A storm unlike one that hadn’t been seen in centuries hit the eastern front of the United States in March 1993. Cold winds and heavy snowfall threatened millions of people in their homes. However, the engines of Morgan Shepherd and NASCAR did not lose their heat through it all. The race that went down in Atlanta on March 20 ended up being notable for the Wood Brothers Racing hero’s expertise.
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Shepherd won four Cup Series races in his career. Three of them were in Atlanta. The final one was particularly impressive because of how it was won. The last 188 laps (286 miles) of the race were run completely under the green flag. This meant fuel conservation was the key to reaching victory lane. Shepherd’s Ford went 103 miles in its final tank of fuel and grabbed the day’s honors.
His earlier victories at the 1.522-mile oval came in 1986 and 1990. When asked about his trend to win in Atlanta, he said, “Well, thank god for Atlanta. All I can say is we run good down here and we are always in contention. I just thank god it was a safe race today.” Understandably, he also stated that the track was his favorite of the entire lot and that NASCAR should visit it more often.
Morgan Shepherd picked up the fourth and final victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career at @ATLMotorSpdwy in 1993.
Three of his four victories came at the track. pic.twitter.com/C4572zcJOs
— NASCAR Classics (@NASCARClassics) December 21, 2024
Shepherd was 51 years old at the time of his final win. He would continue starting Cup races till 2014 and became the oldest driver to start a race in NASCAR’s premier series at 72 years 9 months and 1 day. His only other win apart from those in Atlanta came at Martinsville in 1981. The crowning jewel of his career remains this cyclonic win he achieved in front of 80,000 people in Atlanta.
Shepherd was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020
After a long year of health problems, the veteran was diagnosed with early-stage Parkinson’s in November 2020. News of his nervous system disorder was unveiled on the website of his team, Shepherd Racing Ventures. The 2020 season was the first time in 52 years that he did not participate in NASCAR.
He drove in 12 Xfinity Series races in 2019 before being hit with the unfortunate ailment. Years later, in 2023, he was spotted at the Martinsville Speedway during race weekend. He spoke to the press and reminisced how it was where he got his maiden Cup Series win.
He also noted how surprised he was by the cost of the Next Gen cars. Shepherd further said that the 1981 Cup Series race was his favorite memory at Martinsville. It is unlikely that fans will get to see this icon behind the wheel again, but the memories he has created will last a long time.
