Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 22, 1994 TAG: 9402220035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB ZELLER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
Everything was solid about the No. 4 Kodak Chevrolet outfit except the driver, Ernie Irvan, who wanted out.
Together, Irvan and the team had blossomed into one of the strongest in the series. They had their first race at Bristol in 1990 and captured the Daytona 500 in 1991.
But in the fall of 1993, after five more victories, things were falling apart. Irvan openly lambasted McClure, who disliked having to participate in the public battle.
It ended in early September, when Irvan bought his way out of his contract. And while Irvan went on to win two more races in the late Davey Allison's car, McClure went through three journeyman drivers and failed to get a top-10 finish the rest of the season.
From that experience, an obsession grew in McClure and crew chief Tony Glover - an obsession to win the Daytona 500 again.
With second-generation NASCAR driver Sterling Marlin behind the wheel - a driver who had never won any of his 278 races - the dream came true Sunday in the 36th annual running of NASCAR's biggest event.
"Sterling just fell in the seat, and we didn't miss a beat," McClure said. "It was just like Ernie being there, except Sterling was our driver."
And guess who was hanging onto Marlin's bumper in second place, vainly trying to find a way to pass? Irvan was gracious in defeat.
"Congratulations to those guys. They had a great day," he said. "That team needed it. They're a strong team and they will get stronger."
The irony of the finish never crossed Marlin's mind.
"Me and Ernie never bucked heads or nothin'," he said. "Since this thing started we've been friends. I never thought about it."
But if hard feelings didn't drive the driver, they certainly motivated the car owner and crew chief.
"Things happened with our race team last year, and I became possessed this winter," Glover said. "I told the guys at the shop that we were going to Daytona to win the race and we came here with that attitude."
It had started the night of Oct. 31, after the race in Phoenix, when Glover and McClure recruited Marlin to take over the yellow Kodak car.
"I had on my Daytona 500 ring and Larry had his on," said Glover, "and we just showed him our rings and told him if he wanted to win the Daytona 500, he needed to come drive for us. And from that point on, we were on a mission to win the Daytona 500."
"We knew Sterling could drive fast," said McClure. "We felt like if we gave him the support we felt like we had to give him, we'd be successful."
Glover worked to recapture the atmosphere McClure had created in the 1991 preseason.
"In 1991, it was Larry's turn to win the Daytona 500," Glover said. "He was possessed by it. All winter long, that's all he talked about."
The team found a way to win in spite of itself this time. "We changed intake manifolds on race morning and we had trouble going through inspection all week long," Glover said. "We were on the ragged edge. But I felt like that was Larry's race."
"It was kind of ironic this morning," Glover said Sunday evening after the race. "I always walk out and look at the pit before the race to see where we're pitting. We were in pit 4, we qualified fourth and were car No. 4.
"I walked back up where victory lane was. We'd been there a couple of times before, so I had to stop and take a glance at it. I looked over at it and said, `Ol' buddy, I'll see you in a little while.' "
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB