Beard Motorsports have not been back in the NASCAR Cup Series since the America 250 Florida Duel races at Daytona International Speedway, after which they initially believed that they had qualified for the 2026 season-opening Daytona 500.
But further inspection of Anthony Alfredo's No. 62 Chevrolet revealed that there was a loose transaxle cooling hose loose, plus a driver cooling hose that was not properly attached. Alfredo was dropped to last place in his Duel race, and Live Fast Motorsports' B.J. McLeod qualified for the race instead, knocking Alfredo and Beard Motorsports completely out.
Beard Motorsports plan to return for this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway, which is no surprise considering the fact that they tend to show up for most, if not all, of each season's superspeedway races. However, it will not be with Alfredo in the No. 62 car.
Anthony Alfredo replaced for NASCAR Cup race at Talladega
Casey Mears is set to attempt to qualify the No. 62 Chevrolet for this Sunday afternoon's 188-lap Jack Link's 500 at the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Lincoln, Alabama oval.
Mears returned to the Cup Series for the first time since 2019 a year ago, when he made five starts for Garage 66 (MBM Motorsports), and he opened up the 2026 season by qualifying the Carl Long-owned team for the Daytona 500 for the first time since 2020.
But after having initially been lined up to compete in the following weekend's race at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta Motor Speedway) before the team withdrew the No. 66 Ford from the entry list, he has not been back since.
This weekend is set to mark his first appearance behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet, although he is not locked into the race, since there are five total non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list and only four can qualify for the 40-car race.
The other four include the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for Jesse Love, the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet for Joey Gase, the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford for Chad Finchum, and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet for Daniel Dye.
Tune in to Fox at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, April 26 for the live broadcast of the Jack Link's 500 from Talladega Superspeedway. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!
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