After graduating from Pepperdine University, Schmidt became a successful businessman, purchasing his father's parts company at the age of 25. He raced at a competitive amateur level for years before making his first professional start in 1995 in the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors. In 1997 he began competing in the Indy Racing League. Over three consecutive seasons he raced in the Indianapolis 500, and in 1999 he earned his first and only race victory — from pole position — at Las Vegas. He finished fifth in series points that year, establishing himself as a legitimate IndyCar competitor.
During pre-season testing at Walt Disney World Speedway on January 6, 2000, Schmidt crashed and sustained spinal injuries that rendered him a quadriplegic and placed him on a ventilator for six weeks. The accident ended his driving career abruptly at a moment when he had just achieved his breakthrough as a winner.
Unable to drive, Schmidt channeled his competitive instincts into team ownership. Inspired in part by meeting tetraplegic Formula One team owner Sir Frank Williams, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports. The team became the most successful franchise in the history of the Indy Lights series, winning seven series championships including titles in 2004 with Thiago Medeiros, 2006 with Jay Howard, and 2007 with Alex Lloyd. Schmidt shuttered the Indy Lights program after the 2016 season having accumulated those seven titles.
Schmidt's team returned to full-time IndyCar competition after acquiring the FAZZT Race Team in 2011. The operation reached notable heights in the years that followed: driver Alex Tagliani won the pole for the 2011 Indianapolis 500, the team's first pole at the Brickyard, and James Hinchcliffe secured the Indianapolis 500 pole again in 2016. The team secured seven race victories in the IndyCar Series overall and finished third in the championship standings in both 2013 and 2021. At the end of 2024, Schmidt sold the team to McLaren Racing to spend more time with his family and focus on his charitable foundation.
Shortly after his accident, Schmidt founded the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, later rebranded Conquer Paralysis Now in 2015. The foundation has funded paralysis research globally, provided grants to disability organizations, and runs a nationally recognized Day at the Races program giving individuals with disabilities access to motorsport events. In December 2018 the foundation opened the DRIVEN Neuro Recovery Center in downtown Las Vegas, providing activity-based therapy and rehabilitation services for those with neurological disorders. In late 2024, a flagship 114,000-square-foot DRIVEN center opened in Carmel, Indiana.
Schmidt has also been involved in technology projects exploring ways for paralyzed individuals to drive again, including a partnership with Arrow Electronics to develop a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray controlled via head movement, voice commands, and breath-based inputs. He serves on the board of directors for BraunAbility, a manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and is a co-owner of Speed Vegas motorpark.
Schmidt has received numerous honors for his charitable and business contributions, including the Gateway to a Cure Award, the Visionary Leadership Award from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Pepperdine University, and the 2013 Courage Award. In 2017 he was inducted into the Nevada Sports Hall of Fame. He served as commencement speaker at Pepperdine University's 2021 graduation, at which he received an honorary doctorate.
Sam Schmidt's story encompasses both the brutal fragility of motorsport and the resilience possible in the face of catastrophic injury. As a driver he achieved the IndyCar winner's circle; as a team owner he built a dynasty in Indy Lights and a competitive IndyCar program spanning more than a decade; and as a philanthropist he has directed sustained resources toward curing the injury that changed his life. Few figures in American racing have contributed across so many dimensions of the sport.
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