Anthony Alfredo, piloting the No. 62 DUDE Wipes Chevrolet Camaro for Beard Motorsports, is set to chase Daytona 500 glory during Daytona Speedweek. The 26-year-old from Ridgefield, Connecticut, heads into a crucial week of qualifying and racing at Daytona International Speedway, seeking to cement Beard Motorsports’ reputation as a formidable competitor on NASCAR’s grandest stage and to write another chapter in his own Daytona 500 journey.
Key Dates for Anthony Alfredo Daytona 500 Campaign
The journey for Alfredo and the Beard Motorsports team begins on Wednesday, February 11, with the fiercely-contested Daytona 500 single-lap qualifying session at 8:15 p.m. ET, broadcast on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Thursday, February 12, features the America 250 Florida Duel at Daytona—twin 150-mile qualifying races starting at 7 p.m. ET—which set the final field for Sunday’s main event. The 68th running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR’s most prestigious race and the first of the 2026 Cup Series season, takes place on Sunday, February 15, at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Beard Motorsports’ Steadfast Presence at Daytona
Since its debut in 2017, Beard Motorsports has established itself as a resilient, family-owned team, with Daytona as its spiritual home. This marks the 10th attempt by the Mount Pleasant, Michigan-based squad to take on the Daytona 500. If successful, 2026 will bring the team their seventh start in the event. Prior best results include a seventh-place finish by Brendan Gaughan in 2020, as well as top-10 runs with various drivers across 34 Cup Series races, 13 of which have unfolded on Daytona’s storied 2.5-mile oval.
Alfredo’s Path and Daytona History with Beard
Anthony Alfredo is becoming a familiar force inside the Beard garage. He has started five of the team’s last eight races, making his Beard debut in the 2024 Daytona 500 by setting the fastest lap among six open (non-chartered) teams during qualifying. That year, he drove from a 39th place starting spot to a respectable 27th in the 500. One year prior, however, Alfredo’s hopes were dashed during a late-race collision in the Duel, denying him a consecutive Daytona appearance. Across his 43 Cup races, Alfredo has demonstrated his adaptability at superspeedways—a trait vital for Daytona success. His sixth-place showing at Talladega in April 2024 remains Beard’s best result at the Alabama sister track, capped by laps led at both spring and fall Talladega races in 2024.
Superspeedway Strengths and Alfredo’s Outlook
The combination of Alfredo’s superspeedway acumen and Beard Motorsports’ focused approach has proven potent. Alfredo, a NASCAR NEXT alumnus, amassed 151 starts and 23 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, in addition to his rookie campaign in the 2019 Craftsman Truck Series. Superspeedways often give smaller teams and rising drivers like Alfredo a fighting chance, leveling the competitive playing field and rewarding tactical racing and resilience.
We are as focused as ever on making the Daytona 500 this year. Honestly, I have a lot of confidence because, back in 2024, not only did we time our way into race in qualifying, we were the fastest open car overall. Everybody at Beard Motorsports has been putting in the effort they always do and, honestly, missing the Daytona 500 last year was obviously a huge disappointment, but I think it motivated us to excel at the two Talladega races we did, where we led a lot of laps, making our rocket ship a lot faster and giving us something to build on as we go back to Daytona this year.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Honestly, getting my career started in the national series with smaller organizations has led me to put an emphasis on these races because it’s the most level playing field you get. At this level of competition, there’s certainly a lot a driver can do to put himself in position to win or finish well. So I’ve studied some of the best at it and, through trial and error of my own doing, I feel like I’ve learned what it takes to execute in these kinds of races. It’s still difficult when you’re a single-car team, but having plenty other Chevrolets to work with, and then ECR engines under the hood and those cars, it certainly allows me to have some friends out there and put ourselves in position at the end of the race, most importantly. But in the past few races, we’ve had track position early, led a lot of laps and had good finishes, so I’m excited to build on that. This will be my third year with Beard Motorsports. We have a lot to build on and I feel like we’ve just gotten better every time. But even me as a speedway racer, these are some of my favorite types of races because I know what I need to do to execute and I look forward to going to them and having a shot to win.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Tactical Approach: Qualifying, Race Strategy, and Teamwork
Qualifying sessions present the critical first hurdle for Alfredo and Beard Motorsports, as non-chartered teams must secure a spot based purely on speed or through the intense Duel races. Alfredo’s focus remains locked on incremental successes at each stage, recognizing that a clean performance on Wednesday and Thursday is essential to earning a place in Sunday’s main event. The Gen 7 cars have redefined track position as a vital commodity at Daytona, making race execution, strategic pit stops, and capitalizing on late-race unpredictability more important than ever.
Well, first off, we’ve definitely got to execute well Wednesday night and make the show on speed. The Duel is your last chance if you’re not able to do that on Wednesday night. But when it comes to the 500 itself, it’s kind of one step at a time. I’d say making the race is priority number one, but once we do, 500 miles is a long race and a lot of guys make mistakes early and, if for whatever reason it’s calm in the front half of the race, there’s usually some chaos toward the end, so you’ve got to be there to have a shot at it. And there’s a lot of ways that you could screw it up, so you’re executing on pit road and restarts and maintaining track position since it’s kind of weird with this Gen 7 car. It’s really a track-position race now. It’s not as easy to just drive from the back to the front like it is in an O’Reilly Series car.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Aiming High: Belief in Contending at Daytona
Alfredo’s confidence to challenge for top results, driven by his experience leading at Talladega and previous Cup top-10s, runs deep, bolstered by Beard Motorsports’ selective but effective campaign focus on superspeedways. The team’s mindset is not only to qualify for the Daytona 500 but to capitalize on every opportunity for a standout finish or even a breakthrough victory. Every lap led and every strong finish builds momentum and belief for the small team seeking NASCAR’s grandest prize.
We certainly can contend for a win. I mean, we’ve proven that we could run inside the top-10 and finish there, so I would be thrilled with a top-10 finish in the Daytona 500. But to be quite honest, there’s no reason that we couldn’t win this race. I’m more focused on that than anything else. You don’t know when your next opportunity is going to be, certainly not in the NASCAR Cup Series or in the Daytona 500. I’m going to do everything in my power to find victory lane for Beard Motorsports, our sponsors, and my family – everybody who supports me. Honestly, I couldn’t even put into words what it would mean to win the Daytona 500, other than it being a dream come true. That’s where I first saw my first race as a 10-year-old. That first race I ever saw was the 2010 Daytona 500. Just having an opportunity to race in it is a blessing. To win it would be the ultimate accomplishment because you become a legend.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Continuity in Sponsorship with DUDE Wipes
The 2026 season marks the third time DUDE Wipes will feature as the primary sponsor for Alfredo and Beard Motorsports at Daytona, following previous Talladega partnerships. The relationship between Alfredo and DUDE Wipes dates back to his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series tenure and symbolizes the value of stable, committed sponsorship in enabling small teams to take bold shots at marquee events. DUDE Products, a men’s hygiene brand from Chicago, serves as a vital backer in Alfredo’s pursuit of Daytona dreams.
I’m thrilled that they’re making the Daytona 500 possible for us because they’ve been with me since the start of my career in the national series and are my biggest partner. They’re the flagship sponsor of my O’Reilly Series car, and having that relationship with a partner is really special. We’ve just grown so much together over the years, so to tackle the Great American Race together is honestly a dream come true.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Beard Family: Racing Heritage and Team Management
Beard Motorsports remains anchored by family values and the legacy of its founder, Mark Beard Sr. Now led by Linda Beard, along with Amie Beard-Deja, Mark Beard Jr., and crew chief Darren Shaw, the organization operates from Mooresville, North Carolina. What began as a tribute to the late patriarch endures through the team’s ongoing commitment to the Cup Series and the maintenance of Beard Oil Distributing, a women-owned company certified by the Women Business Enterprise National Council. The tight family structure brings unique cohesion and spirit to the Cup Series garage, with each Daytona attempt underscored by passion and determination.
Carefully Built Team: Primary Roster and Key Members
The roster for the No. 62 Beard Motorsports squad demonstrates depth and experience. Alfredo handles driving duties, while Darren Shaw takes the strategic helm as crew chief. Car chief Drew Mickey, spotter Rick Carelli, and over-the-wall crew—Caison Dillon, Matthew Ketchie, Tanner Wells, Nick Covey, and Douglas Warrick—each contribute specialized expertise. The road crew includes mechanics Jack Gagnon and Mark Sanders, tire technician Mike Harrold, engine tuner Brian Trevino, interior specialist Nic Hill, engineer Mack Kanupp, and transporter driver Roger Lankford. All bring diverse regional backgrounds, spanning North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Canada, and more, reflecting the team’s grassroots reach and commitment to racing excellence.
Technical Updates: All-New Chevrolet Camaro for 2026
For 2026, Beard’s No. 62 entry races with Chevrolet’s latest body updates, which draw on styling enhancements from the production model’s performance accessory range. The adjusted configuration introduces a larger hood dome, remodeled front grille, and revised rocker panels—each designed for aerodynamic gains vital on superspeedways.
I think the Chevrolet body is going to be better everywhere. It seems like we’re still honing in the details and correlations since it obviously hasn’t been on the real track a whole bunch. We’ve have limited data to go off of from the few tests they’ve had to correlate and ultimately make it better. But I think as we progress through the year, it’ll just get more and more realistic. On paper, it should certainly be a lot better everywhere. I’m really looking forward to seeing that for myself.
– Anthony Alfredo, Driver
Power and Reliability: The ECR Engine Advantage
Since its Cup debut, Beard Motorsports has consistently run ECR engines, leveraging their reliability and horsepower to challenge for top-five and top-10 finishes, including those by Noah Gragson and Brendan Gaughan. This technical partnership remains crucial for the team’s Daytona ambitions, underpinning both qualifying speed and race-day durability.
Team Achievements at Daytona and Talladega
Past results show Beard Motorsports regularly punching above its weight at NASCAR’s most unpredictable circuits. Recent Daytona showings include Parker Retzlaff’s seventh-place finish in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 and Noah Gragson’s fifth in the 2022 event, while Brendan Gaughan also secured top-10s in both points and non-points Daytona races. This consistent presence among the leaders on superspeedways energizes the team and fuels optimistic targets for 2026.
What Comes Next for Anthony Alfredo and Beard Motorsports
The 2026 Daytona 500 offers Anthony Alfredo and Beard Motorsports a fresh canvas as they continue their underdog pursuit in America’s most celebrated stock car event. A potent mix of past experience, technical upgrades, and relentless determination puts both driver and team in position to seize the moment—whether that’s qualifying for the race, snaring a top-10 finish, or even contending for a long-awaited breakthrough win. With every lap at Daytona, Alfredo and the Beard family add to a proud legacy, inspiring optimism for the season ahead and reminding fans of the power of perseverance in motorsports. The Anthony Alfredo Daytona 500 effort stands as a testament to what’s possible for those who combine skill, belief, teamwork, and unwavering dedication to racing’s biggest stage.
