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Prep Roundup
Columnists Brian Meadows Brad NormanMembersLocal Connection› Iredell County Young Athletes Association› South Iredell Athletics Association › SHS athletics › WIHS athletics › NIHS athletics › SIHS athletics › LNHS athletics Syndicate RSSAP NASCAR NASCAR Features A look at this year's schedule A look at this year's drivers Differences between stock car and open-wheel racing NASCAR Research & Development Petty Enterprises splitter testing Aerodynamic testing in Concord's wind tunnel Top 10 moments in Daytona history Site StatisticsThis page has been viewed 276278 timesPage rendered in 0.2428 seconds Total Stories: 2136 Total Comments: 34 Most Recent Entry: 08/15/2008 12:53 pm Most Recent Comment on: 04/17/2008 10:54 pm Most Recent Visitor on: 10/11/2008 10:44 pm |
• Racing
2008 Jan-16
In a flash, Ard a winnerBy Larry Sullivan
In a flash, and with plenty of speed left to burn, former professional race car driver Sam Ard was one of the hones helping steer the presence of the sport of stock car racing into the national spotlight. Now comes time for the sport and its many supporters to help pay him back. Ard will be the main one benefiting from this year’s second annual Legends Helping Legends fundraising attraction scheduled to take place this month. This year’s affair will once again be held at Memory Lane Motorsports & Historical Museum, off N.C. Highway 150 just west of Mooresville later this week. Hours of the event set to take place Saturday will be 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. This marks the second yearly unfolding of such an event, it aimed at generating funds to be used by those associated with the sport now in need. In Ard’s case, the former two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion and his family are struggling with the financial burden surrounding the driver’s current battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. In recent years, the winner of hundreds of races has been dealing with the disease and its effects. Physicians have revealed that it is possible a life-threatening crash that wound up drawing his racing career to a close suffered at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1984 has help speed the process of Ard’s present illness. In order to help do its part to assist Ard, the local Legends Helping Legends affair will take place with a host of those associated with the sport on tap to attend More than 50 racing celebrities were on hand to greet fans, sign autographs and pose with photographs during last year’s inaugural attraction. At least that many, if not more, are expected to directly participate in this year’s affair. As for Ard, some of his premier efforts managed on the track during a relatively short amount of time spent there remain on record even today. The 10 wins he chalked up during the course of the 1983 Busch Series season continues to be the standard within that circuit that has yet to be bettered. It was during that memorable ’83 campaign when Ard captured the first of his consecutive series titles. He surrounded the run of 10 straight wins with an equal number of pole positions, 23 placements in the finishing field’s first five and 30 showings in the top 10. The following year, Ard was able to successfully defend his circuit championship. In 1984, he posted eight wins, notched seven poles, placed in the top five 24 times and turned in placements in the top 10 27 times total. His promising career was then tragically cut short in the next-to-the-last race of that season. Despite missing the final event of that season while in recovery, Ard still claimed the Busch Series championship by an impressive margin of more than 400 points. In just three seasons, he appeared in 92 races. He sat on the preferred pole position 24 times and captured 22 wins. Even with all his success, the financial rewards for Ard were nothing like they are today. In his prime, he was paid a weekly salary of $300 by his car owner. He also collected a quarter of the team’s race winnings. Out of that amount, Ard was responsible for paying his own pit crew. The year of his second straight series title, Ard made only slightly more than $48,000. These days, the Ards try their best to get by on just $1,100 a month in Social Security and veteran’s benefits, plus whatever they can secure on other limited outside opportunities. Half of that goes on a house payment. The situation is in such sad shape that the trophies and other pieces of Ard’s racing memorabilia have been sold in order to pay bills. Gone are his two championship rings as well. The local Legends Helping Legends attraction is surfacing as one of the main sources of creating funds to offer financial assistance. The affair’s $8 per-person admission fee includes a tour of the facility, which houses well over 150 vintage NASCAR racers, sprint cars, drag cars, antique autos and special interest vehicles. It also provides the chance to visit with dozens of drivers, crew chiefs and mechanics from racing’s past and present who will be participating in this year’s attraction. Door prizes, a race car show featuring one of Ard’s actual cars and other events are also scheduled to take place. In conjunction, a special motorcycle ride will be held that will reach its finish line at Memory Lane. Additional details can be obtained by calling 704-662-3673 as well as visiting online at http://www.memorylaneautomuseum.com. Bookmarkz |
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