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15 Facts About Raymond Beadle

1.

Raymond Beadle was an American drag racer and auto racing team owner.

2.

In NASCAR, Raymond Beadle owned a Winston Cup team from 1983 to 1990, winning the 1989 Winston Championship with driver Rusty Wallace.

3.

Raymond Beadle owned a World of Outlaws sprint car, driven by Sammy Swindell.

4.

Almost immediately after joining Harry Schmidt's Blue Max team, Raymond Beadle rivaled "Jungle Jim" Liberman in popularity and Don Prudhomme in on-track success.

5.

Raymond 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.

6.

Raymond Beadle 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.

7.

The 1977 car, a Ford Mustang II, was Raymond Beadle's alone, sponsored by English Leather and Napa Regal Ride.

8.

Raymond 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.

9.

Raymond Beadle got back in the seat in 1987 and reached the final round of two races late that year.

10.

Raymond Beadle started with sponsorship from Old Milwaukee beer and driver Tim Richmond.

11.

When Richmond moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 1986, Raymond Beadle picked up Rusty Wallace and sponsorship from Kodiak.

12.

Post racing, Raymond Beadle operated cattle ranches in West Texas and Arkansas, as well as a quarter horse farm near Valley View, Texas.

13.

Raymond Beadle said he opened the ranch at least partially as a way to entertain sponsors while racing and bred grand champions at both.

14.

Tyler Reddick noted that during the Old Milwaukee throwback car announcement, crediting Ryan Raymond Beadle for negotiating the deal.

15.

In July 2014, Raymond Beadle suffered a heart attack and underwent surgery to relieve artery blockages.