Sam Schmidt
Encyclopedia
Sam Schmidt is a former Indy Racing League driver and current IZOD
IndyCar Series
and Firestone Indy Lights Series team owner.
After graduating from Pepperdine University
he became a successful businessman, eventually purchasing his father's parts company in 1989 at the age of 25. He raced at a competitive amateur level, supported by his business income, but dreamed of someday driving in the Indianapolis 500
. He first drove professionally in 1995 in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series at the age of 31, by racing standards an unusually old age to begin a professional career. Nonetheless, he won Rookie of the Year honors.
In 1997
he made his first IRL start and became a rising star in the league, raced in 3 consecutive Indianapolis 500
's, and netted his first victory from the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
in 1999
, finishing fifth in series points that year. During that offseason, while testing in preparation for the 2000 season
, Schmidt suffered a horrendous crash at Walt Disney World Speedway
on January 6, 2000. The accident rendered him a quadriplegic, and on a respirator for five weeks.
After leaving the hospital, Schmidt, no longer able to actually drive a racecar, realized he needed to find a new passion and follow it. Inspired by meeting paraplegic Formula One
team owner Sir Frank Williams, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports
, which has become the most successful team in the history of the Indy Lights Series (formerly named Infiniti Pro Series), winning the 2004
series championship with Thiago Medeiros, the 2006
title with Jay Howard
, and the 2007
title with Alex Lloyd
. Sam Schmidt Motorsports was a full-time IndyCar series team in 2001 and 2002, and continues to participate annually in the Indianapolis 500
. In the Firestone Indy Lights series, as of August 2009 the team had posted 30 victories out of 100 starts. After acquiring the FAZZT Racing IndyCar team in 2011, Sam Schmidt Motorsports returned full-time to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and on May 21, 2011, driver Alex Tagliani won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the first pole for the team.
In addition to the motorsports enterprise, Sam established the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
to further the cause of paralysis research, treatment and quality of life
issues.
Sam now lives in the Las Vegas
area and travels over 100 days per year despite his medical condition.
Izod
Izod is a clothing company that produces dressy-casual clothing and sportswear for men and women, also including fragrances, and accessories. Similar to brands such as Gant U.S.A., Lacoste, and Polo Ralph Lauren, it is part of the Phillips-Van Heusen Company, headquartered at 200 Madison Ave., New...
IndyCar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
and Firestone Indy Lights Series team owner.
After graduating from Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
he became a successful businessman, eventually purchasing his father's parts company in 1989 at the age of 25. He raced at a competitive amateur level, supported by his business income, but dreamed of someday driving in the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. He first drove professionally in 1995 in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series at the age of 31, by racing standards an unusually old age to begin a professional career. Nonetheless, he won Rookie of the Year honors.
In 1997
1996-1997 in IRL
The 1996-1997 Indy Racing League season was a result of the league abandoning the concept of ending each season with the Indianapolis 500. The 1996-97 season would ultimately comprise the events following the Indy 500 in 1996, and all events contested in the calendar year of 1997.The 1996-97 season...
he made his first IRL start and became a rising star in the league, raced in 3 consecutive Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
's, and netted his first victory from the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada near Las Vegas, is a complex of multiple tracks for automobile racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:...
in 1999
1999 in IRL
The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season was highly competitive and parity was the order of the year. Team Menard had a very good season with their driver Greg Ray capturing 3 race wins in a row and the series championship...
, finishing fifth in series points that year. During that offseason, while testing in preparation for the 2000 season
2000 in IRL
The 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season was another season that saw a high level of parity as only one driver, champion Buddy Lazier, won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full time and Chip Ganassi Racing came...
, Schmidt suffered a horrendous crash at Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway
Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida.It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney...
on January 6, 2000. The accident rendered him a quadriplegic, and on a respirator for five weeks.
After leaving the hospital, Schmidt, no longer able to actually drive a racecar, realized he needed to find a new passion and follow it. Inspired by meeting paraplegic Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
team owner Sir Frank Williams, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Sam Schmidt Motorsports is an auto racing team in the IndyCar IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights Series owned by quadriplegic former driver Sam Schmidt....
, which has become the most successful team in the history of the Indy Lights Series (formerly named Infiniti Pro Series), winning the 2004
2004 in IPS
The 2004 Menards IRL Infiniti Pro Series Season was the series' third. It consisted of 12 races and the champion was Thiago Medeiros. All teams used Dallara chassis and Infiniti engines.-Calendar:Note:...
series championship with Thiago Medeiros, the 2006
2006 in IPS
The 2006 Indy Racing League Indy Pro Series started the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 26th and finished September 9th at Chicagoland Speedway.-Miami 100:* Date: March 26* Location: Homestead-Miami Speedway...
title with Jay Howard
Jay Howard
Jay Howard is an English professional race car driver who competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500 and resides in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard was the 2005 U.S...
, and the 2007
2007 in IPS
The 2007 Indy Racing League Indy Pro Series started on Saturday March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season's premiere race is the Freedom 100 on May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9...
title with Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd (racing driver)
Alex Stewart Lloyd is a British motor racing driver. He currently takes part in the IndyCar Series...
. Sam Schmidt Motorsports was a full-time IndyCar series team in 2001 and 2002, and continues to participate annually in the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. In the Firestone Indy Lights series, as of August 2009 the team had posted 30 victories out of 100 starts. After acquiring the FAZZT Racing IndyCar team in 2011, Sam Schmidt Motorsports returned full-time to the IZOD IndyCar Series, and on May 21, 2011, driver Alex Tagliani won the pole position for the Indianapolis 500, the first pole for the team.
In addition to the motorsports enterprise, Sam established the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation is a charitable organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Pennington, New Jersey.The charity aims to find a cure for Paralysis.-History:...
to further the cause of paralysis research, treatment and quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
issues.
Sam now lives in the Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
area and travels over 100 days per year despite his medical condition.
American Open Wheel
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)IndyCar
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-1997 1996-1997 in IRL The 1996-1997 Indy Racing League season was a result of the league abandoning the concept of ending each season with the Indianapolis 500. The 1996-97 season would ultimately comprise the events following the Indy 500 in 1996, and all events contested in the calendar year of 1997.The 1996-97 season... |
Blueprint Racing |  NHM |
LVS |
WDW |
PHX 10 |
IND 1997 Indianapolis 500 The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps... 34 |
TXS 23 |
PPI |
27th | 76 | ||||
| LP Racing | CLT 18 |
NH2 22 |
LV2 27 |
|||||||||||
| 1998 1998 in IRL The 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season was one of relative stability compared to the previous two seasons. For the first time the season consisted of a single and complete spring, summer, and fall like all other forms of motorsport. 15 drivers completed the entire 11 race schedule, twice as... |
LP Racing/PCI | WDW 9 |
PHX 7 |
INDY 1998 Indianapolis 500 The 82nd Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1998. This was the first Indianapolis 500 fully sanctioned by the Indy Racing League after the IRL relied on USAC to sanction the 1996–1997 races... 26 |
TXS 18 |
NHM 12 |
DOV 17 |
CLT 14 |
PPI 13 |
ATL 15 |
TX2 27 |
LVS 2 |
14th | 186 |
| 1999 1999 in IRL The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season was highly competitive and parity was the order of the year. Team Menard had a very good season with their driver Greg Ray capturing 3 race wins in a row and the series championship... |
Treadway Racing Treadway Racing Treadway Racing is a former auto racing team that competed in the early seasons of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. The team was owned by Indianapolis business man Fred Treadway. Prior to the IRL's inaugural season in 1996, Treadway was able to sign former Indianapolis 500 Champion Arie... |
WDW 27 |
PHX 9 |
INDY 1999 Indianapolis 500 The 1999 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1999.-Recap:Robby Gordon and Team Menard take a major gamble late in the race, and try to stretch their fuel for the win. Gordon had last pit on lap 164, and attempted to run the final 36 laps on one tank... 30 |
TXS 3 |
PPI 2 |
ATL 22 |
DOV 5 |
PP2 5 |
LVS 1 |
TX2 22 |
5th | 233 |