Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Encyclopedia
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
.
Schmidt formed the team in 2001 after he had recovered from the testing crash that nearly cost him his life, yet he was still unable to drive a race car due to his paralysis. Davey Hamilton
began 2001
in the car and drove 5 races, including the team's first Indianapolis 500
, ending with an injury at Texas Motor Speedway
. He was replaced by Jaques Lazier
who drove four races and 3 other drivers who drove a few races each. Richie Hearn
made 9 starts for the team in 2002
as he switched between the team's 2 cars, the #99 and #20. Anthony Lazzaro drove in the first three races of the year in the #99, but handed over Indy 500 driving duties to Mark Dismore
, who made his only start for the team in that year's '500'. Also, in 2002
, the Indy Pro Series was founded and Schmidt eventually refocused its efforts on that series, running only the Indy 500 as its sole IndyCar series race with a car driven from 2003 to 2005 by Hearn and in 2006
by Airton Daré
. In 2007
the team fielded a car in the Indy 500 for Buddy Lazier
. In 2008
, while the team did not field a car of its own, it prepared and engineered Rubicon Race Team's entry for Max Papis
that failed to qualify after suffering numerous gearbox problems during qualifying. The team made a joint entry with Chip Ganassi Racing
for the 2009 Indianapolis 500
, piloted by Alex Lloyd
. The arrangement with Chip Ganassi continued in 2010
for the Indy 500 with Townsend Bell
driving.
Schmidt's Indy Pro Series (later Firestone Indy Lights) program has been one of the most successful in the series' recent history, winning the 2004
championship with Thiago Medeiros, the 2006
title with Jay Howard
, and the 2007
title with Alex Lloyd. After two less successful seasons, it captured its third championship in 2010
with J. K. Vernay.
For 2011, SSM purchased the assets of FAZZT Race Team
, retaining some the personnel and all sponsors, including Alex Tagliani
. Townsend Bell
, Jay Howard
, and Wade Cunningham
will also drive for SSM in the 2011 IndyCar Series season
.
Chris Griffis, the team manager for Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Indy Lights team, died on September 12, 2011. He was 46. Just over a month later, at the 2011 season finale, Dan Wheldon
died after he was involved in a 15-car wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
.
(2001) Townsend Bell
(2010-2011) Wade Cunningham
(2011) Airton Daré
(2006) Mark Dismore
(2002) Davey Hamilton
(2001) Richie Hearn
(2001–2005) Buddy Lazier
(2007) Jaques Lazier
(2001) Anthony Lazzaro (2001–2002) Alex Lloyd
(2009) Hideki Mutoh
(2011)1 Martin Plowman
(2011)1 Greg Ray
(2002) Alex Tagliani
(2011) Dan Wheldon
(2011)
1Run in association with AFS Racing
IndyCar
IndyCar is the trade name of an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. IndyCar sanctions three racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series with its centerpiece Indianapolis 500, and developmental series Firestone Indy Lights and the U.S...
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 owned by quadriplegic
Quadriplegia
Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is paralysis caused by illness or injury to a human that results in the partial or total loss of use of all their limbs and torso; paraplegia is similar but does not affect the arms...
former driver Sam Schmidt
Sam Schmidt
Sam Schmidt is a former Indy Racing League driver and current IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights Series team owner....
.
Schmidt formed the team in 2001 after he had recovered from the testing crash that nearly cost him his life, yet he was still unable to drive a race car due to his paralysis. Davey Hamilton
Davey Hamilton
Davey Jay Hamilton is a race car driver in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. He has made 50 series starts and while never winning a race, finished second 3 times...
began 2001
2001 in IRL
The 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season saw the addition of five races and loss of one to bring the total to 13. Chip Ganassi Racing returned to the Indy 500 with four cars and were joined on the grid by Penske Racing and Team Kool Green. Many other CART teams made clear their intention...
in the car and drove 5 races, including the team's first 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...
, ending with an injury at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
. He was replaced by Jaques Lazier
Jaques Lazier
Jaques Lazier is an American racing driver born January 25, 1971 in Denver, Colorado and is the younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier and son of former Indy racer Bob Lazier....
who drove four races and 3 other drivers who drove a few races each. Richie Hearn
Richie Hearn
Richie Hearn , is an American IndyCar racing driver.Hearn was born in Glendale, California. He ran in the Toyota Atlantic championship for two seasons, winning the title in 1995. In 1996, he began driving for John Della Penna in both the IRL and Champ Car ranks...
made 9 starts for the team in 2002
2002 in IRL
The 2002 Indy Racing League season was one of transition, with many CART teams participating in a partial IRL schedule while retaining "lame duck" status in their original series with their CART engine suppliers Toyota and Honda...
as he switched between the team's 2 cars, the #99 and #20. Anthony Lazzaro drove in the first three races of the year in the #99, but handed over Indy 500 driving duties to Mark Dismore
Mark Dismore
Mark Dismore is a former driver in the Indy Racing League and the 1990 Toyota Pacific champion as well as the winner of the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona with Dan Gurney's All American Racers in a Toyota GTP car with co-drivers Rocky Moran and P. J. Jones...
, who made his only start for the team in that year's '500'. Also, in 2002
2002 in IPS
The 2002 IRL Infiniti Pro Series was the series' first season. The IPS served as a new developmental series to the Indy Racing League. All drivers utilized Dallara chassis and Infiniti engines. A. J. Foyt IV was the series champion.-Calendar:...
, the Indy Pro Series was founded and Schmidt eventually refocused its efforts on that series, running only the Indy 500 as its sole IndyCar series race with a car driven from 2003 to 2005 by Hearn and in 2006
2006 Indianapolis 500
The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 28, 2006. Sam Hornish, Jr. won the race by passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final straightaway, about 450 feet from the finish line...
by Airton Daré
Airton Daré
Airton Daré is a race car driver who has competed in the Indy Racing League. He made his first IRL start in 2000 and was a long-time driver for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Airton has a single IRL race win which he captured for Foyt in 2002 at Kansas Speedway. He was also the 2000 IRL Rookie of the Year...
. In 2007
2007 Indianapolis 500
The 91st Indianapolis 500 ran on Sunday, May 27, 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 12th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and marked the fifth race of the 2007 IndyCar Series season just after the 2007 Kansas Lottery Indy 300 and just before the 2007 ABC Supply...
the team fielded a car in the Indy 500 for Buddy Lazier
Buddy Lazier
Robert Buddy Lazier is an American Indycar driver. He won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and has finished in the Top Ten in that race six times...
. In 2008
2008 Indianapolis 500
The 92nd Indianapolis 500-Mile Race was run on Sunday May 25, 2008 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, USA. Scott Dixon of New Zealand won the race from the pole position. It was the thirteenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and served as the showcase event of...
, while the team did not field a car of its own, it prepared and engineered Rubicon Race Team's entry for Max Papis
Max Papis
Massimiliano "Max" Papis is a racing driver who has competed in several top-level motorsports events such as Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car. He has three Champ Car victories. He is the son-in-law of Emerson Fittipaldi. His son's godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi...
that failed to qualify after suffering numerous gearbox problems during qualifying. The team made a joint entry with Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing
Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships...
for the 2009 Indianapolis 500
2009 Indianapolis 500
The 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday May 24, 2009, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It was the 14th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and the premier event of the 2009 IndyCar Series season....
, piloted by Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd (racing driver)
Alex Stewart Lloyd is a British motor racing driver. He currently takes part in the IndyCar Series...
. The arrangement with Chip Ganassi continued in 2010
2010 Indianapolis 500
The 94th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 30, 2010, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the 15th Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was the premier event of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season. The race was won by Dario Franchitti, ahead of Dan Wheldon and Marco...
for the Indy 500 with Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell is a motor racing driver. He is married to actress Heather Campbell.He won the last Indy Lights championship in 2001 and was given two starts in a Champ Car in a joint effort between Patrick Racing and Dale Coyne Racing as a test for a full-time seat in 2002. He earned Roberto...
driving.
Schmidt's Indy Pro Series (later Firestone Indy Lights) program has been one of the most successful in the series' recent history, 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:...
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. After two less successful seasons, it captured its third championship in 2010
2010 Indy Lights season
The 2010 Indy Racing League Firestone Indy Lights season was the 25th Indy Lights season. It was contested over thirteen races beginning on March 28 on the streets of St...
with J. K. Vernay.
For 2011, SSM purchased the assets of FAZZT Race Team
FAZZT Race Team
FAZZT Race Team was an auto racing team started by Montreal entrepreneur Andre Azzi, race car driver Alex Tagliani, and former Kelley Racing co-owner Jim Freudenberg ....
, retaining some the personnel and all sponsors, including Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
. Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell is a motor racing driver. He is married to actress Heather Campbell.He won the last Indy Lights championship in 2001 and was given two starts in a Champ Car in a joint effort between Patrick Racing and Dale Coyne Racing as a test for a full-time seat in 2002. He earned Roberto...
, 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 Wade Cunningham
Wade Cunningham
Wade Cunningham is a racing driver from Auckland, New Zealand who has most notably competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.Cunningham's professional career began when he won the Karting World Championship in 2003....
will also drive for SSM in the 2011 IndyCar Series season
2011 IndyCar Series season
The 2011 Izod IndyCar Series season was the 100th season of American open wheel motor racing. The season consisted of seventeen events over the course of a seven–month season. Its premier event was the 95th Indianapolis 500, run on Sunday, May 29. It was the final season running the IR–05 Dallara...
.
Chris Griffis, the team manager for Sam Schmidt Motorsports' Indy Lights team, died on September 12, 2011. He was 46. Just over a month later, at the 2011 season finale, Dan Wheldon
Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon was a British racing driver from England. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in both 2005 and 2011...
died after he was involved in a 15-car wreck 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:...
.
Past IZOD IndyCar Series drivers
Alex BarronAlex Barron (driver)
Alex Barron in San Diego, California) is an American race car driver. He began racing CART FedEx World Series Championship cars in 1998 and made his first Indy Racing League Northern Lights Series start in 2001....
(2001) Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell
Townsend Bell is a motor racing driver. He is married to actress Heather Campbell.He won the last Indy Lights championship in 2001 and was given two starts in a Champ Car in a joint effort between Patrick Racing and Dale Coyne Racing as a test for a full-time seat in 2002. He earned Roberto...
(2010-2011) Wade Cunningham
Wade Cunningham
Wade Cunningham is a racing driver from Auckland, New Zealand who has most notably competed in the Firestone Indy Lights Series.Cunningham's professional career began when he won the Karting World Championship in 2003....
(2011) Airton Daré
Airton Daré
Airton Daré is a race car driver who has competed in the Indy Racing League. He made his first IRL start in 2000 and was a long-time driver for A.J. Foyt Enterprises. Airton has a single IRL race win which he captured for Foyt in 2002 at Kansas Speedway. He was also the 2000 IRL Rookie of the Year...
(2006) Mark Dismore
Mark Dismore
Mark Dismore is a former driver in the Indy Racing League and the 1990 Toyota Pacific champion as well as the winner of the 1993 24 Hours of Daytona with Dan Gurney's All American Racers in a Toyota GTP car with co-drivers Rocky Moran and P. J. Jones...
(2002) Davey Hamilton
Davey Hamilton
Davey Jay Hamilton is a race car driver in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series. He has made 50 series starts and while never winning a race, finished second 3 times...
(2001) Richie Hearn
Richie Hearn
Richie Hearn , is an American IndyCar racing driver.Hearn was born in Glendale, California. He ran in the Toyota Atlantic championship for two seasons, winning the title in 1995. In 1996, he began driving for John Della Penna in both the IRL and Champ Car ranks...
(2001–2005) Buddy Lazier
Buddy Lazier
Robert Buddy Lazier is an American Indycar driver. He won the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and has finished in the Top Ten in that race six times...
(2007) Jaques Lazier
Jaques Lazier
Jaques Lazier is an American racing driver born January 25, 1971 in Denver, Colorado and is the younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier and son of former Indy racer Bob Lazier....
(2001) Anthony Lazzaro (2001–2002) Alex Lloyd
Alex Lloyd (racing driver)
Alex Stewart Lloyd is a British motor racing driver. He currently takes part in the IndyCar Series...
(2009) Hideki Mutoh
Hideki Mutoh
is a Japanese race car driver from Tokyo currently racing in the IndyCar Series for Newman/Haas Racing.- History :He began karting at age 12 in 1996 and quickly moved through the ranks, becoming a part of Honda's Formula Dream Project. He moved to Europe in 1998 to compete in Formula Vauxhall...
(2011)1 Martin Plowman
Martin Plowman
Martin Plowman is an English racing driver from Burton upon Trent currently competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-Early career:...
(2011)1 Greg Ray
Greg Ray
Greg Ray is a former IRL IndyCar Series driver.After winning the SCCA national Formula Atlantic championship in 1993, he moved up to the CART-sanctioned Toyota Atlantic series in 1994....
(2002) Alex Tagliani
Alex Tagliani
Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...
(2011) Dan Wheldon
Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive "Dan" Wheldon was a British racing driver from England. He was the 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series champion, and winner of the Indianapolis 500 in both 2005 and 2011...
(2011)
1Run in association with AFS Racing
AFS Racing
AFS Racing is a professional racing team participating in the IndyCar Series and previously the Firestone Indy Lights series. It is owned by Gary Peterson, the founder of Automatic Fire Sprinklers for which it is named, and is based in Huntington Beach, California.-Indy Lights:The team was founded...