Shepherd to join Chevrolet camp in 2009

CONOVER, NC – Morgan Shepherd and his Faith Motorsports Nationwide Series program will be sporting a “bow tie” when the 2009 NASCAR campaign kicks off at Daytona International Speedway in a couple of weeks.

Shepherd, who had fielded Dodges in his final two seasons in the Sprint Cup Series in 2005 and 2006, and in the Nationwide Series in 2007 and 2008, will make the switch to Chevrolet for the 2009 race season, the team announced today.

While enjoying a very positive and longstanding relationship with Dodge, Shepherd said the move to Chevrolets this season will enable his team to work more closely with others in the Nationwide garage who are also affiliated with GM.

“We have historically worked with Johnny Davis and his program, and last year we were so thankful for the help that Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart provided to our team,” Shepherd said. “Our switching over to Chevrolet will make our relationships with these and other teams more beneficial to all of us.”

Davis and Harvick field Chevrolets in the Nationwide Series under the Davis Motorsports and Kevin Harvick Incorporated banners, respectively. Stewart will field Chevrolets in the Sprint Cup Series under his newly-formed Stewart-Haas Racing.

Shepherd, who drove a Chevrolet in the final two road course races in 2008 at Montreal and Watkins Glen, said that much of his Dodge fleet of cars from last season has already been converted or will soon be switched over to Chevrolet bodies.

“We had the road course car already from last year and the car that Kevin Harvick built for us last year has been changed over as well,” Shepherd said. “We are finishing up the speedway car now and will begin changing the others over as soon as we get our Daytona car done. We are going through everything and making it better.”

Shepherd said his team is also finalizing its engine program agreements and is finishing up engineering alliances with other Chevrolet programs that will hopefully help the team’s race performance in 2009.

“We will have some announcements on those things soon,” he said.

While the team is planning to run the full 35-race Nationwide Series schedule with Shepherd behind the wheel, efforts by Shepherd’s Victory in Jesus Racing Ministries is also planning many trackside outreach events in 2009.

“We are all very excited about 2009 and what we are going to be able to do on the track as well as off the track for our Lord,” Shepherd said.