Owner(s) Mark Beard Race drivers 75. Brendan Gaughan | Car numbers 75 Sponsors 75. Beard Oil | |
Base Mooresville, North Carolina Series Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | ||
Beard Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team was created in 2014 by Mark Beard. The team attempted several 2014 races in the Cup Series, with driver Clay Rogers, making none. After going dormant in 2015 and 2016, the team returned part-time in 2017 with Brendan Gaughan.
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Early years
The team ran some ARCA Racing Series races with Clay Rogers in 2012. The team split itme between the numbers 42 and 45 and scored a best finish of fourth at Iowa Speedway.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Mark Beard founded the team during the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race team's engine was built with used Hendrick Motorsports parts and with tests at various east coast tracks, including at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The team was on the entry list for the July race at Loudon, but withdrew their car before attempting to qualify. The team then attempted to run at Richmond International Raceway two months later with Clay Rogers; however, they failed to qualify for the race. The last time Beard Motorsports attempted to qualify for a race was at Phoenix International Raceway with Rogers, but weren't able to make the race.
The team did not attempt any races in 2015 or 2016.
In 2017, Beard Motorsports announced it would run the Daytona 500 with Brendan Gaughan in the No. 75 Chevy. Beard Oil will be on the car unless additional sponsorship is found. Gaughan's Richard Childress Racing Xfinity Series pit crew will service the car and the team will use a Childress engine. The team also bought a car from Leavine Family Racing, a Childress satellite; the car had finished 15th in the previous year's 500 with Michael McDowell. The team does not possess a NASCAR charter.
As one of the two fastest non-charter cars in qualifying, Gaughan was able to put himself and the No. 75 team into the Daytona 500.