Morgan Sheperd -

[Gerry Mac]

Though most NASCAR fans tend to think of Carl Edwards and Mark Martin when it comes to physically fit drivers, it might be time to add 69-year-old Morgan Shepherd to the list.



According to a story posted on 41nbc.com, Shepherd was getting out of his rental car in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Las Vegas when three men raced out of the store with security forces in pursuit.



That's when Shepherd jumped into action.



I caught one of them just as they were getting ready to hop a little wall at the end of the parking lot, Shepherd told WMGT, an NBC affiilate in Macon, Ga. I yanked him down and got on top of him. Shepherd said that, in a matter of seconds, a Las Vegas police officer tossed him handcuffs and chased the other two suspects.



"I cuffed him and sat on top of him," Shepherd told WGMT. "The police department officers showed up and asked if I could hold him a while longer while they ran down the others. I told them he wasn't going anywhere."



Shepherd, who owns and drives the North Carolina-based Faith Motorsports entry in NASCAR, estimated that the suspect was 18 or 19 and told the TV station he pleaded to be let go. Instead, Shepherd said, he used the time to talk with the youth about life choices.



Shepherd is in Nevada preparing to compete in Sundays NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

 

[H D]

Good man, positive story. I like that he had a talk with the thief.

 

[Bill V]

If Shepherd was at Walmart, NASCAR drivers clearly aren't as well compensated as I would have suspected...

 

[Johnny O]

He just races in the Nationwide Series now. Not the big money. :driving:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Bill V said:

If Shepherd was at Walmart, NASCAR drivers clearly aren't as well compensated as I would have suspected...

Maybe he wasn't a shopper. Maybe it was at a fan "meet and greet." As long as we are stereotyping, not only are their low-income shoppers at Wal*Mart, but a lot of NASCAR fans too!



TJR

 

[EddieS'04]

Good man, positive story. I like that he had a talk with the thief.

Right on, Hugh.......:supercool:

 

[Bill V]

Maybe he wasn't a shopper. Maybe it was at a fan "meet and greet."

While I can't 100% rule the possibility out, the story doesn't read like that is what was going on. If that had been the case, you would think there would have been mention of that, or of what the fans there to meet him did in response to the robbery--be it that they came to assist him, or that he was the only one of the group who acted, or what not.



And yes, I realize that Walmart caters to lots of NASCAR fans--the customers in Walmart stores at any moment typically have more NASCAR hats than teeth. (KIDDING!!!!)

 

[Johnny O]

Another article said he was waiting in the car while his wife went in to shop. Regardless, old guys rock. First came Epic Beard Man, now we have Epic NASCAR Man.

 

[Kevin Lang]

If Shepherd was at Walmart, NASCAR drivers clearly aren't as well compensated as I would have suspected...

Rich people can't be frugal?? When did this happen?!



Reminds me of that relatively recent commercial:

"Opulence, I has it...but I also likes savings dah monies".--DirecTV commercial.

estimated that the suspect was 18 or 19

Well, after getting taken out by a man 50 years older than himself, I see an inferiority complex coming. It's great that he was given a talk about life choices, because after this fiasco, he needs to make another one; his thug friends will laugh him out of their clique. I know I would :grin:

Regardless, old guys rock.

There are still a ton of old guys who are spoiling this for all other guys who are or will become "old", like the "crazy" veteran who got into the "racist" bus fight, or the recently discovered "singing hobo" who was given a job & voice lessons, only to be determined to be a loser who ran out on his family. :sad:

 

[Johnny O]

Well, after getting taken out by a man 50 years older than himself, I see an inferiority complex coming.

I posted this on another board and someone said that the suspect must have been white in order for a 69 year old to run him down. I replied that how fast you can run may be determined by how far your pants are hanging down off your ass. :grin:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Age is just a number. This 45 year-old, previously fatty McFatFat ran a 5k recently passing a whole crap load of "kids" less than 1/2 my age. Surprisingly (or not), there are a lot of out of shape younger folks in this country.



And, as for the "pants on the ground", there are some that only run really fast when taking 4 steps to jam a basketball from the free-throw line. The only time they run faster than that is when it is after the rev who called "traveling" on them. :banana:



TJR

 

[Johnny O]

Age is just a number. This 45 year-old, previously fatty McFatFat ran a 5k recently passing a whole crap load of "kids" less than 1/2 my age. Surprisingly (or not), there are a lot of out of shape younger folks in this country.

I never see kids out playing any more, everyone inside playing video games and eating chips. When I moved here 22 years ago there was a street hockey game going 24/7 around the corner, now there's nobody.

I quit running about 8 years ago, used to run 2 miles every morning and the last 1/4 mile was a steep hill back to my house, but after a winter layoff one year (Jan and Feb it ain't happening) my knee was just never right. Once I was on my bud's porch in the middle of the hill having a few beers and his kids and some other teenagers were ragging me about my running in the morning so I challenged them to a race to the top. "Old man? I'll show you 'old man'. Hold my beer". In street clothes and with a few beers in me I was so far ahead of them after one block that they gave up.