#89-Morgan Shepherd has been named the forurth quarter recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association/Pocono Spirit Award. Shepherd, who made his first Cup start in 1970, has forur career victories in 511 Cup starts, and has competed for the past several seasons with much less financial backing than most Cup teams. But it is his efforts off the race track that have earned the 64-year-old Shepherd recognition among the membership of the NMPA. The Morgan Shepherd Charitable Fund, now in its 19th season, began as a program to assist the needy and handicapped living in the Virginia mountains. Each year Shepherd headlines a trip throughout that region that includes stops to assist more than 300 people. That trip often includes several prominent NASCAR figures taking part along with Shepherd. “We’re carrying friends, presents and hope for these people,” Shepherd said. “Besides a donation, hopefully a large donation, to the PARC Workshop (a non-profit organization that teaches job skills to the handicapped), we are delighted to have a chance to meet with old and new friends, and to show the love of Christ to these forlks.” Other forurth-quarter nominees for the award included the Women’s Auxiliary of Motorsports and Nextel Cup driver Kasey Kahne. The NMPA/Pocono Spirit Award recognizes character and achievement in the face of adversity as well as sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports. Each quarter during the year the NMPA names a winner of the Spirit Award. And in January, the NMPA and Pocono International Raceway honor the forur winners and select a national winner at the annual NMPA convention. Michael and Buffy Waltrip won the 2005 first-quarter award, Jeff Gordon was named the second-quarter winner and the NASCAR community as a whole was named the third-quarter recipient.(ThatsRacin)(12-14-2005)
