{"id":1787,"date":"2011-10-12T15:00:57","date_gmt":"2011-10-12T19:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/inspiringathletes\/?p=1787"},"modified":"2011-10-12T17:18:31","modified_gmt":"2011-10-12T21:18:31","slug":"morgan-shepherd-turns-70-nascar-community-chimes-in-with-high-praise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/2011\/10\/morgan-shepherd-turns-70-nascar-community-chimes-in-with-high-praise.html","title":{"rendered":"Morgan Shepherd turns 70; NASCAR community chimes in with high praise"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Morgan Shepherd's #89 Racing With Jesus car (Photo by John Harrelson\/Getty Images for NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NASCAR’s Nationwide Series is an interesting collection of drivers and teams. It’s a place for youngsters like Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Justin Allgaier to gain invaluable experience on their way to the Sprint Cup level.<\/p>\n

It’s also a place for underfunded teams to work towards solid financial footing. Often referred to as “start and park” operations, they usually partner with older, more established drivers like Mark Green, Jeff Green and Joe Nemechek.<\/p>\n

And of course, there are the Sprint Cup guys who still love racing both series just for the sheer competition of it all–drivers like Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard.<\/p>\n

Then there’s a guy like Morgan Shepherd. He does still love to race and he still has a competitive drive, although he rarely has the kind of equipment that allows him to contend for top 10 finishes. But Shepherd is really out here for one reason and one reason only–to share his story of salvation, grace and hope.<\/p>\n

Shepherd turns 70 years old today. Most drivers don’t last past their late 30’s or early 40’s. Even 50-something year old Mark Martin is a rarity in modern day NASCAR. Shepherd, who has won a combined 19 NASCAR races and once dominated the now-defunct Late Model Sportsman division, is amazed to still be racing every week.<\/p>\n

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Morgan Shepherd (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I would have never imagined it,” Shepherd told me last Tuesday while traveling to Kansas Speedway. “But I still have great passion and a love for the sport. Undoubtedly the Lord wants me to be out here because I wouldn\u2019t be out here and able to do it (otherwise). I don\u2019t (physically) run out of gas. I can withstand the heat better than anybody out there. God has kept me tough.”<\/p>\n

Ultimately, it’s his commitment to ministry (and the support he receives for his charitable foundation) that drives him.<\/p>\n

“I think all of it\u2019s because of faith,” he said. “I hope my life is an encouragement to somebody else to maybe get up and do something with their life. It\u2019s not about us. It\u2019s about being an influence and helping others.”<\/p>\n

When I talk to other drivers and members of the NASCAR community, I often ask about their thoughts on Shepherd. Since today is his birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to compile some of those comments as a tribute to his ongoing legacy:<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Justin Allgaier (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“To come out here and travel and do the things that he has to do, I don\u2019t know how he does it. I don\u2019t think I would want to put myself through that kind of stress. But I think that shows dedication. This isn\u2019t an easy sport whether you\u2019ve got the most money and the best equipment in the world or whether you\u2019re in Morgan\u2019s situation. So to go out and do what he does, I\u2019ve got to give him credit for that for sure. He would have quit 10 or 15 years ago if \u2018Racing with Jesus\u2019 had not been on the car.” — Justin Allgaier, driver of the #31 Nationwide Series car<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Back in the day when (Morgan) was in his prime, he was a legend. He was very respected and he still is respected. He\u2019s an old school guy and he\u2019ll always be an old school guy. You have to respect a fellow who is at that stage in his career and continues to come out here and compete. He can still race\u2026He\u2019s trying to promote winning people to Christ. That\u2019s what he\u2019s about at this stage in his career.” — Tim Griffin, former Motor Racing Outreach chaplain<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Tony Stewart (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images for NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“What inspires us (about Morgan) is that he\u2019s so dedicated to what he\u2019s doing. He spends every dime he has to come out and support NASCAR and support the Nationwide Series. A lot of times he\u2019s his own crew chief and his family is part of his crew. He\u2019s learned to do a lot with very little\u2026It\u2019s hard not to fall in love with Morgan and what he\u2019s doing. He\u2019s one of the most positive people I\u2019ve been around. It doesn\u2019t matter how bad your day is. When Morgan comes around and he\u2019s talking to you, you kind of forget about how bad your day is and you realize you\u2019re helping somebody who truly deserves the help.” — Tony Stewart, driver of the #14 Sprint Cup car<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“He\u2019s amazing. I\u2019ve known Morgan a lot of my life. He\u2019s come a long way, as have many of us. Where he started in his life and where he is today is an amazing story. It\u2019s incredible. And he\u2019ll tell you he\u2019s not out here to win races. He\u2019s out here to win souls. If he finishes 43rd every week, he still wins, because somewhere in the garage area, someone has walked by and asked him, \u2018Hey, what\u2019s that cross on your car mean?\u2019 And he gets to tell them. He couldn\u2019t do that sitting at home in Conover, North Carolina. He does it here.” — Dr. Jerry Punch, ESPN NASCAR race reporter<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Blake Koch (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“What really impresses me about Morgan is that he\u2019s obviously putting God first because he\u2019s out there and he\u2019s not worried about being competitive. He\u2019s out there with \u2018Racing With Jesus\u2019 on the hood. He\u2019s not making an effort to be out there to get recognized by Gibbs or Childress and get picked up for a full Cup ride. He\u2019s already done it. For somebody to go from doing it and winning races to humbling himself to run in the back and have ministry number one of their list is very impressive and encouraging for guys like me coming up in this sport.” — Blake Koch, driver of the #81 Nationwide Series car<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“Morgan is one of the most unique individuals I\u2019ve ever known because he\u2019s passionate about sport, but he\u2019s driving for another purpose. I asked him recently, \u2018Morgan, why are you still doing it? You\u2019re 70. You could be retired.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Because I\u2019m a believer and this is the only way I can think of to introduce people to Christ. I\u2019m going to do the thing I was made to do for as long as I can do it.\u2019 To me, he\u2019s one of the most consistent and faithful Christians I\u2019ve ever met. He\u2019s absolutely who he is. He\u2019s walked a hard road to get there and so grateful for what Christ has done for Him. He\u2019s going to spend the rest of his life pouring himself out.” — Stephen Keller, Motor Racing Outreach chaplain<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trevor Bayne (Photo courtesy of NASCAR)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I never would have guessed he was turning 70. It\u2019s cool to see him living it out with a purpose. It\u2019s fun racing against him. Obviously he\u2019s not as a competitive as he used to be just because of equipment and funds, but in his heart he\u2019s still competitive and he wants to be out here. It\u2019s awesome to see that drive.” — Trevor Bayne, driver of the Daytona 500 championship #21 Sprint Cup car and the #16 Nationwide Series car<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To stay up on the latest Morgan Shepherd news or learn more about his foundation, visit his official website by clicking HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can also check out a great video released by NASCAR.com celebrating Shepherd’s birthday by clicking HERE<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Be looking for a full interview with Shepherd coming soon, plus interviews with other NASCAR drivers such as Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., David Gilliland, Joe Nemechek, Blake Koch, Parker Kligerman and David Reutimann.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Click “Like” to share this with your friends! NASCAR’s Nationwide Series is an interesting collection of drivers and teams. It’s a place for youngsters like Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Justin Allgaier to gain invaluable experience on their way to the Sprint Cup level. It’s also a place for underfunded teams to work towards…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":418,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,388,4],"tags":[730,213,212,530,648,151,736,729,139,737,190,738,217,203,198,10,25,740,739,209,24,734,735,535,141],"class_list":["post-1787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-athletes","category-racing","category-sports-news","tag-blake-koch","tag-brad-keselowski","tag-carl-edwards","tag-david-gilliland","tag-david-reutimann","tag-daytona-500","tag-derrike-cope","tag-dr-jerry-punch","tag-espn","tag-jeff-green","tag-justin-allgaier","tag-mark-green","tag-mark-martin","tag-morgan-shepherd","tag-motor-racing-outreach","tag-nascar","tag-nationwide-series","tag-paker-kligerman","tag-paul-menard","tag-ricky-stenhouse-jr","tag-sprint-cup","tag-stephen-keller","tag-tim-griffin","tag-tony-stewart","tag-trevor-bayne"],"yoast_head":"\nMorgan Shepherd turns 70; NASCAR community chimes in with high praise - Inspiring Athletes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/2011\/10\/morgan-shepherd-turns-70-nascar-community-chimes-in-with-high-praise.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Morgan Shepherd turns 70; NASCAR community chimes in with high praise - Inspiring Athletes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Click “Like” to share this with your friends! NASCAR’s Nationwide Series is an interesting collection of drivers and teams. It’s a place for youngsters like Trevor Bayne, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Justin Allgaier to gain invaluable experience on their way to the Sprint Cup level. 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Chad is currently working on five new books including Sooner Legacy, Husker Legacy and Lessons From Sooner Football (Cross Training) as well as The Faith of Stock Car Racing (Judson Press). When he's not writing, Chad lends his efforts to various independent television and film projects. He was the coordinating producer for Choosing Life (2010) and Life Happens (2011). Chad is currently serving as producer on a forthcoming documentary about Super Bowl champion Brian Kinchen. Chad and his wife Amy live in Broken Arrow, Okla., with sons Lance (September 2003), Cole (February 2008) and Quinn (February 2011).","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/author\/cbonham"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1787"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1805,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1787\/revisions\/1805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspiringathletes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}