Shepherd tests, plans to attempt Bristol:

The #89 Faith Motorsports crew and driver Morgan Shepherd spent the day Wednesday, August 16, working on chassis and suspension setups at the Motor Mile Speedway in Pulaski, VA. Shepherd said the team gained nearly one-half second from the lap times turned in during a similar test at the track three weeks ago. “Everything we did, we improved the car,” Shepherd said of adjustments made during the test. “At the end we had a real good balance with the car and a lot better grip than we started with.” The test session was the second on the 4/10-mile oval in recent weeks by the Faith Motorsports team in an effort to try to get the #89 Racing With Jesus Dodge Charger as good as possible before next week’s qualifying attempt at Bristol. Dana Tomes, general manager at Faith Motorsports, said the crew in the Hickory shop has been working feverishly since the team’s formation to present a quality product. “We can’t appreciate enough what the guys are doing and the efforts they have made,” Tomes said. “This crew is determined to show up at Bristol and put an effort together that hasn’t been seen in a while.” The team will leave for Bristol on August 24.(Faith Motorsports site)(8-20-2006)