Morgan Shepherd
Clay Morgan Shepherd is an American former professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 89 Chevrolet Camaro for Shepherd Racing Ventures. He is a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community. He competed in NASCAR for over 50 years, having one of the longest careers in the sport.
Shepherd became the second-oldest race winner in 1993, when he won the spring race at Atlanta at the age of 51 years, four months, and 27 days. He holds the record for oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR's top three series at age 77, as well as oldest starter in the NASCAR Cup Series race at the 2014 Camping World RV Sales 301 at age 72.
Racing career
Career before NASCAR
Shepherd's racing career began in 1967 when he started racing Late models at Hickory Motor Speedway nearby his home. Shepherd proved to be fast but he crashed out quite often in his early days. In 1968, Shepherd started racing full-time at a Hobby division in Hickory, driving a 1955 Chevy. In 1969, Shepherd won 21 out of 29 races. Shepherd drove the same car this time with a 1957 Chevy body on the car. After winning seven races early in the year he wrecked, which almost destroyed his car. Shepherd did not win another race that year after putting a 1966 Chevy body on the car. Shepherd later sold this car to Harry Gant.Shepherd's career was on its way in 1970. He built his own cars and raced at several different racetracks in the Southeast. Personal problems during the seventies slowed down Shepherd's career. In a religious experience, Shepherd accepted Christ as his personal savior. He was looking to get control of his life, and his career got back on track in 1975. Shepherd took every racing opportunity he was offered and drove for seventeen different car owners during 1975. He finished second in the NASCAR Sportsman national championship to L. D. Ottinger. At last, Shepherd got his big break in 1978 after he met Cliff Stewart, who owned a western North Carolina furniture factory. With Stewart as his owner, Shepherd won the 1980 NASCAR Sportsman Series. During this year, Shepherd won nine races and finished second 21 times. The Shepherd-Stewart combo moved to what was then the Winston Cup Series for the 1981 season.
Winston Cup Series
Early days
Shepherd made his Winston Cup Series debut in 1970 at Hickory Motor Speedway, driving the No. 93 Chevy for Bill Flowers. He started tenth but finished nineteenth out of twenty-two cars due to rear-end failure. Shepherd made two more starts for Flowers that year but failed to finish in both of them. His best finish that year was a fourteenth place at Hickory.Shepherd would not return to the Cup Series until 1977, driving a Mercury for Jim Makar. He first attempted the Daytona 500 that year but he failed to make the race. Later that year Shepherd took his first top-ten finish at Dover International Speedway. He also ran two additional races at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Shepherd stayed with Makar for the 1978 season, qualifying for his first Daytona 500. Shepherd started the race in 37th place but only finished 40th when his engine failed after only eight laps. He only ran one additional race that season, finishing twelfth at Charlotte. Shepherd only attempted the Daytona 500 with Makar in 1979, but failed to make the race.
Full-time Cup Series switch
Shepherd moved to the Winston Cup Series full-time in 1981, driving the No. 5 Pontiac for Cliff Stewart. They missed the first two races of the season, Riverside and the Daytona 500. Shepherd took pole position in his first race for Stewart at Richmond, finishing the race in fourth position. A few races later Shepherd won his first Winston Cup race at Martinsville. The win marked the first win for Pontiac in eighteen years. Shepherd dominated the race and led a total of 203 laps. Shepherd left Stewart's team after the Talladega 500 after he had a falling out with his team. For the next race at Michigan Shepherd drove for Bud Reeder his team. Shepherd qualified in the fourteenth position but retired from the race after he crashed on lap twenty. For the next couple of races Shepherd drove for Cecil Gordon and his team, finishing in the top ten at North Wilkesboro and Charlotte. During the last part of the season, Shepherd also drove some races for Ron Benfield. Shepherd finished thirteenth in points with ten top-ten finishes.Image:MorganShepherd2racecar1983.jpg|thumb|left|Driving for Jim Stacy in 1983.
Shepherd moved to Benfield's team full-time in 1982, driving the No. 98 Buick. Although Shepherd did not win a race that season, he scored six top-five finishes with a best finish of third at Bristol early in the season. Shepherd also won the pole at Nashville and Atlanta, respectively, but retired from both those races with engine troubles. Shepherd finished tenth in points that season with a total of thirteen top-ten finishes.
Shepherd started the 1983 season without a full-time ride. He tried to qualify for the Daytona 500 driving for Bud Reeder; however, he failed to make the race. Shepherd then drove the Richmond 400 for Wayne Beahr but did not finish the race. Shepherd returned to Cecil Gordon for the TranSouth 500 and later drove the Virginia National Bank 500 for Emanuel Zervakis. After that race, Shepherd drove for Jim Stacy's team for the rest of the season. Shepherd scored thirteen top-ten finishes during the rest of the season, with a best finish of second at Firecracker 400. His abbreviated season dropped Shepherd to twentieth in the final points standings.
Going from ride to ride
For the next couple of years, Shepherd did not have a full-time ride and practically picked up whatever he could find. Shepherd started off his 1984 season at Richmond driving the No. 2 Buick for Robert Harrington. Shepherd drove two races for Charlie Henderson early in the season. He also drove four races for Dick Bahre his team, with a best finish of seventeenth at the 1984 World 600. Shepherd made one start for Phil Barkdoll at Michigan finishing the race in the 22nd position. After driving the No. 6 Buick for D. K. Ulrich and the No. 52 Chevy for Jimmy Means, Shepherd drove six races for Roger Hamby. Shepherd had two top twenty finished for Hamby, with a best finish of twelfth at Richmond. Shepherd made another start for Ulrich at Charlotte, before rounding off the season driving the No. 98 Chevy for Ron Benfield. Shepherd scored his only top ten finish that season at Rockingham, finishing in sixth position.Shepherd finished his first Daytona 500 in 1985, driving the No. 67 Chrysler for Buddy Arrington. Shepherd spent the rest of the season going from ride to ride. He returned to the team of Dick Bahre, driving the No. 23 Chevy at Rockingham. He also made a start for Petty Enterprises at the TranSouth 500. Shepherd fielded his own car at Talladega, finishing the race in thirteenth place. Shepherd made four races for Bobby Hawkins, with a best finish of fifth at Atlanta. He made most of his starts that season for Helen Rae Smith, but failed to finish all of those seven races.
Shepherd moved to the team of Jack Beebe in 1986, driving on a part-time basis. He had a good start to the season, finishing fourth at the 1986 Goodwrench 500. At the next race in Atlanta, Shepherd led 97 laps and held off Dale Earnhardt to win his second career Winston Cup race. Shepherd got very emotional at the final laps of the race. "I was trying not to cry. I knew I had to keep my self-control because we were so close to finally winning a big one, a major race. My racing career was nearly gone just a year before, and I was getting ready to win a big one." Shepherd made ten more starts for Beebe that season, scoring four top-ten finishes. After making several starts for RahMoc Enterprises mid-season, he moved to the team full-time after the Southern 500. Shepherd scored two additional top-ten finishes for RahMoc Enterprises and finished the season eighteenth in points.
Late 1980s and early 1990s
Shepherd joined King Racing for the 1987 season, driving the No. 26 Quaker State Buick Lesabre owned by drag racing legend Kenny Bernstein. It was the first time in Shepherd's Cup career that he competed in every scheduled event. Shepherd scored eleven top-ten finishes; seven of those were in the top five. He also scored his fourth career pole st Martinsville. He led the early part of that race but retired after engine problems. His best finish of the season was at the Coca-Cola 600, where Shepherd finished second to Kyle Petty.Shepherd switched to Tom Winkle's team for the 1988 season. Shepherd had a good start to the season, with a pole at Richmond and a top-ten at Rockingham. However, after that race Shepherd started racing for his own team, driving a Buick. After failing to finish a race with his own team he moved to Mach 1 Racing, replacing the injured Harry Gant. Shepherd led 110 laps at Dover, eventually finishing second to Bill Elliott. After Gant returned Shepherd again replaced an injured driver, this time Neil Bonnett at RahMoc Enterprises. In his first race for this team, at Pocono, Shepherd took his second pole of the year. After posting two top-tens in the No. 88 Oldsmobile for Buddy Baker, Shepherd finished out the year in his own No. 57, before his team was purchased by RahMoc for the season finale.
File:MorganShepherd75car1989.jpg|thumb|left|Shepherd driving for RahMoc Enterprises during the 1989 season.
Shepherd returned to RahMoc for the 1989 season. Shepherd scored thirteen top-ten finishes during the season. He led the most laps at the Talladega DieHard 500 but eventually finished the race in sixth place. Shepherd took his final career pole at Watkins Glen. He led the early parts of that race but lost his chance of winning the race after contact with Geoff Bodine. Shepherd's best finish of the season was two second-place finishes at the Pepsi 400 and the Champion Spark Plug 400. It was only the second time in his career Shepherd competed in every scheduled event. He finished thirteenth in the final points standings.
Shepherd moved to Bud Moore Engineering for the 1990 season, driving the No. 15 Ford. He had a great start to the season finishing in the top ten in each of the first eleven races. Shepherd took the championship lead for the first time in his career after the Budweiser 500. He had a difficult midseason, losing the points lead and dropping to tenth in the standings after the Tyson Holly Farms 400. Shepherd ended his season on a high after winning his third career race at the season finale at Atlanta. He finished fifth in the final points standings, which would turn out to be a career-high.
Shepherd stayed with Bud Moore for the 1991 season, but had a more up and down season than the year before. Although he scored fourteen top-ten finishes, he could not compete for regular top-five finishes during the season. His best finish of the season was two third-place finishes late in the season. He had his best run of the season at North Wilkesboro, where Shepherd led a total of 41 laps and just missed out on the win. Shepherd dropped to twelfth in the final points standings. After the season Shepherd left Bud Moore Engineering and moved to the Wood Brothers for the 1992 season.