● Bringing it Back. Beard Motorsports make its return engagement to the NASCAR Cup Series garage for Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. It will be the team’s second start of the 2024 season and 12th overall at the 2.66-mile superspeedway oval. The family-owned Beard Motorsports team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in 2017. While five different drivers have wheeled the No. 62 Chevrolet since its inaugural season, the team has become a regular during the superspeedway events during the last eight seasons.
● Fast Pasta Round Two. The latest of those five Beard drivers is Anthony Alfredo, who will be back this weekend at Talladega to pilot the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro in Sunday’s GEICO 500. It is Alfredo’s first NASCAR Cup Series start since the Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February. The Ridgefield, Connecticut, native made the starting field during qualifying with a fast No. 62 Beard Chevrolet. He lined up 40th to start the traditional season-opening race, avoided multiple accidents on the 2.5-mile superspeedway, and finished in 27th place. Alfredo gets his second shot behind the wheel of the No. 62 this weekend at a track that he considers a favorite.
● DUDE … it’s a mindset. Partnering with Beard Motorsports and Alfredo as the primary sponsor for this weekend’s 500-mile race at Talladega is DUDE Wipes. Founded in Chicago by a group of childhood friends, DUDE Wipes are an extra large, flushable wipe developed specifically for adults as an alternative to dry toilet paper. DUDE Wipes has become a popular brand across the NASCAR community and has appeared as a primary sponsor for select NASCAR Cup Series races with Alfredo in previous seasons. The GIECO 500 will be the first Cup Series appearance of the 2024 season for DUDE Wipes.
● Family Matters. The 2024 NASCAR season is Beard Motorsports’ eighth participating in the Cup Series. Linda Beard, along with her children, Amie Beard-Deja and Mark Beard Jr., carry on the pursuit of this passion project that belonged to their late family patriarch, Mark Beard Sr. The No. 62 NASCAR Cup Series team is just one of their family-owned entities. Beard Oil Distributing is the foundation of the Beard family-owned business portfolio and is recognized as a women-owned certified organization through the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
● This Guy Makes the Team Go ’Round. Alfredo may be the guy behind the wheel and making the No. 62 Beard Chevrolet Camaro go around the track, but crew chief Darren Shaw is the one who mans the ship for the No. 62 Beard Motorsports team. Shaw has led the competition efforts with Mark Beard Sr. for the No. 62 Beard Motorsports team since its inception in 2017. Shaw works hand-in-hand with the Beard family, hiring and managing members of the No. 62 team, negotiating with drivers, collaborating with the engine supplier, preparing the racecars and then running the show during race weekends.
● Powered for Greatness. As it always has, the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro will be powered by an ECR-built engine. Beard Motorsports has leveraged the power of ECR Engines since making its NASCAR debut at the 2017 Daytona 500 and has made the most of the power supplied through the partnership. During its eight seasons of racing, Beard Motorsports has participated in 27 Cup Series events, scoring one top-five finish and five top-10s.
Anthony Alfredo, Driver of the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro:
It’s been a couple of months since Daytona. What has it been like getting ready for Talladega this weekend?
“Talladega is actually one of my favorite racetracks, especially because it is a superspeedway. I love superspeedway racing. It’s just a high-speed chess match and I just really enjoy it. We’ve been close there a couple of times and I certainly believe we can get the job done there this weekend with this No. 62 DUDE Wipes Beard Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. I’m doing double duty there with the Cup Car and the Xfinity car, so it’s going to be really fun – especially with DUDE Wipes.”
Speaking of DUDE Wipes, can you just talk about what it means to have them on board for this weekend’s race at Talladega?
“DUDE Wipes makes body and face wipes and they are the best. They are not just for ‘dudes.’ Dude is a mentality – they are for all adults. I actually met the DUDE Wipes guys when I first started my career in the national series and they have been nothing but a pleasure to work with. It has been super cool to see it come full circle now, attacking races in the Cup Series together. It started as just a one-race deal in the Xfinity Series and they are now my flagship sponsor. Having DUDE Wipes on the car at Talladega is awesome because it’s one of my favorite races and one I know we can win. There would be nothing sweeter than standing in victory lane with them at such a big race – a notorious racetrack. I’m very thankful for my relationship with them and we have a lot of great things on the horizon in the future.”
What has it been like working with the Beard family and the Beard Motorsports team?
“I have really enjoyed working with the Beard family and just getting to know all of them. Linda, Amie and Mark – they have been great to me and my wife. We had a really great time in Daytona and all the things we did in Florida. Obviously, timing into the Daytona 500 was a huge accomplishment for all of us. And we plan on being just as fast at Talladega, if not even faster. I know we have a car capable of winning, and when I strap into my No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro, that’s where my eyes are focused.”
How much more prepared are you for Talladega now that you have had one race with the No. 62 team and working with crew chief Darren Shaw?
“Any seat time with a team and a different crew chief is a plus. Building chemistry with the team during Daytona and even just leading up to that has been really pivotal. I think it’s going to give us a big advantage going into Talladega just because we kind of already attacked a race together and know where we all are at with our communication. So I expect the weekend to go smoothly and for us to know what we need to do to be in victory lane at the end.”
Daytona and Talladega are considered sister tracks, but they tend to drive differently. Will you explain those differences?
“To start with, Daytona is more of a handling track than Talladega. Talladega is also a lot wider and not quite as narrow, so I think it gives you more options behind the wheel to form a new lane or make moves without maybe being in as tight of racing situations as you would be at Daytona. I think that’s why we see a lot more comers and goers. It’s pretty hard to manage the lanes when you’re up front because they are coming from all different angles, but that’s what I actually enjoy the most.”
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