Quadriplegic IndyCar owner drives at Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. – The gorgeous Southern California afternoon was suited for a car's top to be down, something Sam Schmidt mentioned after driving the Long Beach street circuit Sunday.

Yes, that's right: Schmidt, a quadriplegic since 2000, drove a specially equipped Corvette C7 Stingray car on the streets.

The former IndyCar Series driver took the track about an hour before the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, drawing a roar from the crowd and friends on pit road. The wide smile on his face showed the excitement over progress being made by Arrow Electronics.

"It was beautiful," said Schmidt, who uses his head and mouth to control the car because his hands and feet can't. "I just wish I could have gotten a couple more laps."

Schmidt completed nearly two laps, reaching a top speed of about 80 mph. He drove quicker last year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but this was the first test of left and right turns on a circuit lined with white walls.

Schmidt learned the 11-turn, 1.98-mile street circuit by watching video games and in-car footage from Indy cars his team owns, but he was struck by how close the walls are and the view they restrict.

"It's not the same (as on video)," he said, laughing. "The first lap was a reconnaissance lap just to make sure the system worked, and it did, but we were kind of on pins and needles because we hadn't (practiced here)."

If the technological advances continue at this pace, Schmidt could be driving the GPS-led car on city streets sometime in 2016. At this point, the car can't be a convertible because the sun affects the cameras serving as sensors.

Etc.

Helio Castroneves finished second in Sunday's IndyCar race, tying Bobby Rahal for second place in runner-up finishes with 37. Mario Andretti has the all-time lead with 56. ... IndyCar has three more years, through the 2018 race, on its contract with the Grand Prix Association of Long Beach, according to the promoter's president, Jim Michaelian. ... Indy Lights rookie Ed Jones capitalized on a crash involving pole sitter Jack Harvey on the first lap to remain undefeated this season. The Carlin Racing driver won both races last month in St. Petersburg, Fla., and held off Spencer Pigot by six-tenths of a second Sunday. Jones led 40 of the 42 laps. ... EJ Viso won Sunday's Stadium Super Truck Series race and nearly had a ride in the IndyCar race. He said he was a candidate to replace Rocky Moran Jr. (broken thumb) in Dale Coyne Racing's No. 18 car, but his body size wasn't a good match. Conor Daly fit better, Viso said.

Follow Star reporter Curt Cavin on Twitter: @curtcavin.