MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – Beard Motorsports announced Wednesday that the team has added a pair of races to its NASCAR Cup Series schedule this season, both featuring NASCAR Xfinity Series regular Jesse Love behind the wheel.

The family-owned Beard team will bring its No. 62 Chevrolet to the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 4 and the iconic Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

Both tracks are facilities where Beard Motorsports will race for the first time, and the two races will also mark the first time that 20-year-old Love, a Menlo Park, Calif., native, will drive for the organization.

“We are very excited to be able to expand our racing program and visit tracks that our new to us,” said Amie Beard-Deja, the daughter of late team founder Mark Beard Sr. and executive vice president of Beard Motorsports. “When my dad started this program, we wanted to focus on the superspeedways. Our plan was to make that our niche and to do it well, and we feel like we have been able to do that very thing.

“During the last couple of seasons we had partners that were interested in races outside of those that take place at Daytona and Talladega, and that presented a different challenge that we enjoyed greatly,” Beard-Deja added. “We have been watching Jesse Love in his racing endeavors and have certainly been impressed with what he has been doing, so it was a no-brainer for us to take on the challenge of preparing cars for and competing in the races that will take place this season at Texas and Indianapolis.”

Twenty-six of Beard Motorsports’ 30 prior Cup Series races have come between Daytona (Fla.) Int’l Speedway and its sister track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, with 13 starts apiece at each venue.

The team has also raced at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway, the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL, the Daytona road course, and the team’s home track, Michigan International Speedway.

Beard Motorsports’ career-best finish to date of fifth came in Aug. 2022 on the 2.5-mile Daytona oval, courtesy of driver Noah Gragson. Anthony Alfredo will pilot the No. 62 Chevrolet at Talladega on April 27, the week prior to Love’s debut in the car at Texas.

Speaking of Love, the second-year Xfinity Series regular for Richard Childress Racing and reigning Xfinity Series rookie-of-the-year has made waves ever since he broke into stock car racing’s upper levels five years ago. He earned back-to-back ARCA Menards Series West championships in 2020 and ’21, followed by a national ARCA Menards Series title in 2023 with Venturini Motorsports.

He’s earned two Xfinity Series victories to date since his 2024 debut, including a win in this year’s season opener at Daytona in February, and his maiden playoff appearance last fall ended in a seventh-place finish in the season point standings.

With six top-10 finishes in nine races so far this year, Love is third in the Xfinity Series regular season rankings, and he’s also coming off his Cup Series debut at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on Sunday as well. Love drove the No. 33 C4 Ultimate Energy Chevrolet, a third RCR Cup Series car, in Thunder Valley.

Love has one Xfinity Series start each at Texas and Indianapolis. He earned the pole and finished ninth at Texas last year, and had a 15th-to-13th run at Indianapolis later in the season.

“Making my Cup Series debut last week at Bristol was a moment that I had been working towards my entire life,” Love said. “Thanks to the Beard family, I’ll have a chance to at least do it a couple more times this season. The goals are to keep collecting experience and learning the Cup car. Both races at Texas and Indy will allow me to gain knowledge of how this car races at different tracks, which will hopefully set me up to pounce on future opportunities.

“Even though they’re a small, family-owned team, the Beards have built a legacy of bringing fast and well-prepared race cars to the track,” Love added. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

C4 Energy, America’s fastest-growing energy drink brand, will sponsor Love at both Texas and Indianapolis. Owned by Nutrabolt, C4 is the No. 1 selling global pre-workout brand and one of the fastest growing energy drink companies in the country.

Nutrabolt recently introduced the Frost collection — a product extension available in three flavors that will also feature a unique can technology that transitions from silver to blue when the can is cold and ready to drink.

Broadcast coverage of Love’s Beard Motorsports debut, the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, is slated for Sunday, May 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.