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MEDEIROS CLINCHES TITLE AFTER BITTERSWEET ENDING IN CALIFORNIA
LAS VEGAS, NV, October 13, 2004 -- It didn't end like Sam Schmidt had envisioned. Instead of celebrating their 2004 Menard's Infiniti Pro Series championship with Thiago Medeiros in victory lane last Saturday afternoon in Fontana, Calif., Schmidt wheeled over to the infield hospital to make sure his driver was OK after a spectacular crash on the last lap.
Medeiros, who clinched the title by simply taking the green flag, had led much of the 50-lap sprint at California Speedway before tangling with Jeff Simmons and flipping down the backstretch. The 22-year-old Brazilian escaped injury and eventually walked to the winner's circle to pose with his trophy.
While he posed for photos, his car owner surveyed the remains of the badly mangled Dallara as it dangled from the wrecker. "Get out the shovel and we'll bury it," said Schmidt.
Asked how much the IPS championship paid, he replied: "One hundred thousand dollars."
And the price of an IPS car? "It's about $140,000," he answered, breaking into a smile. "We can't seem to get ahead."
But, considering the obstacles and challenges he's faced since January of 2000, something this inconsequential wasn't about to ruin Sam's day. Hell, it was only a mass of carbon fiber, steel and fiberglass that can be rebuilt or replaced.
Unlike his body, which was permanently damaged while testing an Indy car at Orlando, Fla.
"We had a good year, a real good year and these things happen sometimes when you run so close," said Schmidt.
He knows all about close because a couple inches either way in that accident when he backed into a wall and he would have walked away instead of being rendered a quadriplegic.
In the prime of his life, at age 35 with a beautiful wife and two youngsters, Sam suddenly was helpless. Strapped in a wheelchair instead of a race car and no longer able to fend for himself or his family.
Nothing can prepare anyone for that kind of mental trauma and, understandably, it can be a death sentence if you let it. That's why Sam Schmidt is such a special breed. Because he's attacked life just like his paralysis. He's kept his racing team going from his wheelchair in addition to starting a foundation called "Race to Recovery" while undergoing relentless therapy to regain the use of his arms and legs. And his demeanor is always upbeat, if not downright optimistic.
"I've ever seen Sam have a down day since he got hurt," says father Marv Schmidt, himself a paraplegic following a freak accident several years ago. "He's a very remarkable person."
As well as resilient. When the Indy Racing League began morphing into CART with engine leases and big budgets, Sam Schmidt Motorsports folded its IRL tent, regrouped and resurfaced in the IPS feeder system. He was 0-for-38 coming into this season before finding the right combination.
"I always seem to learn things the hard way and I finally leaned you've got to get the right people around the car and then worry about the driver," said Schmidt, who watched Medeiros win five times so far in 2004. "Tim Neff (engineer) has done a great job and it's a good group of guys."
Asked about returning to the IRL, he replies:
"No, I can't come up with $8 million and I don't really want to go run in the middle of the pack. I can run two cars for around $1.5 million and I enjoy where I'm at. Hopefully, winning this championship will help attract some sponsorship but I'm still looking at having drivers who bring money. "I want to do a proper driver test and go to Phoenix and pick the fastest guy. We're not there yet but that's my plan because you know the best drivers don't have any money."
Schmidt says the Indy 500 could be back in his crosshairs. "I might try Indy again next year because I like the new qualifying rules and you only need one car. I also like the fact the IPS race in now on Carb Day and that's going to be good for sponsors."
It's not noticeable unless you're his therapist but Schmidt has made some gains in his fight to walk again. "Between the bike and the pool I do about 20-25 hours of therapy a week and I've made progress but it's so minimal," he continued. "I can squeeze my shoulder blades together and I can sit on the side of a bed and keep my torso upright, which was impossible a year ago.
"The Miami Project keeps making strides and I've got two objectives. Win the Indy 500 and get out of this chair."
Auto racing is a selfish endeavor, where drivers, mechanics and owners are never satisfied and seldom happy. They bitch and moan about rules, unfair advantages and bad breaks. It's the nature of a business that can be as exhilarating as it is cruel.
If anybody had a reason to curse his fate, it would be Sam Schmidt, yet he always seems happy to still be competing. He'll get a trophy for his first title at the IRL banquet in a few weeks but, believe me, this guy has been somebody to champion for a long time.
For More Information:
Michele Davis
Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation
C: 602-741-1915
F: 805-926-4052
E: mdavis@samschmidt.org
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