Image via IMS
Robin Miller's Tough Guys: Sammy Sessions
If anyone ever looked like a sprint car driver it was Sammy Sessions. A raw-boned native of Michigan with a flat-top haircut and a nose for adventure, Sessions started out in stock cars and supermodifieds before heading for USAC in the mid-60s. He was instantly successful in that rough-and-tumble era and his prowess on dirt and pavement earned him a ride for Indianapolis.
Sessions qualified for six consecutive Indy 500s (1968-73), finishing fourth in 1972, and his final start came in 1975.
The USAC sprint champ in 1972, Sammy raced snowmobiles in the winter to make ends meet and he lost his life on one in 1977 where it was believed he suffered a heart attack before crashing.
Robin Miller
Robin Miller flunked out of Ball State after two quarters, but got a job stooging for Jim Hurtubise at the 1968 Indianapolis 500 when Herk's was the last roadster to ever make the race. He got hired at The Indianapolis Star a month later and talked his way into the sports department, where he began covering USAC and IndyCar racing. He got fired at The Star for being anti-Tony George, but ESPN hired him to write and do RPM2Nite. Then he went to SPEED and worked on WIND TUNNEL and SPEED REPORT. He started at RACER when SPEED folded, and went on to write for RACER.com and RACER magazine while also working for NBCSN on IndyCar telecasts.
Read Robin Miller's articles
Latest News
Comments
Comments are disabled until you accept Social Networking Cookies. Update cookie preferences
If the dialog doesn't appear, ad-blockers are often the cause; try disabling yours or see our Social Features Support.
