Raymond Beadle - NASCAR Owner

NASCAR Owner

Beadle entered NASCAR Winston Cup as a team owner in 1983 by buying out the equipment of M.C. Anderson, continuing with Anderson's #27 number.

He started with sponsorship from Old Milwaukee beer and driver Tim Richmond. Mixed success followed for Beadle's Blue Max Racing team.

When Richmond moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 1986, Beadle picked up Rusty Wallace. In its penultimate year of operation, the team won the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup title, with Wallace driving the #27 Kodiak Pontiac. Jimmy Makar was the chassis specialist during that 1989 championship.

The 1989 championship year was reportedly marked with acrimony between Wallace and Beadle. However, Wallace was stuck with the team for 1990 due to his contract.

For 1990, the Kodiak sponsorship moved to Hendrick Motorsports to sponsor the #25, and Beadle's team was sponsored by Miller Genuine Draft beer. The four-year sponsorship deal was specifically tied to Rusty Wallace, meaning it went where the 1989 champ went as well.

By June 1990, Wallace had chosen to leave Beadle's team, and he landed at Penske Racing for 1991, bringing the Miller beer sponsorship with him.

Beadle's team suspended operations and left Winston Cup at the end of the 1990 season.

“At the end of 1990, I had to get another driver (Wallace took the backbone of the Max operation to form a new team with Roger Penske as owner), I was going through a divorce and there was all that uncertainty with the savings and loans down in Texas,” Beadle said. “So that was it.”

After getting out of the game, Beadle said he continued to operate a cattle ranch in West Texas and a horse farm near Valley View, selling the former in 2004 and the latter in 2006. He said he opened the ranch at least partially as a way to entertain sponsors while racing and bred grand champions at both.

Beadle said he’s “retired, but I seem to stay busy. I don’t have time for a job” while buying, selling and trading real estate these days.