Craig Morgan Rides Off With Trophy

Craig Morgan at the Nightly Concert on the Vault Concert Stage LP Field Saturday, June 7 in Downtown Nashville during the 2008 CMA Music Festival.

July 24, 2008 — Two years ago, Craig Morgan broke his left wrist and right leg and suffered a concussion in two different motorbike races six weeks apart in Tennessee.

After those setbacks, a lot of people might be prone to turn in their keys for good, but not Craig. He continues to make motorcycle races one of his primary non-music pursuits, and on Sunday, he picked up a trophy for finishing third in the Mid-South Hare Scramble Series.

"Riding my motorcycle is an opportunity for me to clear my head," Craig told The Tennessean. "When I'm riding a bike, especially when I'm racing, that's really all I'm doing. It's not until after I finish that I realize that was 2½ hours of my life I wasn't thinking about a record."

His dedication to the sport becomes particularly obvious upon examining his schedule. Most country artists play concerts around the nation on Saturday nights, and the motorbike races take place at 11 a.m. Sundays. It means there’s a bus trip or a plane ride that has to be completed early on Sunday if he’s going to take part.

"I'm really fortunate because we do it as a family," he said. "My wife and kids load everything up the night before on Saturday when I'm on the road somewhere. It's so much fun. For me it's the energy and the excitement, and it's so physically demanding. You really have to be in shape. It helps me to stay in shape, and it's a real family-oriented sport."

Craig and his family are enjoying the progress of his current single, "Love Remembers." It’s currently in the Top 30 on the Country Aircheck chart.