Sam Ard

Sam Ard
Sam Ard
Born	February 14, 1939; Pamplico, South Carolina
Died	April 2, 2017 (aged 78)
Achievements	1983, 1984 Busch Series champion
Awards	1983, 1984 Busch Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
	1 race run over 1 year
Best finish	104th (1984)
First race	1984 Goody's 500 (Martinsville)
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
	92 races run over 3 years
Best finish	1st (1983, 1984)
First race	1982 Goody's 300 (Daytona)
Last race	1984 Komfort Koach 200 (Rockingham)
First win	1982 Dogwood 500 (Martinsville)
Last win	1984 Coca-Cola 300 (North Wilkesboro)

Samuel Julian Ard (February 14, 1939 – April 2, 2017) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He won two NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series championships, in 1983 and 1984. Ard also made one NASCAR Winston Cup start. He retired from driving after being injured in late 1984 and became a car owner. He battled Parkinson's in the later stages of his life and died in April 2017 at age 78.

Racing career

Late Model Sportsman Division 1975-1981

Ard was a regular competitor, earning at least nine wins and scoring multiple top-five finishes.[1] In 1981, Ard finished fifth in the season-long NASCAR National Championship point standings.[2]

Late Model Sportsman / Busch Grand National Series

Ard was the runner-up in 1982 of NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Series, winning four races and finishing out of the top ten only six times.[3] On the heels of that season, Ard won ten races and had twenty-three top five finishes and won the Busch Grand National (now Nascar Xfinity Series) points championship.[4]

He continued his dominant streak in 1984, again winning the Busch GN championship by virtue of eight wins and twenty-four top fives in 28 starts.[5] Ard was seriously injured in a crash at the North Carolina Speedway on October 20, 1984. He missed the final race of his 1984 championship season, and was never able to race again.[6]

Winston Cup Series

Ard made his first and only Winston Cup Series start on September 23, 1984 at Martinsville. He started 27th in the 31-car field, but lasted just one lap before a steering failure ended his day.[7]

Post-racing career

After retiring as a driver, Ard became an owner, fielding cars for several drivers, most notably Jimmy Hensley and Jeff Burton, who claimed his first Grand National win driving Ard's car.[6]

Later life and death

Ard battled Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.[8] His family often received donations and aid from the racing community to help him. In 2006, drivers Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a charge to donate a substantial amount of funds for the care of Ard and his family. After tying Ard's Nationwide Series single-season victory record in 2008, Kyle Busch announced that he would give $100,000 to aid Ard's family with his care and mounting medical expenses in his honor.[9]

Ard died on April 2, 2017 at the age of 78.[10]

Personal life

Ard served in the Vietnam War as a member of the U. S. Air Force. He married his wife Jo in 1961, and they had four children.[11]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	NWCC	Pts	Ref
1984	Zervakis Enterprises	02	Chevy	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	BRI	NWS	DAR	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	POC	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR 31	CLT	NWS	CAR	ATL	RSD	104th	0¹	[7]

¹ Ard's team was a post-entry for the race and thus did not receive points.[12]

Busch Series

NASCAR Busch Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	NBSC	Pts	Ref
1982	Thomas Brothers Racing	00	Olds	DAY 3	RCH 21		MAR 1	DAR 6	HCY 2	SBO 1	CRW 3	RCH 2	LGY 2	DOV 17	HCY 2	CLT 12	ASH 3	HCY 3	SBO 2	CAR 5	CRW 2	SBO 1	HCY 5	LGY 3	IRP 28	BRI 9	HCY 2	RCH 3	MAR 1	CLT 2	HCY 18	MAR 6							2nd	4448	[3]
1982			Chevy			BRI 20																																	2nd	4448	[3]
1983			Olds	DAY 6	RCH 1	CAR 12	HCY 3	MAR 1*	NWS 1*	SBO 25	GPS 9	LGY 7	DOV 3	BRI 9	CLT 32	SBO 11	HCY 3	ROU 4	SBO 15	ROU 4	CRW 7*	ROU 3	SBO 4	HCY 1*	LGY 7	IRP 3	GPS 6	BRI 1*	HCY 5	DAR 2	RCH 5	NWS 5	SBO 1*	MAR 1*	ROU 1	CLT 1	HCY 2	MAR 1*	1st	5454	[4]
1984			Olds	DAY 4*	RCH 1*	CAR 1*	HCY 3	MAR 9	DAR 4*	ROU 3	NSV 2*	LGY 1*	MLW 1*	DOV 1*	CLT 6	SBO 1*	HCY 4	ROU 3	SBO 1*	ROU 3	HCY 3	IRP 2	LGY 2	SBO 5	BRI 2	DAR 2	RCH 11	NWS 1*	CLT 3*	HCY 5	CAR 33	MAR							1st	4552	[5]

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series results
Year	Team	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	APSC	Pts	Ref
1983	Thomas Brothers Racing	10	Olds	DAY 36	NSV	TAL	LPR	LPR	ISF	IRP	SSP	FRS	BFS	WIN	LPR	POC	TAL	MCS	FRS	MIL	DSF	ZAN	SND	NA	-	[13]

References

"Sam Ard". The Third Turn. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
1982 Nascar Yearbook & Press Guide
"Sam Ard – 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
"Sam Ard – 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
"Sam Ard – 1984 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
"Jayski: Sad News - Sam Ard; obituary". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
"Sam Ard – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
"NASCAR short-track star Sam Ard dies at 78". Fox News. 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
Associated Press (November 3, 2008). "Ards can't put price on Busch $100,000 donation". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.
"SAM ARD, TWO-TIME XFINITY SERIES CHAMPION, DIES AT 78". NASCAR. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
"Samuel Julian "Sam" Ard". SCNow. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
"1984 Official Race Results: Goody's 500". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010.
"Sam Ard – 1983 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2020.

External links

Sam Ard driver statistics at Racing-Reference
Sam Ard owner statistics at Racing-Reference
NASCAR Budweiser/Busch Late Model Sportsman Series Win List at The Crittenden Automotive Library

Preceded by Jack Ingram	NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Champion 1983–1984	Succeeded by Jack Ingram

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Sam Ard". The Third Turn. Retrieved 15 March 2019.

[2] 1982 Nascar Yearbook & Press Guide

[:0-3] "Sam Ard – 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.

[:1-4] "Sam Ard – 1983 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.

[:2-5] "Sam Ard – 1984 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 12, 2017.

[:3-6] "Jayski: Sad News - Sam Ard; obituary". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-04-03.

[:4-7] "Sam Ard – 1984 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved December 6, 2014.

[8] "NASCAR short-track star Sam Ard dies at 78". Fox News. 2017-04-03. Retrieved 2017-04-03.

[9] Associated Press (November 3, 2008). "Ards can't put price on Busch $100,000 donation". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on December 11, 2008.

[10] "SAM ARD, TWO-TIME XFINITY SERIES CHAMPION, DIES AT 78". NASCAR. April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.

[11] "Samuel Julian "Sam" Ard". SCNow. Retrieved 2017-04-03.

[12] "1984 Official Race Results: Goody's 500". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010.

[13] "Sam Ard – 1983 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 28, 2020.