Morgan Shepherd - 1990s

1990s

In 1990, he scored a career high season-end ranking of fifth for Bud Moore Engineering in the #15 Motorcraft Ford Thunderbird. In addition, he picked up his third career win at the season-closing Atlanta Journal 500. After failing to win and dropping to twelfth the following season, Shepherd moved to the Wood Brothers Racing #21 Citgo Ford. He finished second in the 1992 Daytona 500 to Davey Allison with a margin of victory of 2 cl. Despite dropping to fourteenth in points in 1992, Shepherd moved back up to seventh in points and won his final race to date at Atlanta in March 1993. The following season, he had sixteen top-tens, finished sixth in points, his highest finish since 1990. After finishing in the top-five four times in 1995, Shepherd left the Wood Brothers team.

He returned to the #75, now a Ford wholly owned by Butch Mock and with sponsorship from Remington Arms. He posted five top-tens and finished nineteenth in points. He left at the end of the season to drive the #1 Delco Remy America/Crusin' America Phone Card Pontiac for Precision Products Racing. He led ten laps early in the season at Atlanta, before fading back to third. Midway through the season, Shepherd moved over to the #77 Jasper Motorsports Ford. After just a handful of races with the 77, he departed and rejoined PPR, now with R+L Carriers sponsorship. His best finish for the rest of the season was a twelfth at Talladega Superspeedway.

After beginning 1998 without a ride, Shepherd brought out his own team to attempt the spring races Atlanta and Darlington Raceway, but his #05 Pontiac failed to qualify in both races. In the following race at Bristol, Shepherd drove the #46 First Union Chevy for Team SABCO, finishing 24th, before substituting for Mike Skinner for two races, finishing eleventh at Martinsville. After another race for SABCO and a one-off deal for Stavola Brothers Racing at Michigan International Speedway, where he finished 43rd, Shepherd spent most of the season with LJ Racing, his best finish 15th at the Brickyard 400. He left the team late in the season, and closed the year in the Stavola's #8 Nokia/Kendall Chevy. He ran near the top-ten during part of the race, but wrecked and finished 39th.

Shepherd attempted the 1999 Daytona 500 in a car purchased from FILMAR Racing, but did not qualify. He made his only Cup start that season the following season the following week at North Carolina in the #90 Accu-turn/Pep Boys Ford Taurus for Donlavey Racing, where he started 39th and finished 32nd, five laps down. In May 1999, Shepherd announced he was partnering with Rhea Fain to field the #05 Wendy's Pontiac. After the team failed to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600, the partnership dissolved, and Shepherd failed in each of his attempts to qualify for a Cup race that season. He also had his most recent top-ten finish in NASCAR competition that season, finishing 10th in a Busch Series race at North Carolina for Xpress Motorsports.