Michael Beard, when you have time...........

[Mack Reeves]

My hats off to you Mr Beard!!!! Wonderful reply and I must say I would have been suprised if it had been different..

The first time I met Michale he was shooting pictures for IHRA.. It was at a "Bracket Finals" in Jackson SC... He got a rear shot of my Duster leaving theline with the wheels up and I had never seen that angle of my car... He looked me up in the pits and made me a disk of the picture... This before I had e-mail... I still have that picture and earlier this year while we were working on the lettering and numbers for the Challenger I sent it back to him.. He said he had lost a bunch of pictures due to a hard drive crash... I was glad I had it to return the favor... Yes he did the numbers and names on the stocker... Very pleased and went out of his way to make sure they were EXACTLY what I wanted... Will never use anyone else for lettering again...

[tj310]

How about the time at Pittsburg 5 years ago he waited for his opponent to change a tire in the lanes, final round .....Thanx Trevor

[Chris Kilraine]

Michael, again, great response. To add to the description of Michael, he is not only a great racer, but a great guy on top of that. He is a true sportsman with a wonderful personality to compliment it. He brings great detail to the sport; with not only his driving capabilities, but his writing skills and "live from" reports.

7423 - why would this even be posted as a topic in a thread???? If you wanted to know that answer, send him a private message. At first it bothered me but after thinking and commenting on the post.......it made me realize that your professionalism...and to be quite direct, your maturity level is not quite up to par. So, no matter how Michael answered or how you replied to any additional comments, your respect was lost at word number one!!!

[Lew Silverman]

I have to agree with Chris on both statements -

Michael is a true gentleman and a real "class" act (no pun intended!). When we first met at Richmond last year he greeted me like an old friend, and was very helpful. He has always taken the time to answer my questions. Thank you for being so considerate, as I know sometimes I can be an "information sponge"!

I also have to wonder why this thread was started in first place, but was glad to see the wonderful comments. It's not often when you don't hear a disparaging word from someone, but in Michael's case that doesn't surprise me at all!

Lew

[Bobby Zlatkin]

Lew said "a real gentleman and a real class act".
He got that right.

[tpoh815]

Originally Posted by Chris Kilraine

Michael, again, great response. To add to the description of Michael, he is not only a great racer, but a great guy on top of that. He is a true sportsman with a wonderful personality to compliment it. He brings great detail to the sport; with not only his driving capabilities, but his writing skills and "live from" reports.

7423 - why would this even be posted as a topic in a thread???? If you wanted to know that answer, send him a private message. At first it bothered me but after thinking and commenting on the post.......it made me realize that your professionalism...and to be quite direct, your maturity level is not quite up to par. So, no matter how Michael answered or how you replied to any additional comments, your respect was lost at word number one!!!

Well said Chris. When I first read the thread I thought..... wow talk about jealousy!

[Michael Beard]

Originally Posted by trevor

How about the time at Pittsburg 5 years ago he waited for his opponent to change a tire in the lanes, final round .....Thanx Trevor

That one was kinda funny, actually. We'd gotten rained out the month before, down to 3 cars, so we were just finishing the race Saturday night of Pittsburgh's second Pro-Am race of the year. I'm sitting up there waiting to run the finals, and Jim Klacik rolls up on his scooter, carrying with a flat front-runner, telling me I've got a bye in the final. "Why? Go fix it!" Said he didn't have any tools. "There's a Hoosier trailer over there, get it fixed!" Talked to Mike Baker, and he let us run after the ET cars made their time trial. Win or lose, it's always better to do it on the race track. I think it was the same year that Joe Oswald waited for me in the finals (with rain on the horizon) of a $5K No-Box race when I had starter solenoid issues. (We got it cooled down and just when they said they couldn't wait any longer and Joe started his car, mine fired up, and we raced... ran into raindrops at 1000'!) Someone waited for him in the late rounds when he had a problem once, and he went on to win the Bracket Finals. It all comes around. Fletcher waited for somebody to change a transmission in the semis of Super Stock at Norwalk one year, and flat REFUSED to go without him, despite officials telling him they couldn't wait any longer and they were going to go without him if he didn't go. It was down to the very last instant, but they poured the last quart of fluid in the trans, drove it right to the lanes, and they raced. That's cool.

Originally Posted by tommy d

We should all be so blessed to have so many friends and to have them tell us how much we mean to them. Most folks don't receive that kind of praise until they are long gone and then it's too late.

That's something that really struck me. Thanks to all for the kind words! 'Course it also struck me that things like making the bed, helping people in general, etc... that's what passes for American exceptionalism today? Should be standard issue. That being the case, the credit must go to my parents for bringing me up right.... something none of us should take for granted.

I was picking on Peter Biondo the other night for going .000, .000, -.005 in a car he'd never sat in before. "Pete, you're way too nice a guy to have a nickname like the Terminator... but the numbers bear it out!" Dude doesn't have an "off" switch in his head! The next day he said, "I thought about what you said...." can't remember exactly how he worded it, but it was something along the lines of 'you don't have to be a nice guy to be a good driver'. I guess that's what make Peter (and many other big names in our sport) special, by being as good or better off the track as they are on. Don't know that I've ever met Sam Biondo, but knowing Peter and Sal, you just know why they are the outstanding individuals they are -- once again, I think it goes back to the parents.

I appreciate those being defensive on my behalf. I'm sure Charlie's initial post wasn't intended as it came across to many. That's just the internet for ya -- tough to read intent sometimes. It's all good! Heck, looking at it from the outside, I'd be jealous of me! It's hard to trace the path that got me to where I am today. It's a dream that I never really would've thought would come to fruition. Baby steps... and a lot of them. As I alluded to earlier, it's not a glamorous life, but I'm doing what I love, and I'm lucky to have the love and support of my wife, family, and all of you -- my amazing extended family!

Back to work...

[7423]

Michael
Don't really know where to begin as I am a bit embarrased. There was never intent of anything bad, nasty, rude or in any way ugly in my post to about you. After reading a few replies to what I wrote, I realized that my wording was horrible and it looked like an in your face attack....NEVER the intent. I do apoligize for any bad impression that I left with you.
Your road trips are very interesting and I do realize that you are a one man band. My goal was have you explain how and why you do this week in and week out. I am sure there are many other racers on this board that would enjoy reading that also. I raced NHRA and brackets 35-40 weekends for 5 years straight in D6 and D7. It worn me out bigtime and took a toll on my family life also. I now stay close to home, race once or twice a month and actually have more fun doing it. To each his own I guess.
Thanks for listening and again I apoligize for any ill feeling my poor choice of words created.
__________________
Charlie Allen 7423

[Ron Ortiz]

Thats it, I cannot take this anymore. Michael Beard has all of you buffaloed. I spoke with Billy Nees several times about Michael and got a whole lot of information. Where he raced, how his racing exploits went, who his father was, where he lived, and other things. I cannot disclose any of this information though as it might incriminate this writer of any fabrications.

I have read about him in the racing publications and even spoke to him on the telephone, you know, telephone, that equipment that allows you to communicate with someone verbally, instantly without texting.

I have spoken to other racers who have made a comment or two about Mr. Beard.
Even if they were positive, I could sense a tone of respect, I hate that, kiss kiss.

I knew we would cross paths at some point in time, well it occured recently in W Palm Beach FL. He came over and ate my food, and then ate more of it. Then he started taking all of the BBQ sauce and kept stuffing his face with more food. I tried to converse with him at times, but his mouth was full. At one point we actually had a conversation about racing. Then he ran away, did not see him again that week, said he had car problems, yea sure. He shows up in Immokalee the next week and is foraging again, only this time he brings his buddies. I'll tell you about this character, here is what I think about Mr. Michael Beard

I think he is an allright guy, he was alot of fun, there I said it, happy.

The tales that the Imperial Palace holds are what folk lore is all about, and Michael is just one of those tales.

Ron Ortiz
U/SA Mr. Nice Guy

[Michael Beard]

Truth be known, I did in fact stuff my face at the Imperial Palace (multiple times), but Oritz had a gun to my head the whole time. Or maybe it was a pair of tongs. Hard to tell through the haze of those smoky ribs....

Billy's got me figured out. After the Combo in the Hills, I hit Beaver Springs on Sunday. The Turismo died while warming it up on top end in the morning. Turns out the rotor got a pinhole in it. Dad and I scour three parts stores before we found one in stock... which turns out that despite the parts store computer acknowledging that it's a 2.2L, the part numbers listed are actually for the 1.8L, so we get back to the track to realize we've got the wrong parts. Billy contacts another parts store and they look it up under a Dodge Charger to get the correct part. Dad heads off for another parts run. Then Billy spots an unwitting spectator's donor car. "Michael! Is that a Dodge Shadow down there? That's got your distributor in it!" We find out that the car (from out of state no less) is the track starter's daughter's car, and she lets us steal her rotor. (gave her the new one then)

2008... showed up to Beaver and the rear float on the Volare's carb went bad. The time prior to that, probably 2006, on the way back from Toronto, it developed a leaking brake line.

"Michael, I'm on to your game, and I've had enough. You only come home when you need your car fixed!"