NORWALK, Ohio (September 27, 2010) – Sometimes, when it’s your year, it is just your year.
As simple an explanation as that may seem to describe what many would consider to be a career year, it is the only way to describe the exploits of veteran racer Michael Beard this past season.
With two national event victories, a championship in Division 2 on the Summit Pro-Am Tour, a third place finish in the Tournament of Champions and an unlikely victory in the Summit Allstars race to cap the season, Beard had a year unlike any other in 2010 and to recognize his incredible season Beard has been named the 2010 IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year.
“This wasn’t just a good year, it was a life changing year,” Beard said. “It has been unbelievable. Everyone gets on a streak every now and then and I keep waiting for the bottom to fall out on this thing, but it hasn’t happened yet. It has been a special year, to say the least.”
Beard, of Seagrove, N.C., had a remarkable season on a national and regional level, winning two national events at Palm Beach International Raceway and Rockingham Dragway and winning the Summit Allstars race at the recently completed World Finals Nitro Jam at Virginia Motorsports Park.
And Beard’s victory in the Summit Allstars race just goes to show the kind of season he had.
With Beard hurting his famous “Duck Tape” 1980 Volare beyond repair during the Tournament of Champions race earlier in the day, Beard was forced to borrow the 2000 Avenger of Jeff Ross to compete in the Summit Allstars race during the afternoon and Beard managed to drive the borrowed car to the Allstars victory and claim the prize that goes along with winning the prestigious event.
“It has just been one good thing after another. I know that anything can happen during the year, like us breaking at the TOC, but despite the little setbacks, everything keeps working in our favor. It has been a lot of fun this year to have the success we had,” Beard said.
Beard capped his incredible season with several victories on the Summit Pro-Am Tour culminating in a championship in the Heat Wave Division.
Although not factored in to the ‘10 award selection, Beard also claimed the 2009 Stock World Championship at the previously held Tournament of Champions at Rockingham Dragway in April all during the 2010 calendar year.
“There is no substitute for seat time and I think that has been a big part of my success this year. When I was living in Pennsylvania and Ohio I was getting less than 50 runs a year. Since moving to North Carolina six years ago I am getting in twice as much racing and it makes a big difference,” Beard said. “When you get more runs during the year everything becomes automated and you really stop thinking about it. You start treating every run like it is a time trial. I simply have a set of steps I master during the year and if I execute just right, the win light will come on.
"All in all, from brackets to IHRA racing, I was in 17 finals this year."
Thanks to that incredible season, Beard not only qualified for the second-ever Tournament of Champions, but he eliminated four additional positions on the Stock ladder thanks to his career defining year. Once at the TOC, Beard made it all the way to the semifinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Richard Alford in a very close race.
“The depth of talent in IHRA is crazy and looking at the people that have won world and divisional championships, everybody out there is crazy good and to have the season we had against the best of the best is humbling,” Beard said. “It is a tremendous honor to receive this award.”
Beard admits that none of this would have been possible without the support of his family and the hard work of everyone involved with his race team.
“Thanks to all the people that got me to the dance including Duck brand Duck Tape, Mickey Thompson, Bearden Oil, Sunoco, Bradley Auto Parts, K&N Filters, CAM2 Blue Blood Racing Oil, Jim Bailey’s Finished Ultimate Performance Metal Finishing, Sloan Racing Engines, Macy Motorsports, Scotty Richardson’s Grassroots Bracket Series and Luke Bogacki’s ThisIsBracketRacing.com,” Beard said. “I also want to thank my dad Stephen Beard who got me started, my wife Jill for her unwavering support and all the people who have helped me along the way, particularly Matt Zapp, folks like Terry Knott, Bob Marshall, Johnny Fisher and Jeff and Zac Ross who have put me in rides over the years and thanks to the IHRA for everything.”
