Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Hearing Sammy will possibly be teaming up with Thone Motorsports for next season

wondering what their schedule will look like if this happens..

Agree with your proposed schedule but that team also runs Knoxville a lot.

Is it a Sammy-Exclusively team this year?  They had other guys in that rocket in the last couple years as well.

When I first saw this I thought it said "Trone"... Sammy as full time Posse would be a ton'o fun!

Great interview with Sammy on Open Red. 

Looking forward to seeing that Thone 1 in the upper midwest next year!

It would be nice to see Sammy more than just once in a while. In fact, I'd love to see him get up to speed and have another real shot at the Nationals. The thrill he gave the fans at the Nationals racing Schatz back in 2010, and the agony of that left rear Goodyear exploding still stands out (to me) as a sadly missed opportunity for one of the greats. He definately withstood the best Schatz had that night, and appeared to be on the way of bettering him. The only highlight of that deal, if there was one, was the ovation and recognition the fans gave Sammy for his performance as he walked back towards the pits. And of course, the bow Sammy gave back to the fans. 

I will be sure to be fully caffeinated if I decide to listen to that one........

Why? Becase he's not flamboyant and funny? Anybody who understands Sammy knows he's soft spoken and direct when he's interviewed. That's just Sammy. Some fans shouldn't even tune it in based on their opinions regarding him in the first place. Like all the greats, Sammy is a "feel it" racer. Shit comes naturally to him, so when asked "how do you do that", it's hard to articulate an answer. Not all that different in any sport. I'm asked many times after making a certain shot on a pool tabel "how the hell did you make that?". My answer has no explanation...."I see it, I feel it and I shoot it". To me it's that simple. I'm thinking that's what racing is to Sammy and many like him. And because of how Sammy did so many things he was asked a lot of technical "how did you" questions. Not a lot of ways to give exciting answers to those types of questions, in all fairness. 

Sammy is not going to share any info. Come to think of it, I doubt if any travelers past and especially present,  would while being interviewed.  Set-ups today are so personalized to the driver anyhow.  

He's going on 64 and I'm going on 68 so as a fellow senior citizen I was wondering what the secret to his longevity is.  Most people in my age group, myself included, hurt so damn bad just getting out of bed that we can't imagine flipping end over end in a Sprint Car.

After listening to this interview I think I get it now.  He's so slow talking that I suspect he's in some kind of a time warp and aging doesn't affect him the same as the rest of us. 

Stan Meissner

Do you exercise? I'm 68 & feel pretty good most of the time (of course 2 titanium knees helps)

As for Sammy, as the son of an engineer, I can attest that their people skills are not always as good as their analytical skills. I just like watching him race, not looking to hang out with ole Sammy....

He will eat up their bank account,  not to mention wear them out with constant demands he puts on the car owners he drives for. Hope they are prepared for the sink hole coming down the pipe. He probably has half their inventory changed over to what "He wants"

I don’t believe that is accurate in any way shape or form...if he is hired to

drive I’m sure that owner with all of Sammy’s experience will allow him to do as he pleases to improve the program...

Makes sense to me...

I don't believe that to be accurate, either. He seems to have had a good part time relationship with A.G. Rains in the #3 car. In listening to Sammy's Open Red interview it sounds like when he gets involved with a team he is willing to share all his experience and help find ways to cut some costs by doing things more efficiently. I would bet with the experience the Thone team had with Sammy during that short stint last year that they know what to expect from Sammy. And if it didn't fit they sure as hell wouldn't be going forward with him again. And it sounds like an extended pairing this coming season.

I stay active and don't have any artificial joints yet so I'm remodeling right now and walk for hours in the summer.  Nevertheless, there is a difference between still being active and driving Sprint Cars.  Vision, hearing, arthritus and diminishing hand eye coordination are all part of againg and I'm affected by all of them to varying degrees.  Driving Sprint Cars is a young man's game so while I appreciate that someone is still willing to jump into one going on 64 it still doesn't make any sense to me. 

Actually, we both came up at a time when a lot of Sprint Car drivers didn't make it to their 40's let alone 60's.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around teenage girl and senior citizen drivers.  In our day drivers were crew cut wearing, cigar chewing, beer swilling, fight their way to the pay window with many being WWII vets.  Today we've got guys who should be on SS and parents putting children in these cars.  The whole thing is hard for me to fathom and probably will be as long as I live. 

Stan Meissner

Sammy @ 63 yrs young #stillwinning on ASCoC and ASCS National Series... very impressive... what will you be doing at that age ? ...love the comment ...Can't go any more than WIDE OPEN.... Gateway Nationals and Chili Bowl comin' soon...

Of course! I was talking about you, not Sammy.... I just like to encourage folks our age to keep exercising. A lady at one of the stores i go to complains about her knee replacement, but i can tell by looking at her that she doesn't exercise.

"We don't stop playing because we get old, we get old because we stop playing"..... George Bernard Shaw

Hang in there brother!

Yeh and I wonder how many that listened missed his comment about Wide Open? Says a lot about his smarts and what it takes during a race to be a consistant winner. A level of smarts that more than a handful of sprint car drivers have possessed, but only the best were able to consistantly adhere to that mentality. Sammy simply happened to phrase it in a way that it seemed a common practice. Which for many or most drivers it was not.

Lol. You do realize he ran for them this year, right? His first four races with Thone were with the All Stars this year.....and his results?? Night One 10th, night two 6th, night three 2nd and night four.......WINNER!!  I bet that really sucked for the car owners. Unfortunately he didn't have the same results when they went to the Nationals but I would expect to see that car running up front alot with Sammy behind the wheel, for however many races, in 2019.