Beard Motorsports, a part-time NASCAR Cup Series organization that has typically participated in superspeedway events, is skipping this weekend’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
A representative for the organization confirmed the news to TobyChristie.com and explained some of the thought processes behind the No. 62 Chevrolet not being present for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season finale.
“Beard [Motorsports] approached this year a little differently,” the team representative stated. “Instead of racing specifically on superspeedway, the team opted to enter Texas and Indianapolis this year, in addition to the DAYTONA 500 and both Talladega races.”
This year, in addition to the team’s planned superspeedway schedule, the No. 62 Chevrolet was present at Texas Motor Speedway (May) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July), with NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Jesse Love behind the wheel of the C4 Energy-sponsored machine.
Having fielded an entry as recently as late July in the Brickyard 400, the organization gave some thought to entering this weekend’s event at Daytona, but instead, “opted to start preparing for the October race at Talladega.”
It’s the first time since October 2023 that Beard Motorsports hasn’t been present on the entry list for a NASCAR Cup Series event on a traditional superspeedway (Daytona or Talladega).
Beard Motorsports, founded by the late Mark Beard Sr., has been competing at NASCAR’s top-level since the 2017 season, making 33 total starts and collecting a single top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
Since Beard’s passing in 2021, his wife (Linda Beard), daughter (Amie Beard-Deja), and son (Mark Beard, Jr.) have continued to pursue the dream of racing in the NASCAR Cup Series in remembrance of their father.
So far this season, the No. 62 Chevrolet has been present at four NASCAR Cup Series events — the Daytona 500, the Spring event at Talladega, Texas Motor Speedway in May, and the Brickyard 400.
Earlier this season at Talladega Superspeedway, Anthony Alfredo led a team-high 19 laps behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet before finishing in 28th-place.
Noah Gragson holds the best-ever finish for Beard Motorsports, finishing fifth in the 2022 edition of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. Last Spring, Anthony Alfredo recorded a sixth-place finish for the team.
Last Summer at Daytona, though, the team — or more specifically, the team’s driver, Parker Retzlaff — was a subject of controversy when he pushed Ford Performance driver Harrison Burton to the victory, earning the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing team a post-season berth.
Evidently, that upset some of those within the Chevrolet camp, and left Retzlaff, who was making his second NASCAR Cup Series start that night, to be under internal and external criticism.
At this time, the plan is for Beard Motorsports to return to action in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs event at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in October.
Coverage of the event will take place on Sunday, October 19, at 2:00 pm ET on NBC, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
