Racing With Jesus – Against the Odds

Disappointment at the Mexico Race

As Morgan Shepherd was running his first practice lap on the Mexico City road course, his car was struck by one of the other competitors. Damage to the the left front of the car forced the team into “re-pair” mode, as opposed to “pre-pare.” As a result, Morgan wound up in 45th place in qualifying – barely missing the field for the race.

It was a truly costly accident. Aside from having to now head for Talladega for the next race, without collecting a paycheck, the team had expended some $30,000.00 in just attempting the Mexico race.

It would be more than normal to say that disappointment was the attitude. But that wasn’t the case.

As Jeff Parnell wrote in his blog at Christian Business Daily, Morgan was upbeat as he headed for the Talladega race – “God has taught me that through bad things, good things will happen…if I am patient. His plans are always on time!”

Morgan often cites Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me”) as his favorite verse, but he is also quick to point out that the team is embracing Acts 13:47, which calls us to be a “light” that will “bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

A Sense of Optimism

As the time for the Talladega race drew near, there was a strange mixture of excitement and optimism on the fan forums at Morgan’s website.

Rumors that there may be something going on behind the scenes created a heightened sense of anticipation for the coming race. An entry field of 43 cars guaranteed the team of starting this race. Being assured of a starting position allowed the team to focus on preparing for the race instead of a qualifying effort.

This racing team is truly amazing. Faced with the all but impossible situation of having to compete against the big names of the sport, and their multi-million dollar sponsors, the odds are clearly against them.

Yet they remain undaunted by the overwhelming challenges that come against this faith-based group.

By the end of the 2nd practice session, Morgan had turned in the 23rd fastest time. The #89 turned in a solid qualifying lap, locking up a 33rd place starting position.

For the un-initiated, Talladega is NASCAR’s largest track. It is a “super” speedway with the competitors racing bumper to bumper at speeds exceeding 185 mph. It is big, fast and dangerous.

Virtually every race held there has at least one major smashup involving dozens of cars. At these speeds, the smallest mistake, the smallest mishap, has devastating consequences.

This race would be no different.

Throughout the early stages of the race, the #89 Racing With Jesus Dodge Charger looked impressive. At times, it appeared that Morgan could literally drive the car wherever he wanted.

Running towards the back of the pack, Morgan would occasionally pull out and begin an impressive run towards the front.

It was obvious – Morgan Shepherd had a real hot rod under him today.

And then – disaster struck.

A little over halfway through the race – it happened. The big one. In total, some 12 to 14 cars were involved in a horrendous crash. At the time of the accident, Morgan had pulled into 23rd place in the race and was closing in on the leaders.

Watching the replay of the accident, it was obvious that it would be virtually impossible for any of the cars running in that group to escape the flying, spinning junkyard that was unfolding at 180 mph.

And yet, looking closely, there was an amazing spectacle taking place. Almost as amazing as the wreck itself.

Repeated slow-motion replays of the wreck showed a green race car slipping through the melee.

Morgan Shepherd had somehow managed to pilot his Racing With Jesus car through the maze of calamity as it was unfolding.

From Morgan’s account of the race, he didn’t get through it totally unscathed. A piece of debris had hit the front of the car. The damage was minimal but it was just enough to keep the car from it’s earlier speeds.

As NASCAR called a halt to the race while the damaged cars were removed, the new lineup revealed a startling change in running order.

With 47 laps left to go, Morgan Shepherd and the Racing With Jesus Dodge Charger were sitting in 8th place.

As the race resumed under caution, Morgan pulled into the pits for gas and tires. Lacking a full complement of pit crew, Morgan was forced to pit twice – first for tires and the second time for fuel, losing precious track position in the process. As the race re-started, he was now in 15th place.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

It was now obvious – Morgan Shepherd was intent on running the entire race. The events of the day had positioned the Racing With Jesus team for their best finish of the year.

As the final laps of the race unfolded, it appeared that the race would be won by either Dale Earnhardt, Jr. or Tony Stewart – barring another mishap.

On the final lap, Tony Stewart was in the lead. As the finish line drew near, he was suddenly challenged in an all-out effort by Earnhardt, Greg Biffle and others running close to the front.

Stewart managed to fend off the challenge and pilot his Toyota to his first-ever victory at Talladega.

In his interview with The Hotlap (formerly the Busch Series Racing site), Stewart was asked if he could talk about the challenges from Greg Biffle and Mike Wallace.

Here’s his reply: “Heck with those guys — what about Morgan Shepherd. He was in the top-10 today — that is what I’m happy about, maybe happier about that than I am about winning.”

Giving credit where credit is due – we have to share the following blurb from the Hotlap:

(Image courtesy The Hotlap.com)

Apr 26: NASCAR Nationwide Series Aaron’s 312

Before we get into any of the other race recap’s - the story of the day has to go to Morgan Shepherd who started today’s Aaron’s 312 in 33rd position and drove his #89 Victory in Jesus Dodge all the way to a 13th place finish. The 66 year “young” Morgan managed to steer free of all the race “Malay” today – to include “The Big One” – and drove the #89 chariot across the finish line on the lead lap and for the most part unscathed. After the race Morgan was in victory lane to congratulate Tony Stewart for his first Talladega win and one doesn’t have to think too hard to know who the real winner was today. Congratulations to Morgan, Cindy and the Victory in Jesus team and fans. Well done!

Thanks guys! We couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

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….