Driving
in Circles, Southern Style
Sam
Schmidt Motorsports Heads To Nashville Superspeedway
Rookie drivers
Travis Gregg, Jamie Camara and Chris Festa - second, third
and fourth in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series point
standings - get ready to take the Sam Schmidt Motorsports'
tradition of dominance to a concrete oval race track nestled
just to the east of a city known as the hotbed of the
country music industry.
Chris Festa, 19,
of Atlanta, Ga., is a Southerner by American terms, but
globally speaking, his Brazilian teammate has him beat on
Southern roots. Festa pulled to fourth in the series with
178 points after his third-place finish on the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway's road course. He has one runner-up finish
at Phoenix and led his first MIPS lap at Texas, where he
qualified second. The teenager drives Schmidt's #19
SpacePak, CareCentric entry and attends classes at Florida
State University.
Jaime Camara,
24, is a Brazilian native living in Miami, Fla., and he
heads into Nashville third in the standings with 181
points. Driving Schmidt's #1 CELG, Goias entry, Camara has
one pole position (Indianapolis), two outside pole positions
(Homestead, Phoenix), one win (Indianapolis) and one
runner-up finish this season (Homestead).
Travis Gregg,
who drives Schmidt's #7 Lucas Oil Special, holds second in
the point standings with 217 points, just 10 points out of
first place. At 27 years of age, the native of Camden, Ohio,
has three pole positions (Miami, Phoenix, Texas), two
victories (Miami, Texas) and has led 154 laps in the MIPS
this season.
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.
Schmidt's rookie
lineup is very excited about the speeds and adventure of
racing at Nashville Superspeedway.
Here are some
thoughts from the drivers and owner going into Nashville:
SAM SCHMIDT,
Owner, Sam Schmidt Motorsports:
"We love
Nashville. I even listen to all country music while I'm
there.
"Seriously,
we've had a lot of success at Nashville. We finished third
in 2001 and fourth in 2002 while competing in the IndyCar
Series − we swept the pole and race in last year's Pro
Series race.
"The Sam Schmidt
Motorsports engineers and crew have always been able to find
a certain amount of mechanical grip while maintaining speed
on the short ovals and that makes it very exciting for us to
head into races at tracks like Nashville and Milwaukee. Our
guys just do an excellent job with the cars, and with the
three guys driving the cars this season, I can't wait to see
what we can do."
CHRIS FESTA,
#19 SpacePak, CareCentric, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"This weekend
will almost be like a hometown race for me. It's a short
trip - it's only about three and a half hours to drive from
Atlanta. Maybe some of my friends will get to see me race
so they'll know what I've been trying to tell them all these
years about why I like open-wheel racing better than stock
cars.
"I'm looking
forward to racing at Nashville. It'll be interesting to deal
with the concrete track surface and the high speeds. Sam
has had a lot of success racing at Nashville, so I know I'll
have a great car − that means I'll be able to focus on
racing the track and working on the best line around the
track."
TRAVIS GREGG, #7 Lucas Oil
Special, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"Nashville Superspeedway hasn't
been around for a long time but it's already starting to
build a tradition. I know the people in the area are great
fans of motorsports, and that makes you feel pretty good.
"I know they have been
disappointed in not getting a NASCAR Cup race there but they
have to be pretty excited about having the IRL in town. The
racing in the IRL and Infiniti Pro Series has been great all
year. True, it won't be like the old slam, bang stock car
races they used to have at the track at the Fairgrounds but
I think the folks who come out are going to see a great
race. The competition in the Pro Series and Indycars is
pretty stout - if you like passing, you're going to see a
lot of it.
"I'm really looking forward to
it. I was able to get a couple hours of track time a few
weeks ago to familiarize myself with the track. Being a
concrete oval, it has some bumps and a slightly different
grip level than the asphalt tracks. Car setup is going to
be key. I'm ready for the challenge and I'm ready to fight
to regain the points lead."
JAIME CAMARA,
#1 CELG, Goias, Sam Schmidt Motorsports Entry:
"The race at
Nashville Superspeedway should be very good. Last year,
Sam's car dominated the race, and I think everyone at the
team is really excited to get back to the track. I'm hoping
the weekend will be very successful for me and for the race
team.
"They've been
giving me a hard time over going to a Southern race track
but, hey, I'm the southernest Southerner in the Infiniti Pro
Series. (laughing) Anybody from further south than Brazil or
live further south than Miami? Hey, in my neighborhood
(Miami), Nashville is 'up North.' Now all I need to do is
figure out how to say 'Ya'll' in Portugese.
"Every track Sam
had success last year, we've had really good cars this year.
I feel we'll all three be ready to go."
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION:
Richard N.
(Chip) Williams, Williams Company of America, Inc.
502 E. Center
Ave., Mooresville, NC 28115 (704) 660-0796 FAX: (704)
660-0886
email:
chip.williams@mindspring.com
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