Beard Motorsports was founded in 1982 by Mark Beard Sr., initially to compete in the NASCAR Busch Series. The team’s roots run deep in the Midwest: Through the family business Beard Oil Distributing, the Beard family operated an oil business in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, from which the passion for motorsports emerged. It wasn’t until decades later, in 2014, that Beard Sr. and his team made the leap into the highest NASCAR class, the Cup Series.
The name of the racing team tells the story of a family that merged its core business with racing: The first Cup car in 2014 carried the number 75 and raced as Beard Oil Chevrolet, named after the family’s own oil distribution company. Today, the No. 62 Chevrolet is built in the shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, right in the heart of the NASCAR industry, while the family’s business roots remain anchored in Michigan to this day.
The team’s greatest period of success dates back to 2017 through 2020, when Brendan Gaughan piloted the No. 62 Chevrolet. At his Daytona 500 debut in 2017, Gaughan finished eleventh despite lacking a charter, after the team had acquired a former Leavine Family Racing car and upgraded it with technical support from Richard Childress Racing. Shortly thereafter came a strong seventh-place finish at the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, complemented by solid results at Talladega. Gaughan’s final season in 2020 ended with the second-fastest qualifying time among all non-charter teams at the Daytona 500, a late career highlight during his time at Beard Motorsports.
Since Mark Beard Sr.’s death in January 2021, his widow Linda Beard has led the team, supported by daughter Amie Beard-Deja as Executive Vice President, son Mark Beard Jr., and Crew Chief Darren Shaw. After stints with Noah Gragson and Austin Hill, Anthony Alfredo has driven the No. 62 Chevrolet since 2024, supplemented by occasional appearances from Casey Mears and Jesse Love. For the 2026 season, Beard Motorsports remains true to its philosophy: As a family-owned non-charter team, it focuses on superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega, where Alfredo is set to prove once again that the small team can hold its own against the large organizations of the Cup Series.
Beard Motorsports in the News