Where are they now?

The Busch Series started with a bang in 1982 as Dale Earnhardt beat Jody Ridley in the inaugural race at Daytona International Speedway.

Among the top five finishers that day were a future seven-time Winston Cup champion in Earnhardt, a two-time Busch champion in Sam Ard and a future convict in Gary Balough.

Here's a quick look at where those five drivers are now:

1982 Goody's 300 Daytona International Speedway Pos. Driver Winnings 1. Dale Earnhardt $14,700 2. Jody Ridley $15,950 3. Sam Ard $13,470 4. Gary Balough $6,740 5. Geoffrey Bodine $9,365 6. Harry Gant $4,890 7. Mike Porter $4,090 8. Phil Parsons $3,540 9. Tommy Houston $5,140 10. Dale Jarrett $3,975 11. Rick Hanley $2,520 12. Joe Thurman $2,320 13. Bill Venturini $2,220 14. David Rogers $2,120 15. Mike Riley $2,120 16. Dennis Crowder $1,895 17. Delma Cowart $1,845 18. Mark Beard $1,795 19. John Anderson $1,770 20. John Linville $1,695 21. George Dalton $1,695 22. Tommy Ellis $3,195 23. Mark Gibson $1,545 24. Darryl Sage $1,570 25. Stuart Huffman $1,495 26. Gene Morgan $1,345 27. Roy McGraw $1,295 28. Dennis Bennett $1,245 29. Connie Saylor $1,195 30. Mickey Gibbs $1,145 31. Jack Ingram $2,620 32. Mike Potter $1,095 33. John McFadden $1,070 34. Bob Park $1,060

1. Dale Earnhardt

Most of his recognition comes from winning seven Cup titles, but Earnhardt had a pretty good Busch career as well before dying on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

On February 13, 1982, Earnhardt ushered in the series by driving a Pontiac sponsored by Wrangler to Victory Lane.

Over the next 13 years he won 21 times and had 75 top-10 finishes in 136 races. He never finished better than 21st in points -- that in '82 -- because he never entered in more than half the races.

For the record, his legacy Dale Earnhardt Jr. won two Busch Series titles in 1998 and 1999 and has won 20 races, amassing more money in a season than the $889,326 his father won during his career.

2. Jody Ridley

Who knows what he could have done had he spent more time in the Busch Series.

Ridley competed in only two races in 1982 and didn't enter the series again until '85, when he raced once.

Ridley competed in the Cup Series through 1986. He began a string of three consecutive titles in what was the NASCAR All-Pro Series in '91, and retired from driving in the mid-1990s.

Since 2003, Ridley has served as the crew chief for Justin Wakefield, a young driver from Woodstock, Ga., competing in the Southeast Series. Wakefield won the final Southeast Series race on Sept. 23 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

3. Sam Ard

Arguably the most successful driver in the series, the two-time champion is living in Florence, S.C., and battling Alzheimer's.

Ard finished second in points to rival Jack Ingram in the inaugural Busch season, and the won the next two titles. He overtook Ingram for his first title by winning four straight, still a Busch record, and five of the final six races.

He retired at the age of 45 after the '84 championship with phenomenal statistics, winning 22 times and posting 67 top-fives in 92 races. He had a career average start of 3.1 and career average finish of 5.5.

He is tied with Mark Martin for career wins form the pole with nine.

Yet despite his success he won just under $379,000.

4. Gary Balough

He will spend more time in prison than he spent in the Busch Series.

Balough, who competed in Busch in 1982 and '90, is serving a 30-year sentence in a Tallahassee, Fla., prison after being found guilty in a $300 million marijuana and cocaine smuggling operation.

Balough was one of five drivers indicted in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Kritzer said in at least one instance a racecar was filled with smuggled marijuana, loaded aboard a trailer and towed across a state line.

The ring reportedly smuggled at least one million pounds of marijuana into the country each year after beginning its operation in 1976.

Balough's fourth-place finish in the inaugural Busch race was his only appearance in the series that year. He raced three times in 1990 with no top-10s.

5. Geoffrey Bodine

The oldest of the three Bodine brothers, he currently lives in Cornelius, N.C., where he is heavily involved in the Bo-Dyn Bobsled Company that has been a part of the Winter Olympics since 1992.

While 1982 may be remembered for the first Busch season, for Bodine it is remembered as the year he won rookie of the year honors in Winston Cup.

His biggest Cup win came in the 1986 Daytona 500.

Bodine competed in 94 Busch races from 1982-2005, registering six wins and 31 top-fives. His best finish in points was 19th in '82 when he entered 10 events.

ALSO READ:
• Dave Rodman -- Birth of the Busch Series
• David Newton -- Where are they now?
• David Newton -- Tale of a Busch Series lifer
• Ryan Smithson -- Whatever happened to ...
• NASCAR.COM -- Gone, but not forgotten
• NASCAR.COM -- Busch Series Firsts & Records