Sam Schmidt
| Sam Schmidt | |
|---|---|
 Sam Schmidt with 2011 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Alex Tagliani, who drove for Schmidt's team. | |
| Nationality | United States |
| Born |
August 15, 1964 Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Retired | 2000 |
| IndyCar Series | |
| Years active | 1997–1999 |
| Teams |
Blueprint Racing LP Racing Treadway Racing |
| Starts | 26 |
| Wins | 1 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Best finish | 5th in 1999 |
| Previous series | |
| 1995 | USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series |
Sam Schmidt (born August 15, 1964 in Lincoln, Nebraska) is a former Indy Racing League driver and current IZOD IndyCar Series and Firestone Indy Lights series team owner.
Racing career
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 crashed 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, 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 Race Team 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.
Other activities
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.
Career results
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 | Blueprint Racing |  NHM |
LVS |
WDW |
PHX 10 |
IND 34 |
TXS 23 |
PPI |
27th | 76 | ||||
| LP Racing | CLT 18 |
NH2 22 |
LV2 27 |
|||||||||||
| 1998 | LP Racing/PCI | WDW 9 |
PHX 7 |
INDY 26 |
TXS 18 |
NHM 12 |
DOV 17 |
CLT 14 |
PPI 13 |
ATL 15 |
TX2 27 |
LVS 2 |
14th | 186 |
| 1999 | Treadway Racing | WDW 27 |
PHX 9 |
CLT C1 |
INDY 30 |
TXS 3 |
PPI 2 |
ATL 22 |
DOV 5 |
PP2 5 |
LVS 1 |
TX2 22 |
5th | 233 |
- 1 The 1999 VisionAire 500K at Charlotte was cancelled after 79 laps due to spectator fatalities.