RACER: Robin Miller's Tough Guys Series on Sammy Sessions
The RACER Channel
51.1K subscribers8,535 views May 18, 2020
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), where he finished 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.