Shephard Crashes Disk-O Chevrolet

By Dan Shuman,
Turner Sports Interactive
April 2, 2001
4:23 PM EDT (2023 GMT)

The unveiling of the new Disk-O Chevrolet at this week's Daytona PEPSI 400 turned out to be a lot more exciting than anyone expected.

With twelve laps to go, the war began as Jeff Gordon tried to draw along side several times but couldn't manage to pull ahead. Kurt Busch also gave it his best shot but failed to pass the Ted Shephard Disk-O Chevrolet.

"I really didn't think I was running out of room as I saw Dale coming," Shephard said after the race. "I just knew he had new tires and I was going to do my best to make him work to pass me. As fast as he was coming, I didn't want him to run over me and ruin our day. But I wasn't about to let him by either."

"Make sure you run the inside lane and then push him near the wall when you come off the corner," Jim Hickey's advised as he watched the duel on the track's jumbo television screen.

What proved to be Shephard's fatal mistake ended up nearly costing him his life. Coming out of turn four with Dale trying to pass, the two cars touched ultimately sending the Disk-O Chevrolet into a spectacular tumble. As the car made four revolutions the body was nearly desimated.

"It's just a situation where we're always going to give everything we have," Hickey admitted. "It's not because we want to, it's just that we want to win one of these things so damn bad. It's not that the sponsors are putting pressure on us or the owners are putting pressure on us. We, as a race team, want to win one of these races. I've got all the faith in the world in Ted Shephard. When it's time to stand up on the wheel, he can do that. We had a good car. We just had to be out front with it to try to do what we needed to get done.

"I was gambling three positions for a win and it cost me the race, I would do it again without question."

The performance moved Shephard to twenty-third in the 2001 points standings.

"I really didn't know what happened," Shephard said. "We try to make it exciting for the fans and the Disk-O folks every time we come to a race ... and I think we did just that [Sunday]."

"No, we aren't disappointed," Shephard said. "We know that if we keep running like this it will come.

"It's not the end, by any means. I would just like to win one of these once. But all in all, I'm alive and really happy."