Sam Ard was a throwback to the sport’s earliest days. He proudly proclaimed of his time in the sport: “I used to build my cars, haul ’em to the race track, race ’em, then haul ’em back home.”
Ard was a master of short tracks across the Southeast and shined in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series in the 1970s. But his true brilliance came with the creation of what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Ard finished championship runner-up in the inaugural 1982 season (winning four races) then convincingly answered with back-to-back season championships.
Ard’s 10 wins in 1983 distinguishes him as one of only two drivers in the series history (also Kyle Busch) to win 10 or more in a single season.
The following year Ard won eight more times before suffering a serious injury in the next to last race of the 1984 season. He was forced to retire from driving and focus instead on team ownership.
Ard was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.
SAM ARD BIO
Born: Feb. 14, 1939
Died: April 2, 2017
Hometown: Scranton, South Carolina
Championships (2)
Xfinity – 1983-84
Xfinity Series Stats
Competed: 1982-84
Starts: 92
Wins: 22
Poles: 24
Years on Ballot: 3