Back To The Monster Mile

As the race season heads into the final remaining races of the year, the Nationwide series once again returned to Dover, home of the Monster Mile.

True to its name, the track once again managed to collect a number of competitors through a variety of crashes and mechanical failures.

With 43 entries set for the race, Morgan Shepherd and the Racing With Jesus team were assured of a starting spot in the race, allowing them to focus on setting the car up for the race.

Once again, this race saw Kyle Busch take the pole and go on to win yet another victory for the highly-sponsored Gibbs Racing team as Morgan Shepherd turned in a solid qualifying effort in the top 30.

At first glance, it would appear that the difference between qualifying for the pole position and a top 30 spot represents a significant difference. But that would be wrong.

In reality, the difference is actually measured in fractions of a second. Yet the difference in those fractions is brought about by a difference in sponsor funding to the tune of millions of dollars.

Taken altogether, we see a team with virtually zero funding and no full-time sponsor that consistently is not only able to compete, but to run competitively against those teams with corporate sponsorships and deep pockets.

At the Monster Mile, fans of the #89 Racing With Jesus Dodge Charger were treated to watching as Morgan Shepherd and team were turning in solid top 15 speeds in the latter stages of the race, taking home another top 25 finish, crossing the finish line in 22nd place.

Impressive. And amazing.

In other news this week:

From Faith Motorsports PR, we have the following announcements:

Morgan Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports team left Delaware Saturday night knowing what needs work before the team can become a weekly Top 20 contender.

“We had a good solid run and we were competitive most of the day,” Shepherd said after finishing 22nd at the Monster Mile. “We know what our weaknesses are and it takes money to fix them so we are pretty happy with what we are able to do.”

Shepherd said the team’s next step toward running better would involve a professional pit crew and more shop and track personnel.

“Our people do a great job, but we don’t have a dedicated pit crew like most teams do,” he said. “Our guys and girls work all week on the car or in the office, and then work all weekend at the track on the car and finally pit the car, so they are exhausted before the race ever starts.”

Shepherd said he is hopeful for another competitive run this weekend at Kansas before the teams come home for a backyard duel at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway the following weekend.

“We made some points gains and we know what we need to do to get better each week. We feel pretty happy about where we are. We are just a sponsor away from being a consistent finisher every week.”

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KANSAS CITY, KS – Lagina Plumbing announced Tuesday that it will sponsor the Faith Motorsports #89 Dodge Charger and driver Morgan Shepherd in the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.

The Kansas race is a continuation of the company’s support for the team which began earlier this year at Milwaukee, said Lagina President James Lagina.

“We are thrilled to be on board Morgan’s race car for the Kansas race as it is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the whole Faith Motorsports organization for their hard work and dedication in the face of long odds,” Lagina said. “In supporting Morgan in the Nationwide Series this year, our employees and customers have really taken notice when the #89 is on the track. It is our commitment to be there for the team when they can use a boost, as it has been a wonderful blessing to have been associated with the whole organization this year.”

The company’s logo will appear on the rear quarter panels of Shepherd’s #89 Dodge throughout this weekend’s events at Kansas.

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DOVER, DE – Morgan Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports team spent Friday evening at one of America’s largest Air Force bases during a NASCAR social event at Dover AFB.

Shepherd toured a large U.S. military cargo plane and met with many soldiers and their families during the event. He was one of several NASCAR drivers who participated in the event.

Shepherd, as well as his wife and daughter, were given a tour of the base and were able to climb aboard a large cargo jet during their visit with military personnel.

“I have a huge amount of respect for those people in the military who work so hard and give so much to keep our country safe,” Shepherd said.

Shepherd met many members of the armed forces during his visit and signed autographs for the soliders and their families.

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You can follow the inspiring story of this team and read more about Morgan Shepherd and Racing with Jesus at the team’s website – www.racewithfaith.com. In addition to the team’s site, Jeff Parnell of KingdomWinners.com is writing a weekly blog of the team’s exploits at Christian Business Daily.

Read more of this inspiring story

….. to be continued…..