Heath Beard doesn’t race a Camaro in Street Stocks races anymore, but he’s the guy to call if anyone wants to know how to set up one for a race.
“The other day someone called (Street Stocks racer) Lee Ray and said, ‘Can you help me figure out this Camaro?’ ” Beard said. “Lee said, ‘Nope, you need to call Heath Beard.’ ”
What would seem a simple task of setting up a Camaro to race in Street Stocks or Factory Stocks — two of the cheaper divisions in which to compete — is more difficult “to figure out” than Monte Carlos, arguably the go-to street car for both divisions, Beard said.
Beard, a Columbus native who spent 14 years as a police officer with the Columbus Police Department, raced numerous Camaros for more than 12 years in Street Stocks competition. But the growth of the division drove up the cost to compete, and with the establishment of the Factory Stocks division at Magnolia Motor Speedway in 2015, Beard sold his Camaro and bought a Monte Carlo from Jason Byrd last season.
The move has paid off. Beard won the Factory Stocks feature at Magnolia on May 29 and has two top-three finishes in four races this year.
“When I started, Street Stock was basically Factory Stock,” Beard said. “It’s grown to a lot more competitive class now. The Factory Stock division is a lot of fun, and it doesn’t require as much time to set up throughout the week.”
Beard experiences the nostalgia of racing Camaros and Street Stocks each race at Magnolia, where TK King races Beard’s last Camaro and Brad Gable and Josh Lawley drive Camaros in Factory Stocks.
“I stuck with Camaros and had a lot of help from guys like Jerry Inmon, who taught me a lot with them,” Beard said. “Terry King, too. Terry was in it a long time before I was due to his daddy being in it. I appreciate those guys — and there were plenty of others — showing me things. Inmon and King, they taught me a lot over the years, things that are real valuable, things that it would have taken me a while to learn. They took me under their wing and helped me. I’m finding myself helping a lot of people like they helped me.”
The Factory Stock division, which likely will field more than 15 cars next weekend at Magnolia, has grown from car counts in the single digits to a points board of 26 drivers because of the teamwork of the drivers.
“A lot of the guys and gals I race with, we all know each other,” Beard said. “We all sort of got together in the beginning and we talked to (Magnolia technician) Thomas McReynolds and everything, and said, ‘Please keep everything the same to keep everyone close to even. Make it a fun class.’ We’re all together on the rules that we have to stick to.”
Beard began dirt track racing in 2001 after a lengthy spell on the drag strip. When he graduated high school in 1986, his father, James “Teady” Beard, bought him a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am.
“I about fell out,” Beard recalled. “It was white, had a four-speed in the floor and a big motor under the hood.”
Beard eventually raced a Chevrolet S-10 pickup, which had roughly $15,000 of add-ons. But when he and wife, Kristi, had their daughter, Heather, he sold his truck.
While he misses his drag cars, Beard is happy to have a simpler racing experience on the weekends and throughout the week.
“There’s a lot more free time,” he said. “My daughter goes to The W now, and I transferred over there to be closer to her. I also have time to help other guys at other tracks, too. It’s all working out.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.