Twenty-five years after crash, Sam Schmidt gives hope to spinal-cord injury sufferers

INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Schmidt can look back at what he has accomplished over the last 25 years and know that he could never have envisioned the role he would play in the lives of many.

It was January 2000. Schmidt, then aged 35, wrecked during practice at Walt Disney World Speedway and suffered devastating injuries that left him as a quadriplegic.

“It was bad times back then,” Schmidt said. “You can’t live too far ahead. Things happen. … The higher power kind of brings these opportunities to us. You’ve just got to walk through the door every time.”

Schmidt has driven, walked and more since his accident as he has tried to improve his life and the lives of many others who have suffered neurological injuries. He recently cut the ribbon on a rehab facility in Indianapolis, similar to the one his Conquer Paralysis Now Foundation opened in Las Vegas in 2018. 

The $20 million, 114,000-square-foot Driven NeuroRecovery Center in Indianapolis is a reflection of Schmidt’s dedication to giving hope to those who may have lost theirs.

“This is a life-altering situation that tends to blow up families, and so we aim to change that course for everybody who comes through the doors — to lift them up, give them the equipment, give them the people, give them the motivation to get back into life and carry on,” Schmidt said.

The inspirational Schmidt, who up until recently owned at least a piece of an IndyCar team (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports was bought by Arrow McLaren and McLaren this month became the sole owner of the team), has driven cars designed for him using mouth controls.

His biggest feat was walking his daughter down the aisle and dancing with her on her wedding day, with the help of a suit apparatus.

“My daughter’s wedding was clearly the best day in the last 25 years for me,” Schmidt said. “But it’s several times like that where I get the opportunity to do amazing things. And those opportunities inspire others to just get out there and try to get better.”

The Indianapolis facility can help those suffering from more than 30 different neurological conditions. And finding funding for the facility parallels drivers’ pursuits to find funding for racing.

“It hasn’t changed in 40 years, whether it’s trying desperately to raise money as a driver to go racing, and then this, raising money for really a hope and a dream and what will it do for these people,” Schmidt said.

“This is tangible. We see miracles every day. And that’s the great thing about a facility like this is you don’t have to dream it. It’s just going to change lives every day.”

How would Schmidt, who won a 1999 IndyCar race at Las Vegas, rate himself as a driver?

“It was a different time back then,” Schmidt said. “It was all the ovals, … We were nipping at it for a long time. I finally won a race, and things were looking very well for the following season. And I finally was on a good team.

“That wasn’t the goal, the future somebody had planned.”

After his crash, Schmidt said that — unlike most in his position — he was fortunate to have access to resources to keep his family from being torn apart and for him to find ways to help others.

“It was professional athlete insurance, close family, friends, community and the motorsports community — and that is not what 99.9 percent of the population has,” Schmidt said about what allowed him to continue to fight and get better. 

“They have to figure it out, and we’re able to help them. We try and bring that level of care to them.”

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.