DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The emotion of trying to qualify into the Daytona 500 is always apparent, but Thursday night, it became overwhelming for Noah Gragson and Beard Motorsports.
Gragson was trying to race into The Great American Race through the second Bluegreen Vacations Duel, 24 hours after his No. 62 Chevrolet failed pre-qualifying inspection three times and wasn’t permitted to make a qualifying attempt at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
He was also carrying the weight of team patriarch Mark Beard Sr.’s recent passing on his shoulders, trying to give the Beard family one more moment of joy at the World Center of Racing.
The Las Vegas native lined up last in the 22-car field and rocketed toward the front, charging inside the top 10 in less than 10 laps and holding the transfer spot into the Daytona 500 for most of the race.
However, it all went awry with four laps to go.
Gragson was in position to race into the show when Garrett Smithley tried to go three wide and took his car to the middle lane of the 2.5-mile superspeedway. At the same time, Brad Keselowski’s Ford came up slightly off the bottom of the race track and the pair made contact that sent Keselowski spinning.
Gragson was quickly caught in the crossfire as a multi-car pileup broke out in turn one. His car was heavily damaged, and in an instant, potential jubilation turned into utter heartbreak.
He tried to drive his battered car back to pit road for repairs, but quickly reported a lack of oil pressure and had to stop on the apron and be towed back to the garage by a wrecker.
The quest was over. Gragson’s shot at making the Daytona 500 in his maiden attempt was dashed.
It was a heartbreaking end to what could have been a magical night for the Beard team in its fifth attempt to make the Daytona 500.
The team had never missed the show prior to Thursday night, and its previous best of seventh in The Great American Race was set last February by Brendan Gaughan, who hand-picked Gragson to succeed him behind the wheel of the No. 62 Chevrolet after his retirement from NASCAR competition.
“I was hoping,” Linda Beard, wife of the late Mark Beard, told The Athletic following the second Duel. “It was nerve-wracking (to watch).”
Though disappointed, Gragson took as much optimism as he could out of his first Speedweeks experience at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity to live out my dream. I tried my best,” Gragson wrote on social media early Friday morning. “Thank you to the Beard family and [Brendan Gaughan] for letting me drive your race car. (It was a) once in a lifetime opportunity. Thanks everyone for the support.
“We will move on and overcome.”
As for Beard Motorsports, what comes next is unknown.
The team was anticipated to attempt the remaining three superspeedway races beyond the Daytona 500 this year, but in the wake of Mark Beard’s passing, nothing is certain at this time.
What is certain, however, is that the passion and drive exhibited by Gragson and an emotionally-tried team in the most challenging of circumstances will endure far beyond Sunday’s Daytona 500 — even though they won’t line up on the grid to take the green flag.
“We gave it all we had and nearly had a Daytona 500 starting spot,” read a statement from Beard Motorsports officials on Friday morning. “[We] appreciate Noah Gragson’s drive, the work ethic of our crew and the support of our fans. It’s why we race.”