Raymond Beadle (December 16, 1943October 20, 2014) was an American
drag racer and auto racing team owner.
Beadle was perhaps best known as the driver and owner of the
''Blue Max'' Top Fuel
Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds ...
funny car
Funny Car is a type of drag racing vehicle and a specific racing class in organized drag racing. Funny cars are characterized by having tilt-up fiberglass or carbon fiber automotive bodies over a custom-fabricated chassis, giving them an appea ...
. Beadle won three consecutive
NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
Funny Car championships from 1979 to 1981 and three
IHRA Funny Car championships, 1975–76 and 1981.
In
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
, Beadle owned a
Winston Cup
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
team from 1983 to 1990, winning the 1989 Winston Championship with driver
Rusty Wallace. Beadle's car number was 27 and his car was usually a
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to:
*Pontiac (automobile), a car brand
*Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief
Places and jurisdictions Canada
* Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality
**Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
.
He also owned a
World of Outlaws
The World of Outlaws (often abbreviated WoO) is an American motorsports sanctioning body. The body sanctions two major national touring series. It is best known for sanctioning the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late ...
sprint car, driven by
Sammy Swindell.
Drag racing career
Almost immediately after joining Harry Schmidt's ''Blue Max'' team, Beadle rivaled
"Jungle Jim" Liberman in popularity and
Don Prudhomme
Don Prudhomme (born April 6, 1941 in San Fernando, California), nicknamed "The Snake", is an American drag racer.
He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991.
Racing career
Prudhomme crewed for "TV Tommy" Ivo on Ivo's ...
in on-track success. By the end of his first year with the Max, Beadle won the
NHRA U.S. Nationals
The U.S. Nationals (commonly The Big Go) is an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing event, generally considered to be the most prestigious drag racing event in the world due to its history, size, and purse, held annually at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ...
Funny Car class, and by the end of the decade, he was the reigning world champion and a ''bona fide'' superstar.
Beadle never claimed to be a tuner, and Schmidt was not interested in driving, promoting, or worrying about the day-to-day business of racing. Beadle was. He had the ''Blue Max'' name copyrighted, lined up sponsors and race dates, and immediately demanded four times what Schmidt had commanded in appearance fees, and got it.
In 1975, the car had been Harry Schmidt's ''Blue Max'', and in 1976, it said Beadle and Schmidt. The 1977 car, also a
Ford Mustang II
The second-generation Ford Mustang, marketed as the Ford Mustang II, is a two- or three-door, four passenger, front-engine/rear-drive pony car manufactured and marketed by Ford from 1973 until 1978. Introduced in September 1973 for model year ...
, was Beadle's alone, sponsored by English Leather and Napa Regal Ride.
Beadle won the NHRA championship in 1979 with two wins in five finals against
Tom Hoover, Gary Burgin, Billy Meyer, a young
John Force, and Jim Dunn. In 1980, he won in Columbus, Denver, and Seattle, was runner-up in Gainesville and Ontario, and defended the championship. In 1981, he won the title a third time, and again Prudhomme was second. The ''Blue Max'', now a
Plymouth Horizon, reached the final round four times in 1981 and again won NHRA's most prestigious event, the U.S. Nationals. Driving a
Ford EXP in 1982, Beadle went after a fourth straight championship, but slipped to fifth in the points standings by year's end. In this period, Beadle also "set a new standard for apparel marketing to fans".
In 1983, Beadle won just once, at the Springnationals, and in 1984, he scored back-to-back wins, in Englishtown and Denver, with another blue Mustang Beadle put veteran "Lil' John" Lombardo in his red and blue
Schlitz ''Blue Max'' in 1985, and Lombardo won the U.S. Nationals, defeating Dale Pulde's Miller High Life-sponsored
Buick Regal and giving Beadle his last great win.
Beadle got back in the seat in 1987 and reached the final round of two races late that year. Richard Tharp, one of the car's original drivers when Schmidt owned the car, drove in 1988.
NASCAR owner / Blue Max Racing
Beadle entered NASCAR Winston Cup as a team owner in 1983 by buying out the equipment of M.C. Anderson, continuing with Anderson's No. 27 number.
He started with sponsorship from
Old Milwaukee
Old Milwaukee is a brand of American dry lager owned by the Pabst Brewing Company and consists of four different brews—Old Milwaukee Lager, Old Milwaukee Light, Old Milwaukee Non-Alcoholic, and Old Milwaukee Ice. Old Milwaukee is brewed throug ...
beer and driver
Tim Richmond
Timothy Lee Richmond (June 7, 1955 – August 13, 1989) was an American race car driver from Ashland, Ohio. He competed in IndyCar racing before transferring to NASCAR's Winston Cup Series. Richmond was one of the first drivers to change fro ...
. Mixed success followed for Beadle's Blue Max Racing team.
When Richmond moved to
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup Seri ...
in 1986, Beadle picked up
Rusty Wallace. In its penultimate year of operation, the team won the 1989
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...
Winston Cup
The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...
title, with Wallace driving the No. 27
Kodiak Kodiak may refer to:
Places
*Kodiak, Alaska, a city located on Kodiak island
* Kodiak, Missouri, an unincorporated community
*Kodiak Archipelago, in southern Alaska
*Kodiak Island, the largest island of the Kodiak archipelago
** Kodiak Launch Com ...
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 remained under contract with the team for the 1990 season.
[Wallace a Million-Dollar Man - New York Times](_blank)
/ref>
For 1990, the Kodiak sponsorship moved to Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 291 Cup Seri ...
to sponsor the No. 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.
Wallace left Beadle's team in 1990.
Beadle's team suspended operations and left Winston Cup at the end of the 1990 season. Penske acquired their equipment and the car runs today as the No. 2 car driven by Austin Cindric
Austin Louis Cindric (born September 2, 1998) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 2 Ford Mustang for Team Penske.
Prior to competing in stock cars, Cindric raced with a v ...
.
Post racing
Post racing, Beadle operated cattle ranches in West Texas and Arkansas, as well as a quarter horse farm near Valley View, Texas. He said he opened the ranch at least partially as a way to entertain sponsors while racing and bred grand champions at both.
NASCAR family connections
During the 1989 Championship, Beadle's car, with Rusty Wallace as a driver, battled the Richard Childress Racing car driven by Dale Earnhardt
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably dri ...
Sr. for the Cup title. Beadle and Earnhardt's sons are connected. Ryan Beadle, an attorney, is General Counsel for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving t ...
's motorsport operations, JR Motorsports
JR Motorsports (pronounced "Junior Motorsports") is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series, CARS Tour, and occasionally in the NASCAR Advance Auto Par ...
. Tyler Reddick
Tyler George Reddick (born January 11, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving ...
noted that during the Old Milwaukee throwback car announcement, crediting Ryan Beadle for negotiating the deal.
Death
In July 2014, Beadle suffered a heart attack and underwent surgery to relieve artery blockages. Beadle died on October 20 of the same year.
Awards
* He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
in 2014[Raymond Beadle]
at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...
* Finalist for 2014 International Motorsports Hall of Fame
* Ranked 20th on the National Hot Rod Association Top 50 Drivers, 1951–2000
* Member of the 11th class of inductees into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame
* 2006 recipient of the Bruton Smith Legends Award in the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame
* American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association's All-American team in 1980
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beadle, Raymond
Dragster drivers
NASCAR team owners
Racing drivers from Texas
2014 deaths
1943 births
People from Spur, Texas