● Last Call and the Big 3-0. The 2024 NASCAR season is winding down with only six races remaining. For Beard Motorsports, it’s already last call as the YellaWood 500 Sunday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway serves as its final NASCAR Cup Series race of the year. The family-owned team runs a limited Cup Series schedule, entering its signature No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the series’ four superspeedway races – the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, the April 21 GEICO 500 at Talladega, the Aug. 24 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, and the YellaWood 500 at Talladega. Sunday’s 188-lap race around the massive 2.66-mile Talladega oval will commemorate Beard Motorsports’ 30th Cup Series start.
● The Beard Motorsports Resume. Since making its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2017 Daytona 500, Beard Motorsports has been a fixture at Talladega and Daytona, scoring seven top-10 finishes across the two racetracks. Of Beard Motorsports’ 29 previous starts, 12 have come at Talladega, with Anthony Alfredo’s sixth-place finish in April being the team’s best result at the track. Brendan Gaughan scored Beard Motorsports’ first top-10 at Talladega in April 2019 when he finished eighth in the GEICO 500.
● Back in the Saddle. Alfredo returns to Beard Motorsports this weekend at Talladega for his third NASCAR Cup Series start of the year and the 41st of his career. The Ridgefield, Connecticut, native made his last Cup Series start at Talladega in April, finishing sixth to record Beard Motorsports’ best Talladega result. It was also Alfredo’s best Cup Series finish, and the 25-year-old earned it by carrying the patience and poise of a Cup Series veteran. He avoided two multicar accidents to run with the leaders in the closing laps, allowing Alfredo to better his previous best career finish, 10th in the 2021 YellaWood 500 at Talladega.
● Fortified by a New Partner. The newest brand to align with Beard Motorsports is Fortify Building Solutions. The company is part of Cornerstone Building Brands and offers North America’s most extensive selection of high-quality metal roofing, wall panels and building solutions. Tailored for local builders, contractors and homeowners, the brand’s 20-plus branch locations supply professionals and homeowners with hometown service and support, backed by a nationwide manufacturing and distribution network.
● Family Business. This year marks Beard Motorsports’ eighth season in the NASCAR Cup Series. What started out as a passion project for the late Mark Beard Sr., has become a tribute to the family’s patriarch. Linda Beard, along with her children, Amie Beard-Deja and Mark Beard Jr., have remained committed to the vision laid out by Mark Beard Sr., and have done so with notable success. Today, their No. 62 NASCAR Cup Series operation is just one of their family-owned entities. Beard Oil Distributing is the foundation of the Beard family-owned business portfolio and it is recognized as a women-owned certified organization through the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
● A Peak Under the Hood. Since making its debut in the 2017 Daytona 500, the No. 62 Beard Motorsports team has been powered by ECR-built engines. The team has leveraged the power of those engines to post solid finishes, with its best result being a fifth-place finish by Noah Gragson in the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Beard comes into Talladega on a roll with back-to-back top-10 finishes at Talladega in April (sixth) and Daytona in August (seventh).
Anthony Alfredo, Driver of the No. 62 Fortify Building Solutions Chevrolet Camaro:
It’s been since April at Talladega when you made your last start for Beard Motorsports. What are your thoughts heading into your return trip to Talladega this weekend?
“I certainly have high expectations because the last time I was in the car, we finished sixth. We certainly want to go back there and improve on that finish. Beard Motorsports always brings a really fast Chevrolet Camaro. I’m proud to represent their family and be part of the team. I always have a ton of fun driving their racecars. I will be doing double duty for the third time this year with both the Cup and Xfinity Series races. And I really enjoy superspeedway racing. It’s just right up my ally. I’m prepared to go there and compete for the win in both races.”
You’ve talked about your love of superspeedway racing. What is it about this type of racing that you enjoy?
“That’s a great question because I think there are two parts to this. One is that it’s like high-speed chess. As action-packed and as exciting as it is, you have to be very patient and methodical. And I think it takes a certain type of racer to excel at it. In driving for smaller teams the last few years in the national series, this type of racing presents a really great opportunity for me to go to victory lane because the playing field is a little bit more level. So I put a lot of time and effort into studying and preparing for these races and I’ve gotten quite good at it. I’m always in contention late in the running. We’ve had great pace and that’s the first step – bringing fast cars. I’m confident we’re going to have another rocket ready to go, so it’s just going to be up to us putting ourselves in position in the end and ultimately executing on the final lap.”
This will be your third race driving the No. 62 Chevrolet. What have you learned during the first two races that may help you this weekend?
“I think a lot of what I’ve learned is actually about the fuel strategy because the Cup Series races are so different now with the NextGen car on superspeedways. There is a lot of fuel saving. You really need to be patient and smart not to charge to the front and use up too much fuel. You’re almost better off staying in the pack and having good fuel conservation compared to the other guys. But at the same time, track position is still really important because it’s actually quite difficult to pass in the NextGen car at superspeedways. I want to be sure to execute the fuel strategy well, but also put us in position to be up front toward the end so that we can have a shot to win the race because it’s not that easy to just drive to the front. I think I learned a lot more about that. I’m also hoping that my strong performances in the first two races that I did in the No. 62 Chevy would allow some of the competition to work with me a little more because you do need some teammates to help push you and make moves. Hopefully that works to my favor when people see my name above the door and on the window again on the No. 62 car.”
You have a new partner on board with Fortify Building Solutions and you’ve been able to spend some time with them since announcing the partnership in June. What is it like working with a partner that’s new to the sport?
“This is a really special relationship because I actually grew up in the construction industry and learned a whole lot about operating heavy equipment and seeing steel buildings put up long before I ever climbed into a racecar. It’s kind of back to my roots. I even studied civil engineering in college because that’s what I was going to do if I didn’t become a racecar driver. That kind of bridges the gap between industries. To be able to represent a company that does projects of all sizes for people’s steel building needs is very neat.”
Linda Beard, Owner of the No. 62 Fortify Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports:
The YellaWood 500 at Talladega marks the 30th NASCAR Cup Series start for Beard Motorsports. What does it mean to you and the family to reach this milestone?
“When Mark (Beard, Sr.) started this, we didn’t really have any idea how far this would go or how far we could take it. Racing was important to my husband and was something he loved and enjoyed. We love it and enjoy it because he did. And it’s not any one thing but all of it – being at the track, competing and being competitive. And all of it is because of him. We wouldn’t be here making our 30th start without Mark and it’s really a credit to him and his dreams.”
The team is wrapping up its 2024 campaign this weekend. How has this season been for the family?
“By all measures, it’s been a pretty successful season. When we show up, we show up to compete and we expect to be up front. We have done that and more. We’ve had the good fortune to welcome new partners and have been able to give the opportunity to compete at the highest level of NASCAR to some young drivers. And to do it with success has been very rewarding for all of us.”
● Event: YellaWood 500 (Round 31 of 36)
● Time/Date: 2 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 6
● Location: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
● Layout: 2.66-mile oval
● Laps/Miles: 188 laps/500 miles
● Stage Lengths: Stage 1: 60 laps / Stage 2: 60 laps / Final Stage: 68 laps
● TV/Radio: NBC / MRN / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
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