Skinner released from Kodak ride.

After failing to qualify for last Sunday's Sirius 400 at Michigan, former Craftsman Truck Series Champion and Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Mike Skinner has been released as the driver of the famous #4 Morgan McClure Motorsports Kodak sponsored entry.

Team owner Larry McClure made his decision after spending the weekend examining the #4 Pontiac Grand Prix with which Skinner could only post the 40th fastest time in Friday's Bud Pole qualifying session at the two-mile D-shaped oval. The team failed to qualify as they had used all the provisionals available to them at that point of the season.

Provisionals are handed out every eight attempted races to teams outside the top 25 in owners points (the #4 was 40th) and with Michigan being the 15th round of the Championship, failures to get into the races at Daytona, Las Vegas, Texas, Talladega and Pocono on qualifying speed counted against Skinner last weekend.

The team have hired current Trans-Am driver Johnny Miller to drive the #4 Pontiac in this weekend's Dodge/Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway at Sears Point and have said they will find a more permanent replacement for the rest of the year during the one week break that follows the first road course race of the season. Miller was already scheduled to be in Sonoma this weekend driving in the supporting Trans Am event for Rocketsports Racing.

Skinner's firing comes after one and a half lacklustre years with the once feared team in which he posted just a single top ten finish last autumn at Rockingham. After several seasons of decline in the late 1990's Skinner had been touted as the man to turn the teams fortunes around and help take them back to the form that saw the bright yellow Kodak machine drive to victory lane in the Daytona 500 three times in five years. However despite some occasional sparks, mechanical issues or accidents contributed to a distant 31st place finish in points last year and a generally uncompetitive start to 2003.

A change in crew chiefs last season and the arrival of the young and energetic Chris Carrier seemed to help at times but not even a switch to Pontiac chassis after many years with Chevrolet helped matters. After looking at all possibilities, which are said to include even his own position as team owner as well as personnel and equipment, Skinner joins John Andretti on the recently unemployed list.