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| Sam
started his career at age 8 racing go-karts at the Calf Pasture Road
Course track in South Norwalk, Connecticut. He was inspired by an article
in Sport Illustrated for Kids about Jeff Gordon, the famous NASCAR driver.
Jeff started racing at the age of 5 in go-karts, so Sam figured if it is
good enough for Jeff Gordon, it was good enough for him. In his very first
season racing at Norwalk in 1998, Sam won the Fall Series Championship,
and missed winning the overall championship for his class by a few points.
After 2 years at the Norwalk road course, Sam decided to make the move
to oval track racing. His very first test on the oval series was a Lime
Rock Connecticut, where he swept the final 2 races of the series with the
help of the Mike Ruttkamp and the Ruttkamp Family. As a result of his newfound
success at Lime Rock, Sam went to his very first National Karting event
at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina in the fall of 1999. Without
ever having competed on the highly competitive national level, Sam qualified
his car in the number one (pole) position, a spectacular accomplishment
in itself. He went on to finish third in the race, and in his first national
event, stood proudly on the podium.
Over the next 3 years in karting, Sam won 3 national races, one of which was the Grand National. He also won a Divisional Championship in Chapel Hill New York with the help of Paulie and Paul Harraka. He won numerous pole-qualifying awards, and was always considered a serious threat to win at any track. During his karting career, Sam and his Dad traveled all over the east coast and Midwest. They have competed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Indiana. In September of 2003, Sam decided that it was time to move to a higher level of racing. He joined the ranks of racers in the 250 Micro Sprint class at Whip City Speedway in Westfield Massachusetts. At the age of 14, he climbed into a sprint car and raced against adults with prize money rather than trophies as the reward for good performance. It did not take long for Sam to transition to his new seat. After only 2 races, he competed in the 250 National event held at Whip City where he finished 6th out of 16 cars on the consolation race. His best finish at Whip City came the next week where he broke the top ten finishing 8th out of 26 cars. Sam also ran 2 races at Accord Speedway in Accord New York, a tight quarter mile track that is fast and demanding. In 2004, Sam plans on being a regular Saturday night competitor at Whip City Speedway, with occasional Friday night races at Accord Speedway. In addition, he will compete at several Pennsylvania tracks where competing for the 250 Micro Sprint class is at it's best. His car has been repainted and every part replaced. The graphics for his new helmet was done by Lee Helliwell of Helion Design in Westfield Massachusetts. Lee is also responsible for Sam's new look on the track with what can only be described as a spectacular design. What are Sam's plans for the future in racing? When you ask him, he says that he wants to race in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. He plans on going to college after high school to study engineering. Since he is an "A" student at Greenwich High School, he should have some excellent engineering schools to choose from. Whatever choice he makes, you can bet that it will be located near a race track. He plans on racing on Saturday nights during his college years and continue his march towards a ride with a premier NASCAR team. One more thing, many thanks go out to Lou and Wade Mattesen, along with the entire Mattesen Family for their help in getting Sam into a Micro Sprint. Without them, Sam would not have the opportunity he has today. That is what racing is all about, racer helping racers. It is why so many love it and make it part of their lives.
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