The event features the thrilling, wheel-to-wheel action of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Championship. Read More>
The special events will take place in April in Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne. Read More>
Season One of the popular docuseries looked at the buildup to the 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge last spring. Read More>
Josef Newgarden unveils the 2024 Indianapolis 500 Ticket View Photos>
Remembering the life and career of Gil de Ferran. View Photos>
Photos from Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 2023 Indy 8 Hour. View Photos>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, IMS President Doug Boles sits down with four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves. The modern legend discusses his historic Drive for Five, his transition to an ownership role within Meyer Shank Racing, the loss of his dear friend Gil de Ferran, and more. Watch Video>
On this episode of Behind the Bricks, IMS President Doug Boles heads all the way to Arvada, Colorado, on the outskirts of Denver for a fan party at the Sonsio headquarters. To celebrate their new role as the title sponsor of the Grand Prix, Sonsio unveiled Scott McLaughlin's Sonsio car and hosted nearly 200 Denver-area Indy 500 fans! Watch Video>
On this episode of Doug and Drivers, IMS President J. Douglas Boles sits down with Graham Rahal to discuss his growing businesses off-track, as well as the gut wrenching memories of failing to qualify for the Indy 500 last year. Watch Video>
May 18, 2014 | By Verizon IndyCar Series
Joyrides don’t get much better. Sam Schmidt unveiled a Nevada vanity license plate, RCR4LIF, which summarized his thoughts about the SAM (Semi-Autonomous Motorcar) project and -- in more general terms – his life’s goal before the driver’s side door of the black Chevrolet Corvette Stingray closed. Schmidt, who is a quadriplegic as the result of a race car testing accident in 2000, drove the modified car for a few slow – compared to Verizon IndyCar Series cars – but thoroughly enjoyable laps on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Pole Day qualifications. The project, a collaboration between Arrow Electronics and Ball Aerospace, was broached last late year and Schmidt “didn’t need two seconds to think about it before saying yes.” “Then,” he added, “I thought, ‘How are we going to do it?’ ’’ The details already had been set in motion by the tech companies, in cooperation with the neuroscience branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory and Falci Adaptive Motorsports. The car is fitted with advanced electronics and a human-to-machine interface to allow people with disabilities similar to Schmidt’s to drive solo. No hands or feet are required to drive it. Four sensors on the headwear transmit information to infrared cameras on the dashboard. Head tilting dictates steering and acceleration in 10 mph increments. A bite sensor slows the car. GPS technology prevents movement within 1.5 meters from virtual curbing and within a 10-meter steering width. “I think this will have huge benefits for people with disabilities down the road,” said Schmidt, co-owner of a Verizon IndyCar Series team that will have three cars start in the 98th Indy 500 on May 25. “This is a full-circle moment today. A lot of the emotions stem from being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It got to qualify for the race three times. “The Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed originally as a place to drive automotive innovation, and the multitude of innovations that have been discovered here over 102 years means a lot. “The thing that was so emotional and enlightening was the great sense of accomplishment that comes from doing something that feels normal. I do a lot of the things I did before, but I do it all with assistance. I’m not in control of the situation. But in this car I feel the most normal I’ve felt in 14 years.”