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Meg, I liked the flowers, too! Especially the gold/yellow one. I would much much rather look at those than the wrecks. I opened one of the wrecks and ignored...
Friends, colleagues remember car chief Arden
By Jeff Gluck - Associate Editor
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Stanton Barrett admits he doesn’t like many people and is particular about who his friends are.
It speaks well for Jason Arden, then, that it took him less than a year to become one of Barrett’s best friends.
Barrett is among many in the NASCAR community who are mourning the loss of Arden, the car chief for the No. 30 SKI Motorsports team in the Nationwide Series.
Arden, 28, was killed in a single-car accident in the early hours of June 26, leaving friends shocked and devastated.
“He loved to live,” Barrett said. “He enjoyed playing video games, he enjoyed playing pool, he enjoyed walking down the street, he enjoyed talking to a random person, he enjoyed working on the race car, whatever it was ... It wasn’t about success; it was about doing what he enjoyed and living life and being around friends that meant something to him.
“I think everybody will remember a smile on his face, and I know I will for sure.”
Arden was a friend to many in the NASCAR garages. He was a crewman for Michael Waltrip Racing’s No. 55 Cup car last season and worked for Robby Gordon Motorsports prior to that.
He was also the roommate and longtime friend of Craftsman Truck Series driver Erik Darnell, who dedicated his second-place finish in the Memphis truck race on Saturday night to Arden.
“My buddy Jason was riding along with me tonight,” Darnell said.
While friends remembered the Gurnee, Ill., native as smiling and fun-loving, he did not take his job lightly. Arden cared deeply about racing, and Barrett credited him with being the team’s behind-the-scenes leader, organizer and motivator.
“He had a real passion for racing and a drive to be the best and be the best at what you do,” Barrett said. “He was the driving force for my team.”
Will Lynn, who works on Barrett’s cars, said he looked up to Arden like an older brother.
“It was probably one of the hardest things I had to do was walk through those gates this weekend, but he wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Lynn, voice brimming with emotion. “ ... He would have definitely made a great crew chief down the road, and it’s just hard to lose somebody like that.”
Friends said Arden was always willing to assist others, and Lynn was no exception. He said Arden helped him get a job in NASCAR.
“Not many people in this world can say they live their dream, and I 100 percent owe it to Jason,” he said.
A memorial service will be held on Monday afternoon at Michael Waltrip Racing, which was Arden's home last year. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted at www.4caring.org.
Mentioned Drivers: Erik Darnell
2009 Sprint Cup Race for the Chase Standings
Driver Standings after the AMP Energy 500
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 6248 |
| 2 | Mark Martin | -184 |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | -192 |
| 4 | Juan Pablo Montoya | -239 |
| 5 | Tony Stewart | -279 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | -312 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | -340 |
| 8 | Ryan Newman | -402 |
| 9 | Kasey Kahne | -414 |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | -437 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | -448 |
| 12 | Brian Vickers | -556 |
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Comments
1 response to "Friends, colleagues remember car chief Arden".
Kayla Mason said:
Nov 14, 2008 at 12:15 AMmy name is Kayla Mason, Jason is my brother and i miss him a lot....this was the hardest thing i have had to go through my whole life. if i could talk to him one more time i would tell him how much i love him. i can remember his face his smile but i cant seem to remeber his voice and i would give anything to hear it one more time!
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