In a week filled full of news as NASCAR took the circus to the 'Big Apple,' perhaps the most unusual piece of PR to come out of the New York awards bash was that video game giant Nintendo had included NASCAR driver Morgan Shepherd among 100 honorees for their ageless endeavors.

Shepherd, 65, was among those selected to receive the 2006 Nintendo Ageless American Award. As part of the honor, Shepherd was presented with a Nintendo DS player and Brain Age software to help allow him to "keep his mental muscle flexed."

To his credit, Shepherd has managed to stay in racing over the last decade qualifying for Cup events with short fields or by manipulating the provisional rules. Shepherd is a field filler in the truest sense, even a start and park at some events. He has long ago retired as a threat to win.

I bring this up not to demean Shepherd in any way. Shepherd more than anybody knows these things as fact. Heck, the guy got out and changed his own tires, had a soft drink, and then got back in for some more laps at a Truck Series race a couple of years ago.

To read the rest of this story, visit CloseFinishes.com.