From The Cup Scene Daily:

WARD RETURNS
Bruton signs with Morgan-McClure to run full 2007 season
By Greg Engle
Editor, Cup Scene Daily,December 13

Ward’s back.

After a nearly 18 month absence, veteran Ward Burton will return to full-time Nextel Cup competition in 2007.

Speaking on the nationally syndicated radio show Speed Talk Live Tuesday night, Burton confirmed that he would be behind the wheel of the No. 4 Morgan-McClure Chevy full-time next season, beginning with the 2007 Daytona 500.

“It all came together (Tuesday),” Burton said. “We’d been talking about it for a couple of weeks and we met the sponsor at Larry’s (Team Owner Larry McClure) place in Abingdon (Virginia), State Water Heaters, and we all signed our deals at the same time.”

Burton campaigned the Morgan-McClure car for three races at the close of the 2006 season, with his best finish, a 25th place coming at Texas in November.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do but we’re excited about it,” Burton said. “Hopefully we can help Larry and Tim (Co-owner Tim Morgan) get that ship righted and get the 4 car back to where it used to be.”

After sitting out the last races of 2004,all of 2005 and most of 2006, the South Boston Virginia native returned to Nextel Cup competition this past October at Martinsville. It was that race and the perpetration for it that gave Burton the urge to return full time.

“Man it was, it really was,” Burton said “You know we went to New River Valley (a short track in Virginia), two days before that and after I got the brakes seated and got some speed up, I thought ‘Man what have I been doing with myself’, because I missed it so much. It was just so much fun. And going out to Martinsville being in Virginia and the closest track to my hometown, the fan response we got that was really exciting, I couldn’t have planned it any better and I thank Larry and them for the opportunity to do that.”

Burton also said he had been talking to an unnamed team about running up to 20 NASCAR Busch Series races in 2007.

“That will give me some more experience,” Burton said. “And actually help me get associated with another team and it’s obviously something that can help Morgan-McClure.”

Having competed full time from 1994 to 2004, Burton knows he’ll have a tough time right out of the gate. The team is outside the top 35 in points meaning they’ll have to race their way into the field. And the toughest place to do that is the season opening Daytona 500, the only NASCAR Nextel Cup event that forces most teams to race their way in via one of two twin qualifying races.

“What we’re faced with there is that there are going to be probably 20-25 teams that go home at Daytona, I thinking that’s going to be the worst-case scenario,” Burton said.” Now they’re going to take the top three teams on time, the fastest three teams not in the top 35 and then two teams per 125, that’s not a lot of spots, so if you’re not in the top 35 going into Daytona you are in a real pressure cooker situation. But what we’ve got to do is work hard, do all our homework and hope for some racing luck. It’s going to take a little bit of all of it.”

No matter how Burton fares in 2007, he’ll always remain a fan favorite. During his absence fans could be seen holding signs that said, “Where’s Ward?” Now that question has an answer and Burton is glad he wasn’t forgotten.

“Man there’s some really nice people out there,” Burton said “And the support they’ve show me over the years, it certainly makes you grateful for everything you have, it’s really humbling and I appreciate it. It makes you remember what’s truly important sometimes.”