Sam Schmidt was hired by Fred Treadway to replace Arie Luyendyk in the 1999 Pep Boys series. Schmidt ended the '98 season with his best-ever second place at Las Vegas. Won several SCCA road racing events before finishing fourth in '96 U.S. Formula Ford 2000 series. Won first-ever race at DisneyWorld (FF2000).

Schmidt returned to the Indy Racing League in 1998 with LP Racing. A sudden contender at Indianapolis -- due in part to the signing of Indy legend Gary Bettenhausen as a driver coach.

Schmidt had a rough 1996-97 season, crashing out of four of six races. His highest finish was 10th at Phoenix, but followed that up with a top finish of 18th at Charlotte. He did not complete a lap at Indianapolis, succumbing to an engine failure. He ran three races with Blueprint Racing before joining LP Racing.

Schmidt competed in motocross as a youth from 1973-77, but stopped as a result of his father's serious off-road racing accident.

In 1992 he gathered eight wins and nine poles in the SCCA Spec Racer series, and he won the Rookie of the Year honor. He also was Southern Pacific champion, fourth in SCCA runoffs.

In 1993 he moved to the SCCA Formula Continental series, getting four wins and five poles. He was named Southern Pacific Driver of the Year and won the national title at the SCCA runoffs.

In 1995 he got two wins and completed every lap of 14 oval races in the Hooters Formula Cup Pro Series. He finished third in points.

In 1996 he won twice and posted nine top-10 finishes in the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 series. He won the first race ever held at Walt Disney World, a U.S. Formula Ford 2000 event. He finished fourth in points.

Sources: Star/News and SpeedNet staff reports.