NASCAR Xfinity Series: Morgan Shepherd’s drought is extremely depressing

By Asher Fair | Oct 3, 2019

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - AUGUST 16: Morgan Shepherd, driver of the #89 Visone RV Chevrolet, stands on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 16, 2019 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

The fact that Morgan Shepherd still competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the age of 77 is impressive. Unfortunately for him, he is on a very lengthy drought that has shown no sign of ending.

At 77 years old, Morgan Shepherd is still doing what not many people want to be doing at the age of 77. He is still competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on a part-time basis.

Shepherd, a born again Christian who serves as a lay minister to the racing community, is a former full-time Cup Series and Xfinity Series driver who won four Cup Series races in 517 starts over 32 seasons. He has won 15 Xfinity Series races in 453 starts over 36 seasons. He also competed in 57 Truck Series races, although he didn’t win any.

Unfortunately, the Ferguson, North Carolina native is not set to compete in this Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Dover International Speedway, the Use Your Melon Drive Sober 200. He has driven for Shepherd Racing Ventures, the team he owns, in 12 other races this season.

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Shepherd has not missed an Xfinity Series race at the four-turn, 1.0-mile (1.609-kilometer) high-banked Dover International Speedway oval in Dover, Delaware since he failed to qualify for the race in September of 2012, and he hasn’t not attempted to qualify for a race at the track since he was not on the entry list for it in September of 2006.

So his absence in this 200-lap race, which is the third and final race of the opening round of the three-round, seven-race 2019 playoffs, is quite a rare absence — even for somebody who has been on this earth for nearly eight decades.

But regardless of the fact that he isn’t set to compete this weekend, Shepherd is on quite a depressing drought, which is really quite a shame considering the fact that his record mark of 11 consecutive top 10 finishes to open up a Cup Series season got so much attention earlier this year.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch pursued it and ended up tying it before failing to break it by finishing in 30th place in the race at Kansas Speedway in mid-May.

As for Shepherd’s drought, since the 2013 season ended, he has competed in 102 Xfinity Series races.

He has not finished any of them.

Perhaps even more depressing is the fact that all 102 of his retirements from these races are classified as having taken place as a result of varying mechanical issues.

Additionally, he has only completed more than half of the laps in one of these 102 races, and that race was the rain-shortened race at Pocono Raceway in June of 2016. Had this race not been a rain-shortened race, he would not have even come close to completing half of its laps.

Shepherd’s most recent finish came in the form of a 27th place finish in the race at Dover International Speedway in September of 2013, more than six years ago.

Unfortunately, he won’t be able to change that this Saturday. Landon Cassill is set to drive the #89 Shepherd Racing Ventures Chevrolet in this race.

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Will Morgan Shepherd ever finish another NASCAR Xfinity Series race? Landon Cassill has driven in six races for the team, including five so far this season, and he hasn’t been able to finish a race, either. The Use Your Melon Drive Sober is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network from Dover International Speedway beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, October 5.

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