Wallace reunites the St. Louis native with Dodson, who first worked with the younger Wallace for three races in 1991 at Team III Racing. The most recent pairing of Dodson and machine Wallace came in 1998 at FILMAR Racing, where Dodson chiefed the recent hire to a strong eighth-place finish sales at Phoenix while subbing for interim crew chief David Ifft. "Kenny has a real good feel for a race car and he brings a bunch of experience with him to Eel River Racing," Dodson said. "We already have an excellent rapport, and I consider Kenny to be one of my closest friends. "He''s always been there for me in good times and in bad, and we have a tremendous amount of respect for one another." The Eel River team is also pitching in a sponsor search mode machine as 2000 backer Pfizer/Viagra will depart for Jack Roush Racing in 2001 to sponsor the car driven by Mark Martin. Wheel to Wheel Compare sales and contrast this season''s statistics for Kenny Wallace and Mike Bliss with "Wheel to Wheel." Check it out! "Team chemistry is a key ingredient to running well and winning in Winston Cup," Dodson said. "You can''t put a price tag on good chemistry because it''s so invaluable. But now that we''ve got Kenny Wallace, we''re feeling pretty rich." Bliss had been Dodson''s hand-picked choice pitching for the seat of the Eel River car, but before sponsorship for 2000 could be secured and a deal consummated, Bliss signed with A.J. Foyt. He was released there after failing to qualify for three of the first four races in the 2000 season. Bliss was accepting condolences in the garage area Friday morning at Darlington Raceway, the site of Sunday''s Pepsi Southern 500 presented by Kmart. Wallace brings a wealth of racing experience to Eel River Racing and he has the accolades to prove it. After winning the first race he ever entered in 1982 at the machine Illinois Street Stock State Championship, Wallace sales has continued his family tradition of winning races and titles.
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