Sam was one of the top IRL drivers until an accident at Orlando left him a quadriplegic. Now heavily involved with paralysis and spinal cord injury organisations, but his injury has not stopped Sam from being involved in motorsport as he runs an Indy Lights team and and Indycar team, with a few other attempts at the Indy 500, when he hasn't been able to have a full-season budget arranged which now seems a thing of the past. Lives in Nevada and hopes he can be successful as his inspiration, Sir Frank Williams. Schmidt's father also appeared at the Indianapolis 500 as a mechanic. In 2021, Schmidt made an incredible return to racing, driving a specially equipped Corvette C8 that he controls with his eyes, voice commands, cameras and sensors. He is racing in the Optima Ultimate Street Car Series. The idea behind the return is to help develop this kind of technology for others in a similar position to Sam for their everyday lives.

Biography last updated 4 Apr 2021