Northeastern correspondent Lou Modestino checks in with a Frontstretch report by Kevin Rutherford….
Anthony Alfredo and Beard Motorsports will attempt the 2026 Daytona 500, the team announced Jan. 20.
Alfredo, from Ridgewood, CT, will pilot the No. 62 at Speedweeks for the third year in a row. He failed to qualify for the 2025 edition after making the show in 2024.
Darren Shaw will be Alfredo’s crew chief, while DUDE Wipes will sponsor the car.
“There is nothing like being in Daytona Beach in February for the Daytona 500,” Amie Beard-Deja, Beard evp, said in a team release. “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 [International Speedway], Talladega [Superspeedway] or another track, we go with the intention of performing well and contending for wins.”
Beard has not yet announced plans for the rest of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team typically enters the series’ superspeedway events.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to compete in the 2026 Daytona 500 with Beard Motorsports and DUDE Wipes,” Alfredo added. “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.”
Alfredo made two Cup starts, both for Beard, in 2025, with a best finish of 21st at Talladega in the fall.
He earned one top 10 in a full-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season for Young’s Motorsports last year. In 2026, he moves to a second Viking Motorsports car, the No. 96.