Midstate Vintage Stock Car Club

Shirley Morden has been a member of the MVSCC for over 10 years.
She has raced for 35 years - from Powder Puff to Street Stock ot ProStock.
Shirley and her husband Ken travel many miles each year to race with the club.
She holds the club record for highest consumption of Manhattans and lived to
tell the tale!
Shirley is a very loyal club member and besides driving, has held several club positions
from club reporter to event co-ordinator to her most recent gig as Vice-President.


More driver/owner information below.

Car	Engine	Favorite Track	Hobbies	Sponsors	Crew Members
1936 Chev Sedan	250 Chevy	Asphalt	Racing, Crafts and Camping	Cedar Grove Auto Wreckers in Carlton Place, ON	Ken Morden and CAT

More about Shirley
by Brenda Sonnenberg

This article showcases a gutsy lady who started racing when it was not 'proper' for a female to drive a race car. In her early days at the track, she endured many 'let's just let her know who's boss' bumps and bangs, all for the love of racing. Luckily for us she stuck it out and is now a well respected driver and member of the Midstate Vintage Stock Car Club. Upon meeting her, any female automatically respects her for all that she has endured and all that she continues to accomplish and men no longer see her as a 'female driver ', just a driver. I used to tease her saying, "I want to be like you when I grow up!". Seriously, I am still in awe of how confident she is, especially when it comes to traditionally male dominated activities. Shirley is not a 'typical' female. She is not afraid to get dirty at the track or at home. Shirley and her husband Ken own a wrecking yard. Together they operate Cedar Grove Auto Wreckers in Carleton Place, ON and up until recently, they managed a school bus line, doing repairs and maintenance. She also drove a bus route to boot. If you check Shirley's hands, you would never guess that she spends much of her day playing in grease! Along with her racing and mechanical talents, she also writes MVSCC articles for the Gater and the club's website. Shirley, the only female driver in the Midstate Club, wheels a '36 Chevy Coach powered by a 250 c.i. 6 cylinder. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Shirley ran her first race on a dirt track in the Ottawa valley with a borrowed car, helmet and shoulder harness. She will not divulge how long a go that was. That is all it took to catch the bug. Next it was racing Powder Puff on a regular basis at Capital City Speedway in Stittsville, Ontario. A 3/8 mile asphalt track. Driving a 1956 Olds 98 there was not much that could stop her. However there was more damage done to the car getting it to the track. The crew would hang it off chains on the box of a dump truck and away they went.When the regular powder puff was canceled it was only on the few occasions that there was a Powder Puff until 1982 when her husband Ken challenged her to run a 25 second lap and he would build her a car of her own. That was the last Powder Puff for Shirley. The next summer she ran side by side with Ken and 26 other "Gentlemen". Well most of them anyway. Running in the Pro-Stock division with a '75 Pontiac LeMans 350 c.i. there were some trials and tribulations being the first and only female on the track but Shirley persevered and earned respect as a driver. With identical cars except for the "HIS" on the fender of Ken's car and the "HERS" on Shirley's, Ken sometimes found himself taking the blame for something he did not do. In l986 a change to 1980 LeMans' was made, again with the familiar Yellow color and the "His" and Hers". As they were the only yellow cars on the track there was an understanding, "If its yellow don't hit it." That was not always the case. Ken told Shirley not to be third on the outside in the corners because the track was not wide enough in the corners. Guess who was third on the outside one night, with Shirley in the middle. She decided not to wave as she backed out from the front of his car. Shirley also blew a left front tire in the corner in one of the heat races. Yes it was Ken on the inside. Oh well they never had time to fight because they were always too busy fixing race cars. In 1990 Shirley retired from racing, finishing as high as fourth in the points. But only for a while. In 1995 when her son, Casey, started racing with the Midstate Club she decided that she'd like to try racing on dirt. Husband Ken, always her biggest supporter built a Street Stock and they were away to Brockville Speedway, Brockville, Ontario on Friday nights for the next 3 years. Shirley always wanted to try the Vintage car but Casey said until it the roof read 'Mom' she could not drive it. Shirley did not get her chance until Casey went on his honeymoon in 2000. Bad timing on his part, as all the races while he was away were asphalt. Shirley prefers asphalt to dirt but doesn't complain. In 2001 Shirley became the sole driver of the '36 Chevy. Improving on dirt, asphalt is still where the A-1 shines. Her favorite track is Adirondack Speedway, where the A-1 won both the heat and the feature races in 2002. The Morden's traveled to every scheduled race in 2003, clocking approximately 9000 miles on their hauler - now that's dedication. Semi-retired, they combine racing and camping and hanging with the other club members, which Shirley says is as big a part of the enjoyment of the club, as the racing. Come out to one of our events and we'll introduce you to this inspiring lady.