Sage Karam: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Sage Karam’s young IndyCar career made headlines on Sunday evening – but not in a way he ever would have wanted.

Karam, 20, crashed his car during the ABC Supply Co. 500 on August 23 and the debris from his car struck fellow driver Justin Wilson, who was quickly evacuated from the course and airlifted to an area hospital. According to multiple reports, Wilson is currently in critical condition and in a coma.

The crash is an incredibly dark mark on a promising career for the Pennsylvania native. Karam came into the late-August race riding a wave of recent success and feature stories touting his homecoming at the Pocono Raceway. Here’s what you need to know about Karam:


1. Karam Lost Control of His Car on Sunday & Spun Nose-First Into a Wall

Karam was leading the pack with 18 laps to go on Sunday’s ABC Supply 500 at Pocono Raceway when he lost control of his car and spun nose-first into a wall. Fellow IndyCar drivier Justin Wilson came around the same turn and appeared to be struck in the head by a piece of Karam’s car that had flown through the air.

Wilson, who already appeared unconscious, then lost control of his own car and crashed into the interior wall, which was covered by a SAFER barrier. The race was placed under prolonged caution as Wilson was airlifted to the hospital.

Karem walked away from the accident under his own power but was reportedly taken to the same hospital as Wilson to be evaluated for a right foot injury.


2. He Started Racing in 2010

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 06: Sage Karam, driver of the #8 Lexar Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

Sage Karam led the pack during the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6, 2015. (Getty)

After karting, Karam began his competitive racing career in the 2010 season of the U.S. F2000 National Championship for Andretti Autosport. He won nine of 12 races and the pole in all but one race and dominated the championship. As a perk of winning the championship, Karam won a prize package valued at $350,000 that allowed him to compete in the Star Mazada Championship in 2011.

He won back-to-back oval races at the Milwaukee Mile and Iowa Speedway and notched rookie of the year honors before moving up to the Firestone Indy Light series in 2013. Karam won the Indy Lights title that year, becoming the eighth rookie to win the series championship.

In 2014, Karam was signed by Chip Ganassi Racing to compete in the United SportsCar Championship and he also ran in the 24 Hours of Daytona.


3. Karam Secured a Seat in the 2014 Indianapolis 500

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 05: Sage Karam, driver of the #8 Lexar Chevrolet, looks on during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 5, 2015 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)

Karam had recently broken into the IndyCar racing world with success at the Indianapolis 500. (Getty)

Karam earned a set in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which had not run a car in an IndyCar race since the previous “500.” Karam qualified 31st but drove a fantastic race and finished ninth, second-highest finish for a rookie ever. He described the chance to race, saying:

It is honestly a dream come true for me and my racing career. Chip (Ganassi) has created a fantastic organization that judges success by just one thing — winning both races and championships. This is a very big day for me.

He’s frequently said that the race in 2014 was the highlight of his career so far.

Karem also appeared in the 2015 IndyCar Series season as part of a race-by-race deal with Chip Ganassi Racing. He finished 32nd in the 2015 Indy 500, crashing out on the first lap after an incident with Takuma Sato. Karam captured his best-ever finish at the 2015 Iowa Corn 300 in July, finishing third and scoring his first career podium.


4. His Father, Jody, Is a Decorated Wrestling Coach

(Twitter)

Jody has become a major part of his son’s IndyCar racing career over the past few years. (Twitter)

Karem isn’t the only member of this family who has found athletic success. His father, Jody, who also works as part of his racing team has worked as a wrestling coach at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for over 20 years.

According to Jody’s Linkedin profile, he also works as the health and physical education department chair at Liberty High.

Jody and his son are incredibly close and the father has hand in Karam’s career from the get-go. He regularly updates on Twitter about racing and Karam’s career.


5. Karam Grew up in Pennsylvania But Lives in Indianapolis

Karem grew up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania and started his racing career with cars at Oakland Valley Race Park in Cuddebackville, New York. Nazareth, of course, is the same town that put the Andretti family on the racing map and Karem actually boasts a strong friendship with fellow IndyCar driver Mario Andretti. The two go running together and regularly make bets over race results. Andretti told ABC News:

(Karem) doesn’t care about making friends. Some of that is just being a rookie. He’ll realize he’s going to need some friends at some point. I think he’s a tremendous talent, for sure.

Karem graduated from Nazareth Area High School in 2014 and returned to his alma mater earlier this month as part of a promotion for the ABC Supply 500 at the Pocono Raceway. Although he grew up in the northeast, Karem now lives in Indianapolis.

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