Morgan Shepherd Still Racing With Faith After 42 Years

Experience was once the most prized commodity in NASCAR.
Before the age of network television and mass marketing, car owners and crew chiefs sought out daredevils who developed their driving instincts by manhandling muscle cars on short tracks and backroads.

Morgan Shepherd remembers those days when men of modest income could earn fame and fortune through the hard knocks of stock-car racing.

The 67-year-old native of rural western North Carolina made his debut in what was then called the Winston Cup Series in 1970. Twelve years later, Shepherd competed in the inaugural season of the Busch Series for Bristol car owner Ed Whitaker.

And Shepherd has never stopped racing.

“Car owners used to want experience in their cars,” Shepherd said in a phone interview. “Now, the corporations would rather spend their money on a young driver. Times have changed.”

Role model

From Harry Gant to Tommy Houston, Shepherd has outlasted all of his old rivals through a mix of ingenuity, willpower and fellowship.
While the NASCAR record book does not list the accomplishments of competitors in the old Late Model Sportsman Series, it’s a fact that Shepherd has been racing for 42 consecutive years.

“Morgan is a phenomenon,” Nationwide Series veteran Kenny Wallace said. “Most 67-year-olds are retired and are playing with their grandbabies or drinking coffee at the Waffle House.”

Instead, Shepherd races full-time in the Faith Motorsports Chevrolet. He ranks 22nd in Nationwide points entering Friday’s Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“At first I used to wonder why Morgan was out there, but he’s still a great driver and I admire him so much,” Wallace said. “It’s pretty incredible to do Morgan does, and that’s why everybody has rallied around him. I know he inspires me.”

Fast connections

For independent Nationwide teams such as Faith Motorsports, Johnny Davis Motorsports, Jay Robinson Racing and MSRP Motorsports, success is often measured in degrees instead of dramatic victories. Shepherd has qualified for 17 of the Nationwde 23 races this season, yet he admits that each small conquest has been a major challenge.

Shepherd basically relies on three full-time employees who work at the race shop and travel with the team. Sprint Cup stars Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick have played vital roles behind the scenes.

“Harvick kind of started this deal a couple years back, with parts and then a racecar,” Shepherd said. “Stewart bought me three motors at the start of this season, plus he buys our tires. We’ve been able to get some pretty good stuff from Tony.”

Shepherd’s car features an advertisement for Eldora Speedway, the iconic Ohio dirt track owned by Stewart.

“We appreciate all the help,” Shepherd said.  “It costs a lot of money to race and we have to watch all the money we spend.
“We rely on the money we make from the races to pay for fuel and other expenses. It’s tough, especially if something happens where we don’t make a race.”

Precious memories

Shepherd has certainly played his role in the growth of NASCAR. He competed in 514 Cup races from 1970-2006, posting four wins and 63 top-five finishes. Shepherd has won 15 Nationwide races, including six victories with Bristol’s Whitaker. Shepherd also drove for longtime Abingdon car owner Charles Henderson of Abingdon, Va.

“I had a lot of fun working with Ed,”  Shepherd said. “For whatever reason, Ed always had a good car and he just knew how to run fast in the race.”

Whitaker and Shepherd combined to win the 1983 Southeastern 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway. That was one of just three Bristol victories for Shepherd.

“I used to do really well late in the races at Bristol, but everything is totally different now,” Shepherd said. “The racetrack is smooth, and the technology in racing has completely changed.”

A chat with Shepherd is a like a slow and fascinating drive through the colorful and often rowdy times of NASCAR. Shepherd reassembled his first engine at 11, then bought his first car at age 12 for $12.50 along with a shotgun and two flying squirrels.

“I went to races at Hickory when I was growing up, but I was 25 before I got into my first race car,” Shepherd said, referring to the Limited Late Model division. “I was always working, but I loved racing and I wanted to get involved.
“I never dreamed that racing would grow into the worldwide sport like it is today.”

Shepherd has competed at dozens of tracks for an array of car owners, including Bud Moore, Kenny Bernstein and the Wood Brothers. 

While Shepherd occasionally clashed with the stubborn personalities and rigid politics in the sport, he learned how to take care of his equipment and knew when to go for the lead when his equipment allowed.

Veteran NASCAR drivers such as 50-year-old Mark Martin have earned acclaim for their elaborate exercise routines. Meanwhile, Shepherd has stuck to the farmboy routine.

“I’ve just always worked,” Shepherd said. “I’ve also done a lot of roller skating.  I dance on my skates, and it helps with balance.”
Living legend

For 23 years each December, Shepherd has spread goodwill and gifts through a charitable fund for the needy and handicapped through the mountainous region around Stuart and Galax, Va.  A variety of NASCAR personalities and entertainers, including Barney Fife impersonator David Browning of Bristol, Va., have traveled with Shepherd and his family.

Shepherd never won a Sprint Cup championship or earned megastar status, but he cherishes his friendships and content with his supporting role in NASCAR.

“I love the racing end of the sport but I don’t like that it takes so much money to compete now,” Shepherd said. “Some people may look at me because I race and I think I’m wealthy, but I’m just an average person. A lot of people have helped to keep me going.

“After being in NASCAR for so long, it kind of turns into one big family and you run into friends everywhere you go. NASCAR is just a very special sport, and I feel fortunate to have been involved all these years.”

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