Beard Motorsports is doing what it has quietly done for nearly a decade now: circling Daytona on the calendar, sharpening its superspeedway knives, and showing up in February with one very specific goal in mind.
The family-run team announced this week it will attempt to qualify for the Feb. 15 Daytona 500, opening its ninth season in the NASCAR Cup Series. Once again, Anthony Alfredo will be the man tasked with muscling the No. 62 Chevrolet into the Great American Race, marking his third consecutive year with the team and another chapter in what has become one of the sport’s most purpose-built Daytona efforts.
Beard Motorsports doesn’t dabble. It doesn’t tour full-time. It exists, unapologetically, to be good at places like Daytona and Talladega—and history suggests that focus isn’t accidental. Since debuting in the 2017 Daytona 500 with Brendan Gaughan, the team has attempted to qualify for the race six times and made the field in each of the last three years, operating out of Mooresville, North Carolina, under the direction of Linda Beard, Amie Beard-Deja, Mark Beard Jr., and longtime crew chief Darren Shaw.
“There is nothing like being in Daytona Beach in February for the Daytona 500,” Beard-Deja said. “Our family and everyone at Beard Motorsports take pride in our NASCAR program and being part of this community. And when we go to the track, whether it’s Daytona, Talladega or another track, we go with the intention of performing well and contending for wins.
“The work Anthony puts into his craft and his skill in the superspeedway races align with the goals we have for our racing program,” she added. “He and Darren have developed a great working relationship, so our expectations for Daytona are very high.”
For Alfredo, the Daytona 500 attempt will represent his third career start in the sport’s biggest race and his 44th Cup Series start overall. While he’s still building his résumé at NASCAR’s top level, his strongest results have come where Beard Motorsports specializes. The 26-year-old owns a pair of top-10 finishes at Talladega, a track that rewards patience, nerve, and the ability to stay out of trouble long enough to matter at the end.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to compete in the 2026 Daytona 500 with Beard Motorsports,” Alfredo said. “Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series is always a thrill, but that feeling is amplified when it comes to the Daytona 500. It’s an iconic race and a win in that race places a driver in elite company. I’m thankful for the opportunity the Beard family gives me, and a win in the Great American Race would be an amazing way to thank them.”
As it has since the team’s first Daytona appearance in 2017, the No. 62 Chevrolet will be powered by ECR Engines, continuing a long-standing technical partnership that has quietly paid dividends at superspeedways across the Cup Series. In recent years, ECR-built engines have helped drive wins at Daytona and Talladega, and Beard Motorsports is once again betting that familiarity and focus can level the playing field on NASCAR’s biggest stage.
In a sport increasingly dominated by scale, Beard Motorsports remains a reminder that sometimes the smartest strategy is simply knowing exactly where—and when—you want to show up.
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, and a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.
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