23-year-old Kyle Busch dedicated his latest [Nationwide Series] win to South Carolinian Sam Ard, a two-time Nationwide -then called the Busch Series — champion suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and in tough straits financially. “Sam Ard was one of the pioneers of the sport and this really means a lot to me,” Busch said after his now-traditional victory bows to the crowd. “I got to thinking about it and I decided I’m going give him $100,000 to try to help him out.”(Associated Press/ESPN)(11-2-2008) UPDATE: Sam Ard was unsettled late Saturday night, unable to sleep as he peppered his wife about things he couldn’t remember. Were his parents still alive when he married Jo nearly 50 years ago? Were they doing a good job raising their children? “He asked me `What if I go back racing?’ ” Jo Ard said Monday. “I said `If you go back racing, I’m going to hand you divorce papers. Nobody is going to let you go racing.’ ” Ard’s racing days are indeed long over. He’s 69 years old and suffering from both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. He’s not permitted to drive anywhere anymore, and no one is exactly sure how much Ard understands about the latest push to help his crumbling finances and mounting medical bills. Kevin Harvick, a champion of Ard’s plight, donated a 2007 Chevrolet van last month to Ard’s family that solved the transportation woes that plagued the couple since Jo’s car died five months ago. Then the NASCAR Foundation and Motor Racing Outreach teamed for an online auction to benefit the Sam Ard Fund. The largest gesture, though, came Saturday afternoon when Kyle Busch committed $100,000 to Ard moments after winning the Nationwide Series race. The win at Texas Motor Speedway tied Ard’s mark of 10 series victories in a season. Ard didn’t have a particularly long NASCAR career, but his three seasons netted him two championships in the second-tier series now sponsored by Nationwide. He never got rich from racing, and collected roughly 25% of the $378,765 he made in winnings before suffering severe head trauma in a 1984 accident. Unable to secure a consistent income after the accident, the Ards blew through their children’s college funds to cover everyday expenses. Unlike every other major professional league, NASCAR does not provide a pension to its participants [as they are consdiered independent contractors not NASCAR employees] and has not been on the hook for Ard or any other former driver facing financial difficulties. The NASCAR community has occasionally stepped in to help, and a 2006 plea to their peers by Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led to a significant donation to Ard’s care fund. That gesture and Ard’s fight were the centerpiece of a 2007 Associated Press examination of NASCAR’s indifference toward financially supporting its veterans. When Busch pledged his assistance, Jo Ard said the 23-year-old racer had no idea the magnitude of his gesture. She said she’ll use a chunk of the money to make their bathroom handicap accessible so Ard can use it alone. “Kyle doesn’t know what he’s done. He really, truly does not know what he’s done to take the load and the pressure off of me,” Jo Ard told The AP by telephone Monday. “We can do the bathroom. I can maybe get someone to come to the house and help me if I need them, because we’re here day in and day out because Sammy can’t be left alone. He falls. He can’t drive. He’ll tell you he feels fine, but every day is different.”(see full AP story at ESPN.com)(11-4-2008)
