Alfredo & Beard Set For Another Daytona 500 Attempt

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Anthony Alfredo will return to Beard Motorsports and attempt to qualify for the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway next month.

Alfredo, the 25-year-old native of Ridgefield, Conn., will wheel the Beard family’s familiar No. 62 Chevrolet with support from metal building products supplier Fortify Building Solutions.

This year’s running of The Great American Race marks the ninth Daytona 500 attempt for Beard Motorsports since debuting in the NASCAR Cup Series’ most prestigious event in 2017.

As a team, the organization has made six Daytona 500 starts, with a best finish of seventh by Brendan Gaughan in the 2020 edition of the race. Beard Motorsports has made 30 Cup Series starts overall, predominately on drafting superspeedways, highlighted by one top-five and seven top-10 finishes.

“It’s an honor to be talking about our ninth season competing in the NASCAR Cup Series,” said Amie Beard-Deja, the executive vice president of Beard Motorsports and daughter of late team founder Mark Beard Sr. “This obviously started as a passion project for my dad and has become a labor of love for our family. We put in a lot of hard work and that is evident by the product we bring to the track every time we show up. It’s a credit to the team of people that we have assembled to prepare our racecars, and it all starts with our crew chief Darren Shaw, who has been busy preparing the car for the 2025 Daytona 500.

“We are thrilled to have Anthony Alfredo back behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet and are very honored to continue the relationship we have started with Fortify Building Solutions. To have that brand continue its support of Beard Motorsports means a lot.”

Beard Motorsports remains owned and operated by the Beard family, with Linda Beard at the helm and her children – Beard-Deja and Mark Beard Jr. – overseeing the daily operations.

Fortify Building Solutions, a branch of Cornerstone Building Brands, offers an extensive selection of high-quality metal roofing, wall panels and metal building solutions to local builders, contractors and homeowners through retail storefronts across the United States.

With more than 20 branch locations, Fortify gives professionals and homeowners hometown service and support, as well as a nationwide manufacturing and distribution network. The company backed Beard Motorsports’ No. 62 in October at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, where Alfredo was behind the wheel.

“We are thrilled to continue this partnership with the Beard family and Anthony Alfredo,” said Rayome Soupiset, general manager of retail direct for Cornerstone Building Brands. “Fortify Building Solutions is about serving our communities at the local level and positively contributing to the communities we operate in. As we expand our footprint in Florida and across the Southeast, we’re excited to be a part of the 2025 Daytona 500 and share in the excitement of NASCAR with our customers and employees.

“We believe the NASCAR platform is an excellent way to amplify the Fortify Building Solutions brand, but more importantly, that this partnership with the Beard family and Anthony represents a shared commitment to local community, perseverance and excellence.”

Alfredo debuted in the NASCAR garage in 2019 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but has become a staple in the NASCAR Xfinity Series over the past three seasons. He competed with Beard Motorsports in three Cup Series races last year, earning a career-best Cup Series finish of sixth at Talladega in April.

“The NASCAR Cup Series is the goal for every driver that goes the NASCAR route,” Alfredo said. “The Beards gave me this chance to race for them last year and I couldn’t be happier to be back competing with them again in 2025. They are such a great family and the team does a great job bringing fast cars to the track. We learned a lot together in 2024 and I think it will be a difference-maker for us going into this season.

“To further this relationship with Fortify Building Solutions is an amazing opportunity as well,” Alfredo added. “It’s a relationship that means a lot to me, given my family’s background in the metal building construction industry. As the brand expands nationally through local storefronts, it’s providing faster service to the communities they serve without losing the personal touch. I think we have a great opportunity to do some amazing things to promote the speed and service their customers can expect.”

February’s Great American Race will mark Alfredo’s third Daytona 500 attempt in five years and second straight with the Beard family. His event-best mark of 27th came last year, where he ran in the lead pack before being swept up in a late-race crash.

As an open, non-chartered entrant, Alfredo and Beard Motorsports will have to race into the Daytona 500 by finishing best among the open drivers in their respective Duel qualifying races or by posting one of the two fastest single-car qualifying speeds among drivers that don’t make the field via the Duels.