Beam Joins Galaxy Motorsports

MOORESVILLE, NC - Galaxy Motorsports, a NASCAR Winston Cup Series team that fields the full-time No. 75 Ford Taurus entry driven by Wally Dallenbach Jr., today announced the acquisition of veteran crew chief/mechanic Mike Beam. Beam has been named to the position of Team Manager and begins his duties starting today.

According to team owner/president Darwin Oordt, Beam, 44, will oversee all competition-related issues while working closely with crew chief Newt Moore. The move is intended to provide one of the “missing performance ingredients” Oordt felt the team was lacking.

“We’re one of the few remaining single car operations and to ultimately succeed in this highly competitive circle we needed an individual like Mike to come in and immediately apply his talents and complement the abilities of Newt Moore,” Oordt stated. “With his career record, reputation as a leader and forward thinker, I truly believe Galaxy has taken the first of many huge steps forward with regard to performance potential.”

Beam joins Galaxy after a two-season stint as crew chief with the Wood Brothers. His career began in 1981 at age 24 when he joined Petty Enterprises as a mechanic and was elevated to crew chief that same year. Since then Beam has served as crew chief in the Winston Cup Series for such noted teams as Bahari’ Racing (1988, ’89), Melling Racing (1990), Junior Johnson (1991-’95), Bill Elliott (1995-’98) and the Woods (1999 – 2000).

Beam brings a record of two wins, 13 Bud Poles, 90 top-10 and 46 top-five finishes.

“This is really a great opportunity for me to return to the Mooresville area and work with a team I feel has tremendous potential,” Beam said. “Darwin and Newt (Moore) have accumulated all the correct pieces right here under one roof and now we’re going to put them together in the best way possible. The bottom line is this team is serious about its racing and they mean business.

“Newt and I also are very good friends and we’ve worked really well together in the past,” he said. “We just seem to click working off each other’s strengths … and that’s going to continue. I intend for this team to undergo some very positive performance changes as it heads into these final four races.”

Driver Dallenbach agrees the Beam acquisition should make Galaxy a consistent front runner in 2001.

“Mike is going to make a huge difference with this team,” Dallenbach stated. “I feel really confident that we’re going to see a completely different Galaxy Motorsports operation beginning with the 2001 Daytona 500, if not before. Mike and Newt will re-assemble this puzzle and make it run with the best of them.”