Sam
Schmidt Motorsports Heads to Kentucky
Track is like home for Gregg and team
Holding two of
the top three spots in the championship points standings,
Sam Schmidt Motorsports heads to Kentucky Speedway, a track
often used by the team for test sessions, and a track that
driver Travis Gregg considers to be almost a home track for
him.
A year ago in
this race, Gregg debuted in the series by winning the pole
and leading 57 of the 67 laps.
Gregg, a 27
year-old Midwesterner from Camden, Ohio, drives Schmidt's #7
Lucas Oil Special. He is third in the point standings with
261 points. Gregg, who does backflips in celebration of his
race wins, has three pole positions (Miami, Phoenix, Texas),
two victories (Miami, Texas) and has led 154 laps in the
MIPS this season.
Jaime Camara,
24, a Brazilian native residing in Miami, Fla., first tested
with Sam Schmidt Motorsports at Kentucky Speedway last
October. He is second the standings with 265 points.
Driving Schmidt's #1 CELG, Goias entry, Camara has three
pole positions (Indianapolis, Nashville, Milwaukee), two
outside pole positions (Homestead, Phoenix), two wins
(Indianapolis, Nashville).
Chris Festa, 19,
of Atlanta, Ga, the youngest of Schmidt's drivers is sixth
in the series standings with 224 points. Festa led his
first MIPS lap at Texas, where he qualified second. He has
one runner-up finish at Phoenix and two third-place finishes
(Indianapolis road course and Texas). The teenager drives
Schmidt's #19 SpacePak, CareCentric entry and attends
classes at Florida State University.
Sam Schmidt
Motorsports is also a means of promoting and publicizing the
Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. The Foundation was created
by Schmidt to help individuals overcome spinal cord injuries
and other neurological disorders. Schmidt is currently
recovering from serious upper spinal cord injuries suffered
in a testing accident on January 6, 2000 while practicing
for the season-opening Indy Racing League event at Walt
Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. Further information
is available at
www.samschmidt.org or (317) 236-9999
Heading into the
IndyCar Series race at Michigan last weekend, Racer Magazine
announced they will auction a limited production Firestone
poster to be signed by all 30 drivers that have won while
driving on Firehawk tires. The auction will be held on eBay
in October with the proceeds to be split between Sam Schmidt
Paralysis Foundation and CARA Charities.
Here are some
thoughts from the drivers and owner going into Kentucky:
SAM SCHMIDT,
Owner, Sam Schmidt Motorsports:
"Even though the
team was victorious at Nashville, we have struggled 'across
the board' in the last couple races. We have made some
changes internally that I hope will result in better overall
team performance for all three cars at Kentucky. We need to
get back on track immediately if we are to have any hope of
catching Wade (Cunningham, current points leader) by the end
of the season."
CHRIS FESTA,
#19 SpacePak, CareCentric, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"After
Milwaukee, Kentucky will be a nice treat. The track is
wide, smooth and fast. I expect that what we learned at
Phoenix and Texas will be important at Kentucky. The team
does a lot of testing at the track, so I'm looking forward
to working with the engineers and getting my car up front."
TRAVIS GREGG, #7 Lucas Oil
Special, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"Kentucky is a really special
track for me. The track is a short drive from Camden - next
to Lawrenceburg, I'd say Kentucky is my home track. Last
year, in my first Menards Infiniti Pro Series race, I won
the pole, led 57 laps and finished in the top five.
Hopefully I can use Kentucky to give me some good luck,
which I've needed lately, and some really great, close
racing like it was at Texas."
JAIME CAMARA,
#1 CELG, Goias, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"Kentucky is
where I first tested for Sam in an Infiniti Pro Series race
car. I like the track, it was the first oval I had ever
driven. Kentucky is a wide track that allows three-wide
racing so it's supposed to be a very good race. I'm looking
forward to putting together another good race weekend there
so we can keep up the momentum our team is building."
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION: Williams Company of America, Inc. (704)
660-0796