Morgan Shepherd
Encyclopedia
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Sprint Cup driver since 1977. He has also raced in the Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. He is a born again Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
who serves as a lay minister to the racing community. At age 70, he runs a full-time schedule in the Nationwide Series, driving the #89 Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Chevrolet for Faith Motorsports
Faith Motorsports
Faith Motorsports is a currently active NASCAR Nationwide Series team. They currently field the #89 Chevrolet for Morgan Shepherd and the #55 Chevrolet for Brett Rowe.-Beginnings:...
.
Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner (after Harry Gant
Harry Gant
Harry Phil Gant is a retired American racecar driver best known for driving the #33 Skoal Bandit car on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit during the 1980s and 1990s.-Nicknames:...
) in 1993
1993 in NASCAR
The 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season began on February 7 and ended on November 14. Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing won the title, the sixth of his career....
, when he won the spring race at Atlanta
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
at the age of 51 years, 4 months, and 27 days.
Career prior to cup
Shepherd's racing career began when he used his souped-up moonshine car to earn extra money on the weekends. He won 21 of 29 races to win the North Carolina title. In 1973, Shepherd finished second in the championship to Jack IngramJack Ingram (NASCAR)
Jack Ingram is a former NASCAR Busch Series race car driver and champion. Nicknamed the "Iron Man", during eight seasons in the Busch Series, he won 31 races and 5 poles, as well as the 1982 and 1985 championships. Unlike most younger competitors, Ingram won his 31 races between the age of 45 and...
in NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman division, driving in 17 different cars. In 1980, he won the series title. He is also a well known rollerskater, dancer, and car collector.
1970s and 1980s
Shepherd made his Winston Cup debut in 1970 at Hickory Motor SpeedwayHickory Motor Speedway
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars"....
, driving the #93 Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for Bill Flowers
Bill Flowers
Bill Flowers an Australian painter, printmaker, cartoonist, animator & snake wrangler who lives in Ulverstone, Tasmania...
. He started tenth but finished nineteenth out of twenty-two cars due to rear end failure. He made two more starts that year, his best finish a fourteenth at Hickory. He did not race in Cup again until 1977, when he finished tenth at Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway
Dover International Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned race track located in Dover, Delaware, owned by, and serving as the corporate headquarters of, Dover Motorsports, Inc. It is co-located with a harness racing track, Dover Downs, and shares the complex with Dover Downs Hotel & Casino...
in a Jim Makar-owned Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
. He ran two additional races at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the Sprint All-Star Race...
and Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a track just outside Hampton, Georgia, twenty miles south of Atlanta. It is a quad-oval track with a seating capacity of over 125,000. It opened in 1960 as a standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track...
.
After running two races in 1978
1978 in NASCAR
The 1978 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series season began on Sunday, January 22 and ended on Sunday, November 19. Cale Yarborough driving the Junior Johnson #11 First National City Travelers Checks Oldsmobile won his then record third consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup...
, Shepherd moved to the Cup Series full-time in 1981, driving the #5 Performance Connection Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
for Cliff Stewart. He won the pole in his first race at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, and also picked up his first career win at Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
. Despite a thirteenth-place points finish in points, Shepherd was runner-up to Ron Bouchard
Ron Bouchard
Ron Bouchard is a former NASCAR driver who was the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year. His brother Ken Bouchard was the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year.-Local driving career:...
for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, he moved over to the #98 Levi Garrett
Levi Garrett
Levi Garrett is a brand of chewing tobacco. It has a noticeably salty flavor....
Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
for Ron Benfield. Although he did not win a race that season, he won the pole at Nashville Speedway USA and Atlanta, respectively, and had six top-fives, finishing tenth in the championship standings. That season, he also ran the Busch Series
Busch Series
The NASCAR Nationwide Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCAR's "minor league" circuit, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big leagues"; the Sprint Cup circuit...
on a part-time basis for Ed Whitaker. He won his second start at Hickory Motor Speedway
Hickory Motor Speedway
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as "The World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars"....
, then again at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Shepherd finished twelfth in points that season.
Emanuel Zervakis
Emanuel Zervakis was a NASCAR driver and team owner. He won two NASCAR Grand National races in his career, both in 1961...
, before driving the #2 ACM Equipment Sales Buick for the rest of the season for Jim Stacy
Jim Stacy
Jim Stacy is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series race car owner whose career spanned from 1977 to 1983.-Summary:He has employed veteran NASCAR drivers such as Neil Bonnett, Ferrel Harris, Sterling Marlin, Joe Ruttman, and Dale Earnhardt...
, his best finish being a second-place run at the Firecracker 400. His abbreviated season left him 20th in points. He continued to run for Whitaker in the Busch Series, winning at Bristol and Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
, but dropping to eighteenth in the final standings. Shepherd struggled in 1984, driving for multiple teams before closing out the year with Benfield, with whom he finished sixth at North Carolina Speedway
North Carolina Speedway
Rockingham Speedway, formerly North Carolina Motor Speedway and later North Carolina Speedway is a racetrack located near Rockingham, North Carolina...
. In the Busch Series, he drove a majority of the races for Lindy White, winning at Bristol, Indianapolis Raceway Park, and Martinsville.
For 1985, he drove for multiple Cup teams, the most of which for the #00 Helen Rae Special. After failing to finish all but two Busch races in 1985, Shepherd drove for Whitaker and himself the following season, winning a career high four Busch races during the season. In the Cup Series, he won his second career race driving the #47 Buick for Jack Beebe. He ended the season driving the #75 Pontiac Grand Prix
Pontiac Grand Prix
Picking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
, finishing 3rd at Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond International Raceway is a 3/4-mile , D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series...
. The following season, he drove to the #26 Quaker State Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
for King Racing
King Racing
King Racing was the name of famed NHRA champion Kenny Bernstein's racing team which fielded cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as well as in CART and the Indianapolis 500.-NASCAR:...
, winning the pole at Martinsville and finishing seventeenth in the standings. It was also the first time in his Cup career that he competed in every scheduled event. He won another three races in the Busch Series, including his only career road course win at Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta
Road Atlanta is a 2.54-mile road course located just north of Braselton, Georgia, USA. The facility is utilized for a wide variety of events, including professional and amateur sports car and motorcycle races, racing and driving schools, corporate programs and testing for motorsports teams...
.
In 1988
1988 in NASCAR
The 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began February 7 and ended November 20. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship.See also: 1988 in NASCAR Busch Series- 1988 Team Chart :- Busch Clash :...
, Shepherd continued to drive for a variety of teams, beginning the year with Tom Winkle in the #97 AC Spark Plug Buick, before driving a handful of races in his own car. He then drove five races for Mach 1 Racing
Mach 1 Racing
Mach 1 Racing is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series team. It was owned by Hollywood stuntman Hal Needham and actor Burt Reynolds. A team owned by Chris Edwards ran under this name from 2004 until 2006....
, finishing 2nd at Dover after leading 110 laps, then moved to the #75 Valvoline Pontiac for RahMoc Enterprises
RahMoc Enterprises
RahMoc Enterprises is a former NASCAR Winston Cup team. The team was owned by long-time engine builder Bob Rahilly and Butch Mock, as well as Darwin Oordt in the team's later years. RahMoc Enterprises continues to operate as an engine supplier for several NASCAR teams.- Beginnings :RahMoc's debut...
, winning the pole at Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
. After posting two top-tens in the #88 Red Baron Pizza Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
for Buddy Baker
Buddy Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker, Jr. , nicknamed "Leadfoot" or more famously Buddy, is a former American NASCAR racecar driver.-Early life:...
, Shepherd finished out the year in his own #57, before his team was purchased by RahMoc for the season finale. That year, he won the final Busch race at IRP. In 1989
1989 in NASCAR
The 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began February 12 and ended November 19. Rusty Wallace of the #27 Kodiak Pontiac for Blue Max Racing won the championship...
, he returned to RahMoc, winning his final pole at Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
and finishing thirteenth in points.
1990s
In 19901990 in NASCAR
The 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup began on Sunday February 11 and ended on Sunday November 18. Because of a highly controversial penalty to Mark Martin early in the season, Dale Earnhardt with Richard Childress Racing was crowned the Winston Cup champion for the fourth time, edging out Martin by 21...
, he scored a career high season-end ranking of fifth for Bud Moore Engineering
Bud Moore Engineering
Bud Moore Engineering was a championship-winning NASCAR team. It was owned and operated by mechanic Bud Moore and ran out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. While the team was a dominant force in the 60s and 80s, the final years were tumultuous due to lack of sponorship and uncompetitive race cars.-...
in the #15 Motorcraft
Motorcraft
Motorcraft is an auto parts brand of Ford Motor Company.-History:The Ford Motor Company launched this auto parts division in 1972 to provide replacement parts and original equipment parts. This brand replaced Autolite as Ford's official parts brand. Autolite is still a brand name in use today, but...
Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
. In addition, he picked up his third career win at the season-closing Atlanta Journal 500. After failing to win and dropping to twelfth the following season, Shepherd moved to the Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing is an American auto racing team that competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and Camping World Truck Series. The team was formed in 1950 by the sons of Walter and Ada Wood, thus the Wood Brothers...
#21 Citgo
Citgo
CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a United States-incorporated, Venezuela-owned refiner, transporter and marketer of transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products. The company is owned by PDV America, Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petróleos de...
Ford. He finished second in the 1992 Daytona 500 to Davey Allison
Davey Allison
David Carl "Davey" Allison was a NASCAR driver. He was best known for driving the #28 Texaco-Havoline Ford for Robert Yates Racing in the Winston Cup Series. Born in Hollywood, Florida, he was the eldest of four children born to Bobby Allison and wife Judy...
with a margin of victory of 2 cl. Despite dropping to fourteenth in points in 1992
1992 in NASCAR
The 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season began on February 9, 1992 and ended on November 15, 1992. Independent owner/driver Alan Kulwicki of AK Racing won the Winston Cup championship in the closest championship battle in NASCAR history to-date....
, Shepherd moved back up to seventh in points and won his final race to date at Atlanta in March 1993. The following season, he had sixteen top-tens, finished sixth in points, his highest finish since 1990. After finishing in the top-five four times in 1995
1995 in NASCAR
The 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on February 12 and concluded November 12. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his first career championship.- Overview :...
, Shepherd left the Wood Brothers team.
Remington Arms
Remington Arms Company, Inc. was founded in 1816 by Eliphalet Remington in Ilion, New York, as E. Remington and Sons. It is the oldest company in the United States which still makes its original product, and is the oldest continuously operating manufacturer in North America. It is the only U.S....
. He posted five top-tens and finished nineteenth in points. He left at the end of the season to drive the #1 Delco Remy America/Crusin' America Phone Card Pontiac for Precision Products Racing. He led ten laps early in the season at Atlanta, before fading back to third. Midway through the season, Shepherd moved over to the #77 Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports
Jasper Motorsports is a former NASCAR Winston Cup/NEXTEL Cup team. It was owned by a variety of owners including D.K. Ulrich and Doug Bawel.- 1970s-1980s :...
Ford. After just a handful of races with the 77, he departed and rejoined PPR, now with R+L Carriers
R+L Carriers
R+L Carriers is a freight shipping company, based in the United States. Over the course of 40 years, R+L Carriers, Inc. has grown from one truck to a fleet of 21,000 tractors and trailers. R+L Carriers serves a total of 50 states plus Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Dominican...
sponsorship. His best finish for the rest of the season was a twelfth at Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Talladega Superspeedway is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, United States. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base just outside the small city of Lincoln. It was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in...
.
After beginning 1998
1998 in NASCAR
See Also: 1998 in NASCAR Busch Series-1998 Team Chart:-Bud Shootout Qualifier:The Bud Shootout Qualifier, a race for the fastest second round qualifier, from each race from the previous season, was run on February 8 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Sterling Marlin drew the pole...
without a ride, Shepherd brought out his own team to attempt the spring races Atlanta and Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
, but his #05 Pontiac failed to qualify in both races. In the following race at Bristol, Shepherd drove the #46 First Union Chevy for Team SABCO, finishing 24th, before substituting for Mike Skinner
Mike Skinner (NASCAR)
Mike Skinner is an American driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. He is the primary driver of the #60 Big Red Soda Toyota Camry for Germain Racing. He is the father of former NASCAR drivers Jamie and Dustin Skinner...
for two races, finishing eleventh at Martinsville. After another race for SABCO and a one-off deal for Stavola Brothers Racing
Stavola Brothers Racing
8--98.194.31.156 16:33, 27 November 2011 Stavola Brothers Racing was a NASCAR racing team, owned by Bill and Mickey Stavola, and operating NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series teams from 1984 through 1998. The team won the 1988 Daytona 500 with Bobby Allison behind the wheel of the #12 Miller High...
at Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile moderate-banked D-shaped superspeedway located off U.S. Highway 12 on more than in Brooklyn, in the scenic Irish Hills area of southeastern Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas...
, where he finished 43rd, Shepherd spent most of the season with LJ Racing, his best finish 15th at the Brickyard 400. He left the team late in the season, and closed the year in the Stavola's #8 Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
/Kendall
Kendall
- Places :Australia* Kendall, New South WalesUnited States* - Places :Australia* [[Kendall, New South Wales]]United States* - Places :Australia* [[Kendall, New South Wales]]United States* [[Kendall, Elliott* AUTHER [[Kendall, Kansas]]...
Chevy. He ran near the top-ten during part of the race, but wrecked and finished 39th.
Shepherd attempted the 1999
1999 in NASCAR
The 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Season began on Sunday February 7 and ended on Sunday November 21. Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett was crowned the champion...
Daytona 500 in a car purchased from FILMAR Racing
FILMAR Racing
FILMAR Racing is a former NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series team. It was owned by Fil Martocci and crew chief Gil Martin. The team was sold in 1999 to the Pinnacle Motorsports Group and then to Davis & Weight Motorsports.- Beginnings :...
, but did not qualify. He made his only Cup start that season the following season the following week at North Carolina in the #90 Accu-turn/Pep Boys
Pep Boys
The Pep Boys — Manny, Moe & Jack , branded as Pep Boys Auto and commonly abbreviated as Pep Boys, is a full-service and tire automotive aftermarket chain....
Ford Taurus
Ford Taurus
The Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States. Originally introduced in the 1986 model year, it has remained in near-continuous production for more than two decades, making it the fourth oldest nameplate that is currently sold in the North American...
for Donlavey Racing
Donlavey Racing
Donlavey Racing is a stock car racing team that competed from 1950 until 2002 in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was owned by Junie Donlavey and ran a total of 863 races in NASCAR...
, where he started 39th and finished 32nd, five laps down. In May 1999, Shepherd announced he was partnering with Rhea Fain to field the #05 Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
Pontiac. After the team failed to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600
Coca-Cola 600
The Coca-Cola 600, formerly known as the World 600, is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina on Memorial Day weekend...
, the partnership dissolved, and Shepherd failed in each of his attempts to qualify for a Cup race that season. He also had his most recent top-ten finish in NASCAR competition that season, finishing 10th in a Busch Series race at North Carolina for Xpress Motorsports
Xpress Motorsports
Xpress Motrsports was a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team. The team won the Truck Series championship in 2002 and 2003 with Mike Bliss and Travis Kvapil, respectively. The team was owned by Steve Coulter until 2004, when he sold the team to then team manager Dave Fuge, who owned the team until...
.
2000s
Shepherd began 2000 in the Craftsman Truck SeriesCraftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing...
driving the #7 for Connely Racing, finishing seventeenth at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...
, but a lack of sponorship caused the deal to fall through. Shepherd attempted a pair of Busch races as well the season-finale NAPA 500 in the Cup Series for Hover Motorsports
Hover Motorsports
Hover Motorsports is an inactive NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team. They last attempted a race at the 2006 Daytona 500, when they fielded the #80 Ford Taurus for Carl Long, but failed to qualify. They were planning to partner with Peak Fitness Racing for the 2006 season, but that deal fell through...
, but failed to qualify for all those events.
In 2001
2001 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2001 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Season began February 16 and ended November 3. Jack Sprague of Hendrick Motorsports was crowned champion.See also: 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, 2001 NASCAR Busch Series- 2001 Team Chart :...
, Shepherd formed his own Truck team, Victory in Jesus Racing, and began campaigning the #21 Ford F-150 on a part-time basis. During this time, he served as his own one man pit crew during a truck race as he often climbed out of his truck to change his own tires and fill his own gas tank during pit stops. His best finish was eleventh at Daytona, as well as leading fifteen laps at South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway
South Boston Speedway or "SoBo" is a short track located just outside South Boston, Virginia, U.S.A.. SoBo is located approximately sixty miles east of another area familiar to most NASCAR fans, Martinsville. It is owned by Mattco, Inc, the Mattioli family trust that owns Pocono Raceway, with...
. After making sixteen starts that season, Shepherd finished 26th in points. The following season, his best finish was a 17th at Richmond, the only race he finished that season. He also had the best points finish of his truck career, 24th. He also made his return to the Cup series in his #89 Red Line Oil
Red Line Oil
Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation is a company that produces a full range of synthetic lubricants.-History:Red Line was founded in 1979 by Tim Kerrigan and Peter Filice in Benicia, California....
Ford, beginning at New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire International Speedway
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic...
, where he finished 40th, his best finish that season. He also attempted a handful of races with Ware Racing Enterprises
Ware Racing Enterprises
Rick Ware Racing the self-proclaimed "Biggest Little Team in Motorsports" has competed in every NASCAR sanctioned series, ARCA Series, the WMA Motocross Series, AMA Arenacross, Motocross and Supercross Series, Summer X-Games and Rolex Grand-Am Series since 2008 and is owned by former driver Rick...
, but did not make a race.
The following season, he attempted six Cup races, but only made two, finishing last in both of them. In 2003
2003 in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season was the ninth season of the third highest stock car racing in the United States. The season included twenty-five races, beginning with the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway...
, Shepherd failed to finish any of his truck races, his best finish coming at Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
, where he placed 24th. He spent a majority of the season in the Busch Series driving the #0/70 Eagle Jet International Chevy for Davis Motorsports. His best finish was an eleventh at Talladega. Towards the end of the season, he switched over to his Victory in Jesus ride in the Busch Series, posting two top-40 finishes. In 2004
2004 in NASCAR
The 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup season began on Saturday, February 7 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Kurt Busch with Roush Racing driving a Ford was the Nextel Cup champion....
, his Cup team switched to Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
and attempted 32 races, qualifying for nineteen of them. His best finish was a 32nd at Martinsville, one of just two races he completed that season. In 2005
2005 in NASCAR
The 2005 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series began on Saturday, February 12. The ten race Chase for the Nextel Cup started with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 18, and ended on Sunday, November 20, with the Ford 400....
, he only made four starts, and was unable to score higher than 40th.
In 2006
2006 in NASCAR
The 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season started at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 12 with the Bud Shootout and ended on Sunday, November 19 with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup began with the Sylvania 300 on Sunday, September 17 at New Hampshire...
, Shepherd brought on several Christian investors and sponsor Dutch Quality Stone, renaming the team Victory Motorsports
CJM Racing
CJM Racing was a NASCAR Nationwide Series team. They fielded the #11 car for a variety of drivers.-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:Victory Motorsports was formed in 2006 when two businessmen, Bryan and Tony Mullet, purchased the Sprint Cup equipment of Faith Motorsports from Morgan Shepherd...
. But after failing to qualify in every race he attempted, he sold the team to his partners. He runs part-time in the #0 for Davis in the Busch Series, his best finish 40th at Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...
. In July 2006, Shepherd and Christian businessman Dana Tomes of West Virginia formed Faith Motorsports with Shepherd driving. He made his first race of the year at the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, where he finished 43rd. The following week, he qualified for the Sylvania 300
Sylvania 300
The Sylvania 300 is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.The Sylvania 300 has traditionally held in mid-September, however, the race has been rescheduled once in its history...
and finished 42nd.
Shepherd ran the full Nationwide Series schedule for the first time in 2008. While the team entered every race, it failed to qualify eight times. His best finish that season was thirteenth at the Aaron's 312, his best finish in five years. Following that race he was a surprise phone-in guest on Tony Stewart
Tony Stewart
Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart is an American auto racing driver and owner. Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won titles in Indy cars and stock cars as well as midget, sprint and USAC Silver Crown cars, giving him the recognition of "one of the finest racers of his generation."Stewart...
's radio talk show. During that talk show, Stewart and announcer Matt Yocum
Matt Yocum
Matt Yocum is a long standing reporter in motorsports. He is best known for his pit reporting in the sport of NASCAR.-Biography:Matt Yocum's exposure to automobile racing began at an early age...
offered to pay the tire bill for Shepherd's next race. On January 30, 2009, it was announced that Shepherd will drive a Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
for that season.
Shepherd struggled in his self-owned entry for 2009 and 2010. After the 2010 summer Daytona event, Shepherd went to Richard Childress Racing
Richard Childress Racing
RCR Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Richard Childress Racing, is a NASCAR team based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by former driver Richard Childress...
and drove the #21. Johnny Chapman
Johnny Chapman
Johnny Chapman is an American race car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.-Racing career:...
moved to the #89 as a start-and-park driver.
In 2011 Morgan was locked in to the first 5 races due to receiving the owner's points from the #21 team. Also, Faith Motorsports has announced that the team will field a second entry for driver Brett Rowe for at least the first 5 races of the 2011 season.
On March 1, 2011, while staying in Las Vegas between races, the 69-year-old Shepherd chased down, tackled and restrained a young shoplifter who had run out of a Wal-Mart.
Off-track charities
Shepherd also operates his own charity, "The Morgan Shepherd Charitable Fund," and makes an annual trip each December to various places in the northeast. For his efforts, he was awarded the "Spirit Award" by the NMPA and Pocono RacewayPocono Raceway
Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond...
in December 2005.