Beard Motorsports Overview
Beard Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Founded in 1982 by Mark Beard, the team fields the No. 62 Chevrolet ZL1 and operates from Mooresville, North Carolina. The organization is currently owned by Linda Beard, Mark Beard Jr., and Annie Beard, and is best known for its superspeedway-focused entries built around technical alliances with Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines.
Throughout its history, Beard Motorsports has run multiple car numbers, including the No. 62, No. 75, No. 00, No. 16, No. 38, No. 42, and No. 45, while always campaigning Chevrolet equipment. Although the team has yet to record a NASCAR victory, pole position, or championship, it has logged several strong finishes, most notably a fifth-place result in a Cup Series race in 2022.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Beard Motorsports was created in 1982 by Mark Beard, the owner of Beard Oil, for competition in the NASCAR Busch Series. The team’s first event was the 1982 Goody’s 300 at Daytona, where Mark Beard drove the No. 16 Pontiac and finished eighteenth. From those early owner-driver efforts, the program gradually developed into a multi-car operation with entries spanning several numbers and manufacturers.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Beard operation fielded cars such as the No. 38 Pontiac at Charlotte in 1986 and the No. 00 car in the 1990s for a range of drivers, including Gary Neice, Dana Patten, Bobby Dotter, L. D. Ottinger, Richard Lasater, Butch Miller, and Jim Brinkley Jr. The team relied on its small oil-business backing and a network of independent drivers to keep entries on the grid.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
In 2009, Mark Beard revived the racing operation as Beard Motorsports and began competing in the ARCA Racing Series with Clay Rogers driving the No. 42 Chevrolet, using equipment acquired from Hendrick Motorsports. The team followed that with the No. 45 entry from 2011 to 2012, posting a best finish of fourth at Iowa Speedway with Rogers.
Beard Motorsports then expanded into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, attempting two races with Clay Rogers in the No. 75 Beard Oil Chevrolet but failing to qualify for either event. After sitting dormant in 2015 and 2016, the team returned in 2017 with Brendan Gaughan, drawing on engines from Richard Childress Racing and technical support from the Childress organization. That aligned Cup effort laid the foundation for the team’s current part-time superspeedway program.
Beard Motorsports Competitive Journey
Beard Motorsports has progressed from short-lived Busch Series entries in the 1980s to a focused, part-time Cup Series operation centered on superspeedway events. The team’s competitive identity has been shaped by alliances with larger Chevrolet-funded organizations and a willingness to bring Cup debutants into high-profile races.
Early Seasons and Development (2014-2016)
Mark Beard launched the Cup chapter of Beard Motorsports in 2014 using engines built from older Hendrick Motorsports parts and testing at East Coast venues, including New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The team’s first Cup attempts came that season with Clay Rogers, but the car failed to qualify at Richmond International Raceway and later at Phoenix International Raceway.
After withdrawing from a planned entry at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2014, the team sat out the 2015 and 2016 Cup Series seasons while it regrouped. Those dormant years allowed the organization to refine its equipment and build the technical relationships that would support its later superspeedway campaigns.
Breakthrough in Cup Series (2017-2020)
Beard Motorsports returned to Cup competition in 2017 with Brendan Gaughan in the No. 75 Beard Oil Chevrolet, using a Richard Childress Racing engine, a car acquired from Leavine Family Racing, and a RCR Xfinity Series pit crew. Without a NASCAR charter, Gaughan qualified for the Daytona 500 on speed and produced an eleventh-place finish, the team’s first completed Cup race. He followed that with a seventh-place run in the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, giving the organization its first Cup top-ten.
From 2018 through 2020, the team, now carrying the No. 62, continued to field Gaughan in the superspeedway portion of the Cup schedule, relying on cars from Richard Childress Racing, engines from ECR Engines, and technical support from the Childress crew. Gaughan’s tenure ended at the 2020 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, where a Stage 2 wreck left him with a thirty-fifth-place finish in his final race.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2021-Present)
Following Mark Beard’s death in early 2021, ownership of Beard Motorsports passed to Linda Beard, Mark Beard Jr., and Annie Beard. On September 7, 2021, the organization announced a return in 2022 with Noah Gragson, contesting all four superspeedways in the No. 62 with backing from Wendy’s. Gragson’s fifth-place finish in the August 2022 Daytona race marked the team’s first Cup top-five.
In 2024, Beard Motorsports signed Anthony Alfredo to the No. 62, with Alfredo finishing twenty-seventh at the Daytona 500 and posting a career-best sixth at Talladega, while Parker Retzlaff added a seventh-place run in the Coke Zero Sugar 400. For the 2025 season, Alfredo returned to the No. 62 for multiple races and later shared seat time with Jesse Love, who was confirmed for Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Beard Motorsports has built its identity around superspeedway racing, where drafting, patience, and late-race strategy outweigh raw equipment budgets. By partnering with established Chevrolet-funded organizations for engines, chassis, and pit support, the team competes at a high technical level despite running a part-time schedule. The operation has also become a developmental landing spot for young drivers making Cup debuts in marquee events.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
The team’s landmark moments include its first completed Cup race with Brendan Gaughan at the 2017 Daytona 500, its first Cup top-ten with Gaughan’s seventh at the 2017 Coke Zero 400, and its first Cup top-five with Noah Gragson’s fifth-place result at Daytona in August 2022. Anthony Alfredo’s sixth at Talladega in 2024 further underlined the team’s growing superspeedway competitiveness.
Beard Motorsports Achievements and Results
Beard Motorsports has accumulated more than 50 documented starts across the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Cup Series. The organization has yet to capture a victory, pole position, or championship in any of those series, but it has recorded competitive Cup finishes and built a respected superspeedway program.
Cup Series Achievements
Since its 2014 launch, Beard Motorsports has made 35 documented Cup Series entries, with Brendan Gaughan’s eleventh place in the 2017 Daytona 500 standing as the team’s first completed race. The 2017 Coke Zero 400 seventh-place finish produced the first Cup top-ten, while Noah Gragson’s fifth at Daytona in 2022 set a new team benchmark. Anthony Alfredo’s sixth at Talladega in 2024 matched the team’s strong superspeedway tradition.
Series Achievements
Beard Motorsports has recorded 11 documented Busch Series entries and 7 documented ARCA Racing Series starts, with a best Busch result of eighteenth by Mark Beard at the 1982 Goody’s 300 and an ARCA best of fourth at Iowa Speedway with Clay Rogers in the No. 45. Across all three series, the team has yet to post a victory or pole position, but it has consistently delivered part-time entries with reliable engineering and driver development opportunities.
