MT. PLEASANT, Mich. The team of Beard Motorsports, partner Fortify Building Solutions and driver Anthony Alfredo will make their collective return to the race track when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway oval on April 27 for the Jack Links 500.

It will mark the 31st appearance for the team, which made its Cup Series debut in 2017 under the leadership of the late Mark Beard Sr., and continues under the ownership of Linda Beard, with her children Amie Beard-Deja and Mark Beard Jr. overseeing daily operations.

Beard Motorsports kicked off its ninth season of participation in select Cup Series events last month at Daytona (Fla.) Intl Speedway, where Alfredo and the No. 62 Fortify Building Solutions Chevrolet fell just short of the teams seventh Daytona 500 appearance as the second-highest finisher among the open teams in the second Duel at the Daytona qualifying race.

We share a heightened commitment with the Beard family to community, perseverance and, well, speed, said Heather Hollis, vice president of marketing at Cornerstone Building Brands. Showcasing Hypersteel cold-formed buildings on the No. 62 Fortify Building Solutions Chevrolet helps us share an exciting story about how customers can get a new customized metal building faster and easier.

Our partnership with Anthony Alfredo underscores our dedication to speed and endurance.

Alfredo returns to the cockpit for his 42nd career Cup Series outing and fifth tour of duty for Beard Motorsports. In this race a year ago, the native of Ridgefield, Connecticut who turns 26 on March 31, qualified 24th and rallied for a sixth-place finish, leading four laps along the way. It was the teams best finish in 13 Cup Series starts at Talladega, eclipsing Brendan Gaughans eighth-place finish in the Beard Motorsports Chevrolet in the April 2019 GEICO 500.

Well head to Talladega feeling like there is some unfinished business to take care of in more ways than one, said Beard-Deja, executive vice president of Beard Motorsports. Despite the incredible preparation that is the hallmark of this team, beginning with our crew chief Darren Shaw, things just didnt go our way at Daytona this time, and thats the way it goes in this highly competitive arena, particularly for a small, single-car, open team. Its certainly disappointing, but it only strengthens our resolve as we prepare for Talladega. Anthony and the team did a remarkable job there last spring, and well look to improve on that this time around.

Beard-Deja added, We welcome Anthony back for his fifth race with the team, and we are thrilled to have Fortify Building Solutions and Cornerstone Building Brands back with us for the third time after making their debut on the No. 62 Chevrolet at Talladega last fall. We are pulling out all the stops to deliver a top result.

Alfredos sixth-place finish at Talladega in the No. 62 Beard Motorsports Chevrolet last spring was not only the teams best at the track, it was his career best in 41 Cup Series starts. He returned with the team to Talladega last October for a 24th-place finish in his fourth career Cup Series start at the track.

His first two, in the April and October 2021 races for Front Row Motorsports, resulted in finishes of 12th and 10th, respectively. Alfredo has seven Talladega starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, where hes driving fulltime this season for Youngs Motorsports. Best of those was his third-place finish last April, the day before his sixth-place Cup Series finish in the Beard Motorsports Chevrolet. Alfredos lone NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start at Talladega resulted in a 15th-place finish in the October 2019 race for David Gilliland Racing.

I echo Amies sentiments when I say we definitely have some unfinished business next month at Talladega, Alfredo said. We went to Daytona feeling very confident after making the 500 on qualifying speed last year. We executed flawlessly during our Duel, had an awesome, green-flag pit stop, but we were outnumbered with the lack of drafting opportunities with other Chevrolets.

I feel thankful to be back at Talladega with the Beard family and Fortify Building Solutions. Im excited to push for a result even better than our sixth-place finish last year, showcasing the Hypersteel product and our shared commitment to being hyper fast.