Once Dormant Vickers Has New Opportunities

April 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Brian Vickers was hired by Michael Waltrip (left) to run a limited schedule in 2012 and Vickers is back with Waltrip this year – and more.

MARTINSVILLE, VA. – Brian Vickers has had a very peculiar racing career. Well, it certainly hasn’t been routine.

He has experienced things few other drivers have. He has been at the top of his game. He’s been unemployed. He’s had his team pulled right out from under him. And he’s experienced a physical malady that could have easily put an end to his driving days.

But Vickers presses on.

This year he will see plenty of action on the track. He has a full-time Nationwide Series ride with Joe Gibbs Racing.

He’s slated to drive in nine Sprint Cup races for Michael Waltrip Racing, swapping the seat with Waltrip and Mark Martin.

And there’s more. Vickers will substitute for the injured Denny Hamlin at JGR for four races, starting next week at Texas. Martin is in the No. 11 at Martinsville.

Vickers is all over the place.

Yes, he’s at Martinsville. He’ll compete in the No. 55 Toyota for Martin, who, as said, will race with JGR.

Are you keeping up?

“We had a good run here last year,” Vickers said. “Working with these guys has always been a pleasure and I’ve always liked Martinsville.  This is the first place that I ran in a stock car -Allison Legacy car to be exact. It’s a fun track.

“Next week I’m going to be in the 11 car, which I’m obviously excited about, but I’m sad how the opportunity came about.

“I know what it’s like to be pulled out of your car for health reasons – I’ve been in that boat before – and wish Denny a speedy recovery.  I will do the best job I can for him and everyone at Gibbs and Toyota until he returns.”

Vickers ran for Red Bull Racing for several years, but lost his job when the team folded.

Vickers’ racing career took off in 2003 when he was hired to replace Ricky Hendrick in a Chevrolet owned by Hendrick Motorsports.

Vickers won three races and the championship by 14 points over David Green; thus becoming the youngest champion in the history of the Nationwide Series at age 20.

Vickers made his Cup debut in the 2003 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Charlotte, qualifying 20th and finishing 33rd in the #60 Haas Automation Chevy. He ran four more races that season in Hendrick’s Chevy, qualifying in the top five each time, but posting only one top 20 finish.

Vickers moved on to Red Bull Racing in 2007 and did well, winning numerous pole positions.

And in 2009, Vickers won at Michigan to give Toyota its first win there. Afterward, he signed a contract extension with Red Bull.

But things began to change for the worse.

On May 13, 2010, it was announced that Vickers, who had earned three top 10s in the first 11 races, would not be participating in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway due to an undisclosed medical condition, later revealed to be blood clots in his legs and around his lungs.

Casey Mears was announced as his replacement. This ended a streak of 87 consecutive starts, which dated back to Atlanta in 2007.

On May 21, 2010, six days after being released from a hospital for the aforementioned blood clot issue, it was announced that Vickers would miss the remainder of the season.

It was obvious doctors did not want Vickers to do any strenuous activity. Blood clots can move through the body and ultimately cause a stroke – or worse.

“For me, not being in my car was very tough,” Vickers said. “The first time I saw my car go around the track, I wasn’t sure if I would ever again be in it.

“You grow up watching lots of races that you’re not in. But to watch the ones you are supposed to be in with your car going around the race track – well it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Vickers was cleared to race in 2011, but didn’t have a particularly good season. He finished 25th in the point standings.

At the end of the year Red Bull announced it was pulling the plug on its NASCAR program, which left Vickers on the outside looking in – again.

Vickers started the 2012 season without a ride, but it was announced in early March that he would drive the No. 55 Toyota for MWR at both races at Bristol, Martinsville, and Loudon, sharing the ride with Martin and Waltrip.

In his first race in the No. 55, at Bristol, Vickers dominated the first half of the race, leading for 125 laps. He would eventually finish 5th.

MWR later announced that Vickers would drive at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, expanding his schedule to eight races for 2012.

Of course, now that he’s been tapped by JGR for a full tilt on the Nationwide Series, has four races slated in Gibb’s Cup Toyota and remains on a nine-race schedule with MWR, Vickers is busier than ever.

He’s come a long way since Red Bull’s departure in 2011.

“This is all a huge opportunity for me,” said the 29-year-old Vickers, from Thomasville, N.C. “I feel like I’m very fortunate to have both these opportunities. I’m with two great teams and two great cars. Needless to say, things like that don’t happen very often.

“Again, I reiterate it’s very sad how all of this has happened. Again, I know how Denny is feeling because I’ve been on the receiving end of this.

“I’m just happy to jump in and do the best I can.”

 

 

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A Tale Of Two Drivers On One Team: Dale Jr. And Kasey Kahne

April 3, 2012 By 5 Comments

Dale Earnhardt Jr. added to what has already been a very strong start to the 2012 Sprint Cup season with a second-place finish at Martinsville. It was his third finish among the top five and fourth among the top 10 in six races.

This is a tale of teammates, if you will.

Two guys racing for the same organization yet, so far in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, with decidedly different results.

As far as competition goes they are poles apart.

One, who has been with the team since 2008, is having what many consider to be his best season in perhaps a half-dozen years.

The other, a newcomer to the team, was expected to do very well with a fresh opportunity and reach the potential he has shown more than once during his career.

Instead he has fallen into a competitive abyss.

Again, these two drivers are on the same team – and not just any team. They race for Hendrick Motorsports, arguably the best organization in NASCAR which has won 199 races and

10 championships.

Hendrick’s standing in NASCAR, in fact in all of motorsports, is so lofty that when Dale Earnhardt Jr. came on board four years ago, he declared he was a member of a team with which he could win races and championships.

He hasn’t won a race since 2008. He hasn’t come close to a championship.

It reached the point where Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet, was considered the weakest link in the Hendrick armor.

He was the also-ran, the afterthought of an operation in which Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon were the star players – Johnson especially so with five consecutive championships.

Even Mark Martin, who joined Hendrick in 2009 for the first of his three seasons with the team, did far better in his inaugural season.

He won five times and finished second to teammate Johnson in the final point standings.

That same year, a winless Earnhardt Jr. had only five top-10 finishes and wound up 25th in points – well out of the Chase.

Earnhardt Jr. put up better numbers over the next three seasons. But he still did not win.

It got to the point where some questioned his dedication, his focus and even his driving talent.

While his many, many fans were undoubtedly disappointed that their man couldn’t win, they never questioned his skill or desire.

They may get their ultimate reward this year.

Earnhardt Jr. is off to what is unquestionably his best start with Hendrick. In the first six races of the year he has earned four top-10 finishes.

Three of those have come among the top five and are a runnerup finish in the Daytona 500, a third-place run at Fontana and another second-place finish at Martinsville earlier this week.

Most important, Earnhardt Jr. ranks second in points, only six behind leader Greg Biffle, who, incidentally, is the only driver who can match Earnhardt Jr.’s record to date.

So what has made the difference? What has transformed Earnhardt Jr. from an afterthought to a potential championship challenger?

I’d be hard-pressed to explain it. I would assume there are many reasons.

But then, I would venture to say Earnhardt Jr.’s relationship with crew chief Steve Letarte is blossoming.

I recall once that Earnhardt Jr. said he had faith in Letarte and had to learn how to better communicate with him; to give him the information needed to improve competitiveness.

And I think Earnhardt Jr.’s confidence is back, perhaps even his optimism. During his pre-race press conference at Martinsville, if he said the word “confident” once, he said it a thousand times.

But if he knows what has created the turnaround, apparently he’s not saying – other than to, again, reveal his increased confidence.

“I don’t know what we have done and our team has done really,” he said. “But I’m happy with the way our car is running.”

He added that all the Hendrick teams have been faster so far in 2012.

“I think we are actually have more speed as a group, as a whole, than we did last year,” he said. “It’s encouraging.”

Kasey Kahne, the newest driver at Hendrick Motorsports, has not had the kind of season he, or anyone else, expected. He has yet to earn a top-10 finish because he's been plagued by misfortune on the track.

Reckon “encouraging” is about as far as Earnhardt Jr. needs to go. For him to make any grandiose pronouncements at this point would be foolish.

After all, the season has barely begun.

For which Kasey Kahne is thankful.

The newest member of the Hendrick team, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet, has plenty of time to reverse what has been a disastrous beginning.

Kahne hasn’t gotten a whiff at a top-10 finish, much less a victory.

Fact is, he’s been awful.

He was 29th at Daytona, 34th at Phoenix, 19th at Las Vegas, 37th at Bristol, 14th at Fontana and 38th at Martinsville.

He’s presently 31st in the point standings.

Understand, all of this has been the result of circumstances well beyond Kahne’s control, such as wrecks and mechanical failures.

Call it bad luck, which has been so bad for Kahne it’s been suggested he’s been smacked with a voodoo mojo.

It’s certainly not what Kahne expected. Most of us didn’t either, for that matter.

He came to Hendrick with established credentials as a winner. He had 12 career victories, including six in 2006 with team owner Ray Evernham.

He even won a race with Red Bull Racing during that team’s lame duck 2011 season.

He knew then that he would join Hendrick in 2012 as Martin’s replacement.

And, as it was for Earnhardt Jr., it was going to be the revitalization of his career. He was going to be a part of a team with which he could win races and championships.

He may well be so, but certainly not at this pace.

For his part, Kahne appears stoic. He realizes things can change. He said so at Martinsville where, after he won his second pole of the year, he had engine problems.

“Well, I mean it is disappointing and yet it isn’t,” he said. “I am upset that we haven’t run great this year, but we were great on Friday and Saturday and we were fast again today.

“We have the speed. So when it’s our time we will be ready to take advantage of it.”

We have two drivers on the same team who are, at present, at different ends of the competitive spectrum.

Earnhardt Jr., at the top end, is cautiously optimistic that he can remain there – and enjoy a reversal of fortune.

Kahne, at the bottom, hopes his desperately needed reversal of fortune comes quickly.

For both, much time is left in the 2012 season. And time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Martinsville Critical, F1 Confirmed To New Jersey, Simoncelli Tribute

October 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Martinsville is critical to Carl Edwards, matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson. Formula One and New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie Confirmed A 2013 Race along the Hudson River. The late Marco Simoncelli’s team owner, Gresini Honda, will pay tribute in Valencia.

 

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Numbers Tell Us The Competition Ain’t Bad, For Now

April 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As the 2011 season heads into Texas Motor Speedway for the running of the Samsung Mobile 500 tonight it is interesting to note how, competition-wise, the preceding six races have provided excellent storylines.

This is NASCAR’s opinion, you understand, not mine – but I must say that I agree with it.

“Storylines” might be the wrong word here. Let’s just say that what has transpired so far are simply facts that deserve our attention.

Why, you might ask. It’s because some of what we might have expected so far this season has not happened – and some of what we did not, in many ways, has.

I use as evidence of all this information provided by NASCAR; information that puts its competition in a good light. But when it comes to competition, the sanctioning body is all about promoting the quality therein whenever possible – which is its job, after all.

The facts and figures are accurate. They are not manipulated. They are what they are, and, to be honest, they are intriguing.

We’re told that two of last year’s top winners, Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson, remain winless going into Texas. I’m not sure about you, but I’m one of those who thought either one of them would have been victorious by now. Heck, if nothing else, they were the hands-down favorites at Martinsville.

And you knew that, didn’t you?

Interestingly, lead-change records have fallen in three of the six Sprint Cup races so far, at Daytona, Phoenix and Martinsville.

There has been, NASCAR tells us, an average of 31.5 lead changes per race, the most after six events in series history.

Now I would be one of the first to say this is nothing but the result of racing circumstances. But I would quickly add that races that have produced record lead changes at such a high average are, if not great, certainly compelling.

After all, which race is better – one in which several drivers swap the lead or one in which a driver dominates to the point of boredom? I think you know.

NASCAR tells us that, through six races, there has been an average of 13 leaders per race, the most in series history.

Again I would say this is the result of circumstances. But I would also say that, as far as fan and media appeal, it beats the hell out of anything else.

We know that prior to Kevin Harvick’s win at Martinsville, his second in a row, there were five different winners in the first five races of the season. It’s the first time that’s happened since 2005.

Once more, it’s all about circumstances.

But then, given what has happened so far, consider this: You tell me, if you like real competition, what is more appealing – that one or two drivers dominate or that several win – and in some cases we are ultimately greatly surprised when they do?

Case in point: Face it, when Trevor Bayne and Wood Brothers Racing won the Daytona 500 was that not a big, pleasant surprise that ultimately captured national attention?

Headed into Texas, seven different teams occupied the top seven positions in the point standings. They were Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Penske Racing, Richard Childress Racing, Stewart Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing.

Hey, I like it. To me it’s a more intriguing scenario than oh, say, for Roush to have four teams among the top seven and Hendrick the other three – unless you’re a big fan of either team, or both.

Finally, NASCAR pointed out that the top four drivers in the point standings all run different manufacturers.

If I had to guess, the sanctioning body revels in this statistic more than any other. It’s proof, somewhat, that its ongoing efforts to create a level playing field for all its participating manufacturers are paying off – for now, anyway.

I know all of this is NASCAR tooting its own horn. But why not? There have been seasons in the past when it didn’t have a horn to toot.

Tooting aside, the numbers do tell us the competition in NASCAR, so far, ain’t been bad at all.

Starting at Texas tonight, we’ll see if stays the same, gets better or gets worse.

 

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Much Media Ado About Earnhardt Jr.? Did You Expect Otherwise?

April 5, 2011 By 3 Comments

You know, some motorsports pundits have a great grasp of the obvious.

The other day, I read where some of them said that since Dale Earnhardt Jr. had nearly won the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway, we’d be inundated with blogs and columns about him this week.

Since he’s NASCAR’s most popular driver, it was said, the media would make him man of the week. Want to read or listen to anything about him? There will be plenty of opportunities over a few days.

 

I’ll give the pundits one thing: They are absolutely right.

If the media does indeed gorge us with Earnhardt Jr. pieces, it’s because of the very reasons touted. He did almost win at Martinsville and he is NASCAR’s most popular driver.

When a man who commands the loyalty of as many fans as Earnhardt Jr. does nearly ends a 99-race losing streak – during which his talent as a driver has been called into question – heck, that’s news, pure and simple.

So of course the media is going to comment. And in doing so they know that they are going to reach a tremendous audience – which, to them, is great because it’s part of their task to lure as many readers, listeners or viewers possible.

Include me in all of this because, as you’ve probably already guessed, I’m going to comment on Earnhardt Jr.

I’ll get right to the point. I think he’s going to make the Chase this year. I think he’s going to win at least one race.

I think he has a new attitude. I think his confidence has increased. I think he no longer treats failure, for want of another word, as an accepted finality. Instead, there’s something that can always be done to improve.

I get the sense that his union with crew chief Steve Letarte this year has proven beneficial. More than once Earnhardt Jr. has alluded to his confidence in Letarte and – this is even more important – Earnhardt Jr.’s willingness to communicate with him.

“I’ll talk to Steve,” Earnhardt Jr. said at Martinsville, “and if I have any doubts or regrets or problems with losing the race today, I’ll clear all that up with him.

“I just like being on the same page with him so we can focus on the next one.”

I don’t know about you, but over the last two years I can’t remember Earnhardt Jr. having expressed such confidence in a crew chief.

I have said this before, but it’s obvious Earnhardt Jr.’s numbers are better this year.

After six races last season Earnhardt Jr. had two top-10 finishes and stood 10th in points. At the same time this year he has three top-10 runs, also an 11th, and is eighth in points, 20 out of first place.

Doesn’t sound like much of a difference and, truth is, it isn’t.

But last year Earnhardt’s performance steadily worsened, to the point where, after the 10th race, he was out of the top 10 in points and never returned.

This season, so far, he’s been much more consistent. His worst finish has been 24th at Daytona, where he was involved in a wreck. He has steadily climbed out of that season-opening hole.

As said, I have noted all of this more than once. But I think it’s important to point out, again, that Earnhardt’s trend in 2010 was downward – and it’s just the opposite this year.

I believe Earnhardt Jr. realizes this.

“There’s no argument, we’ve got some work to do,” he said. “Still, we are more competitive than last year. We are faster. But we still have a little ways to go.”

I think that’s obvious. However, at Martinsville, Earnhardt Jr. came the closest to the “promised land” since Daytona last year, where he also finished second.

And he’s a driver whose popularity is so great it increased Martinsville’s television ratings from a 9 share to an 11 share, late in the race, because hordes of fans wanted to see him win.

“There’s definitely a brighter side to what’s going on, too, and I won’t forget to notice it,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

One thing is certain, the media hasn’t forgotten to notice it, either.

If it seems there is a bunch of Earnhardt Jr. news now, just wait until he wins.

 

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What Hype? This Martinsville Race Provided The Expected And More

April 3, 2011 By 1 Comment

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Just to offer a few musings after the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

** Let’s face it, just about every race at every speedway on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit comes accompanied with a lot of hype.

So it was with Martinsville. How many times did we hear, or read over the course of several days, that NASCAR’s oldest track was, because of its half-mile, paper-clip configuration, one of the most difficult on which to compete?

Drivers couldn’t succeed at Martinsville unless they figured out how to whoa down from high straightaway speeds, keep a low line and then roll their cars smoothly through the tight turns.

If they didn’t learn how to manage their brakes, they were doomed.

They could expect a lot of bumping, banging and gouging for position because it has always been extremely difficult to pass.

And so on and so forth …

Such things have been said, so often and for so long, about Martinsville (and admittedly every other track), that many of us tend to roll our eyes as if to say, “Yeah, yeah, so what else is new?”

Guess what? This year there was at least one new thing. It was discovered during practice that the tire compound provided by Goodyear did not permit the racing surface to “rubber up,” or, in other words, to create a second groove with enough grip, generated by runner burned into the asphalt and concrete, on which to race.

Instead, flakes or rubber – called “the marbles” for years but also known as “owl (business)” in days passed – were tossed toward the outside of the track. This created extremely poor racing conditions because of a lack of grip.

This was part of the Martinsville pre-race drama this year.

You know what? This year it, and everything else that’s been said about the track, wasn’t hype at all. It was true. The Goody’s Fast Relief 500 contained elements of everything racing at Martinsville is supposed to be, and then some.

For example, there was indeed only one racing groove. Those pieces of rubber flung toward the outside of the track made a second almost impossible – hell, you can’t race on “marbles.”

Consequently, drivers always charged toward the inside of the track – the only place to be. Those in the outside lane had no chance to pass, particularly on restarts. When they could, finally, move down one lane they did so, but often at the cost of several lost positions.

Now, as for the banging, bumping and gouging that is said to be so typical of racing at Martinsville, it was intensified this past Sunday.

One reason, and certainly not the only one, was that drivers on the preferred inside line had only one way to get past those ahead of them. And that was to, shall we say, perform the old “bump and run.” Sure couldn’t make a pass on the outside, right?

Such strategy was adopted many times, lap after lap, at Martinsville. Sometimes it was successful and other times not.

Additional incidents were caused when some drivers caught on the outside just forced their way to the inside in desperation.

This was done during a race in which even teammates were loath to give each other the coveted inside groove – especially if it cost them track position.

Consider this: Remember the “old” Bristol, the one in which there was only one racing groove and the only way to pass was to adopt the “bump and run?”

After the track was reconfigured and a second racing lane was created, bumping and grinding have been less prevalent.

The drivers love it. The fans do not and they have made that clear.

What we had, for the most part, at Martinsville in this past race was so very similar to the “old” Bristol.

There was jostling and bumping for position that created some, but not all, of the race’s 11 caution periods.

Some were caused by excessive brake use, which resulted in blown tires, and other things.

The point is that while all of the typical racing characteristics at Martinsville were displayed in the Goody’s Fast Relief 500, the newest and most publicized one, the absence of a second groove because of the tire situation, played a significant role in the conduct of the race.

Reckon Goodyear will change all that by the track’s second race it October.
 
** That aside, the race itself turned out to be a beauty.

There might have been several caution periods and one red-flag stoppage, before the race was half complete, that caused us to wonder if everything might be over by nightfall.

In the end, however, none of that mattered as the race wound down to its exciting conclusion.

With 21 laps remaining in the 500-lap race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Kyle Busch out of the way (sound familiar?) in the third turn to take the lead.

The “Junior Nation” went nuts and rightly so. Young Earnhardt seemed on his way to his first victory in 99 races.

It didn’t happen. With four laps to go, Kevin Harvick got past Earnhardt Jr. and went on to win his second straight race.

However, be encouraged, “Junior Nation.”

Your driver has now compiled his best finish of the year and his third among the top-10 in six races. He also has an 11th-place run at Bristol.

After he fell from ninth to 12th in points after a 12th-place run at Auto Club Speedway, his runnerup finish at Martinsville has propelled him to eighth in points.

As I’ve said before, in 2010, he finished second at Daytona, was thus second in points, and slid downward from there. He did not make the Chase.

This year, he finished 24th at Daytona because of an accident. But he steadily rose in points from there, slipped at Auto Club Speedway and now, after Martinsville, has climbed four positions in the standings.

In 2010, his trend was decidedly downward. Now it is upward and his Martinsville performance has significantly contributed to that.

It’s obvious improvement that should offer promise for his many fans.

 

** I don’t know who “they” are, but they’ve named Kevin Harvick “The Closer,” and with good reason.

He won at Auto Club Speedway with his pass on five-time champion Jimmie Johnson on the last lap.

He won at Martinsville by getting the best of Earnhardt Jr. with four laps to go, taking advantage of his rival’s loose Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

He was one of 12 drivers to lead a record 31 laps.

Let’s see … if I figure correctly, Harvick has won two straight races in which he led only five laps – the most important ones, of course.

You have to credit what’s happened so far to his perseverance and that of his Richard Childress Racing team. It has shown the ability to improve its Chevrolet’s performance throughout the course of a race.

My guess would be that Harvick might well prefer to have a strong car capable of victory from the start of a race rather than one, so far, that has been able to succeed only after a sizable amount of work and alterations, which were then accompanied by favorable circumstances.

Heck, to be honest, it doesn’t matter.

Harvick is currently fourth in points and the only driver with multiple wins this season.

So, unless there are unexpected meltdowns at RCR, the victories alone will be enough to qualify Harvick for the Chase this year.

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Believe It Or Not, Shepherd Presses On At 69

January 16, 2011 By 1 Comment

Read a news item the other day about driver Morgan Shepherd. Seems he will join Brian Rowe on the two-car Faith Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series team in 2011. The goal is to compete for the entire season if possible.

Certainly this isn’t anything noteworthy – except for one thing. Shepherd will be 70 years old in October.
At an age when most men are retired and are either bouncing grandkids off their knees or sitting in rocking chairs on the front porch, Shepherd plans to give it a full go, again, on the Nationwide circuit.

Fact is, Shepherd has competed in 48 Nationwide races over the last two years and has been racing – either on the Sprint Cup or Nationwide Series, or both – for well over four decades.

So why would he, at his age, continue to race? I haven’t asked him but I would bet part of the answer is that racing is all he’s done and what he loves.

Shepherd has had a colorful career. He finished second to Jack Ingram for the 1973 Late Model Sportsman – now the Nationwide Series – championship. He won the LMS title in 1980.

When he won the 1993 spring race at Atlanta while driving for the Wood Brothers, he became the second-oldest Sprint Cup winner ever, behind Harry Gant, at 51 years, four months and seven days of age.

He’s made 514 Sprint Cup starts and 288 since 1982 on the Nationwide Series. It was in ’82 that the LMS circuit became the Busch Series.

I daresay most folks don’t pay much attention to Shepherd these days. He’s never considered much of a contender for victory in any race and, indeed, he hasn’t won a Nationwide race since 1988 and the notable Sprint Cup victory in 1993 was his last on that circuit.

Perhaps many know him as that driver who roller skates up and down pit road at a few races. When it comes to skates Shepherd is heck on wheels.

The story of Shepherd the man is, perhaps, far more compelling than that of Shepherd the driver.
He had a hardscrabble youth. He didn’t get much schooling and he couldn’t read or write very well. I daresay some things he did to make a living wouldn’t gain the approval of the law.

Eventually Shepherd discovered that he could drive very fast and very well and began a career in NASCAR at a time when stock car racing was far less sophisticated than it is today. Guys who raced 40 years ago were a very tough breed. Shepherd was one of them.

Shepherd became one of the best, and most popular, drivers on the LMS tour. However, as fast as he was on the track, his life away from it was just as fast.

Then something happened. Around 1975, Shepherd’s drinking and carousing caught up with him. He realized his life was in a downward spiral.

In tears he fell to his knees and asked God to save him. Shepherd became a born-again Christian and serves as a lay minister to this day. Jesus is emblazoned on his car, uniform and cap.

Shepherd’s conversion doesn’t mean he’s led the perfect life. He’ll tell you that.
He’s been married several times, once during a ceremony at Martinsville Speedway’s start-finish line. My personal opinion is that his current wife, Cindy, has been Shepherd’s life anchor.

He’s displayed his temper more than once. In 1981, while driving for Cliff Stewart, Shepherd got into a scrap with his own crew at Talladega.

While he won a race at Martinsville that year, the altercation cost Shepherd the rookie of the year title, won by Ron Bouchard.

He’s had other outbursts but they have been rare and have never overwhelmed his Christianity or his desire to be the best man he can be. Truth be told, Shepherd is one of the most amiable folks in the garage area.

As a Christian, Shepherd certainly believes in charity. For years he has operated the Morgan Shepherd Charitable Fund, which provides for the needy throughout the northeast, particularly those who reside in the mountains.

For his efforts Shepherd was awarded the National Motorsports Press Association’s Spirit Award in 2005.
While he may be held in little regard as a competitor today, Shepherd’s career successes deserve recognition. His life – during which he overcame rather than succumb – deserves it more.

An, as an active driver at 69 years of age, Morgan Shepherd is truly unique.

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