Sam Schmidt is a southern California racer who raced SCCA Cal Club events and worked his way up the racing ladder into the Indy Racing League where he scored his maiden victory at Las Vegas at the Speedway there in September, 1999. Just a few short months later while still riding high on a wave of momentum and heading into an even more promising new season, he had a testing crash on January 6, 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, where he nearly lost his life. This devastating crash left him clinging to life and a quadriplegic, however, his drive and will to recover and succeed again in the game of life has never waivered.
No Finish Line is Schmidt’s story of how he scratched and clawed to reach the pinnacle of success winning an Indy car race and how he has re-shaped his motorsports career and life since that terrible crash. It also chronicles his personal and family life along with the effects it had on them.
Schmidt’s personal stories are sometimes raw and humorous at times, but bluntly state the realities of living life in a wheelchair. He needs help to perform the basic elements of everyday life like brushing your teeth, but he hasn’t let that circumstance slow him down, and instead, throws a proverbial middle finger to the situation that he’s in while moving forward. Some might say that Schmidt has been a greater success than when he won his Indy car race, and based on the stories in his book, you can’t argue with everything he has achieved since.
Schmidt is the winningest Indy Lights (now Indy NXT) team owner in series history. His Indy car team won the pole position at the Indianapolis 500 twice and won the “500” with Dan Wheldon in 2011. After selling his team (which is now ARROW McLaren) Schmidt continues to race forward by channeling his energy towards helping others in their rehabilitation from spinal cord injuries with his DRIVEN recovery centers in Las Vegas and Indianapolis. He is a remarkable man who lived every father’s dream by dancing with his daughter at her wedding – thanks to technology he helped develop.
Although the first chapter jumps around a bit to events that occurred after the crash, the importance of that story is relevant as the chapters go on. There are general stories of other events that occurred as well as those that really shaped him into the man he is today. Within those chapters are the personal stories (set off by offset paragraphs) that reinforce why certain aspects of his life are so important to him and his family and those around him.
For anyone involved in racing from a driver’s side or team member side, there are great relatable stories that if you’ve been around the sport for a while, might even know personally some of the folks mentioned in the book. The universal appeal of this book, is that regardless of your place in life, you can take away valuable life lessons from his story. Most people see race car drivers as modern day gladiators. However, when the helmet comes off and they’re at home with their family, the struggles and successes of life are shared like anyone else.
I’ve found this book to be a mostly easy read that connects you on a personal level to a guy that has been seen around the race track for decades. Is Schmidt a perfect guy? No, but then neither is anyone else, and the frank honesty he shares in this book, is a refreshing reflection on his life with no BS. Hopefully after reading this, you’ll be inspired to follow your dreams as Schmidt has. After all dreams usually don’t chase you down!
NOTE: This book was released just prior to the 2026 Indy 500 and is available wherever books are sold. Don Yeager is a 13-time, New York Times best-selling author with over 34 books penned. He is also the host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast.
By Larry Mason
Photos courtesy of Sam Schmidt unless otherwise noted.
