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  Invesco Field at Mile High Opens with Monday Night FootballGroundbreaking for $1.1 Billion Airport ExpansionWax Figure of Jazz Legend Miles Davis UnveiledGrand Entrances to Forest ParkTime to "Play ball" for No Call ListThe Future Starts Here at the McDonnell PlanetariumButterfly House Merges With Missouri Botanical GardenIt Takes a Village to Build a StadiumMissouri Steps Up to the Plate for New Cardinal Stadium'Rib America' Festival at Soldier's MemorialTourism Season Has Dramatic
Impact on St. Louis Area EconomyReuters to Provide SAVVIS With
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by Betty Magrath, SLFP.com photos by Bob Moore, SLFP.com © 2001 St. Louis Front Page, SLFP.com ST. LOUIS, MO, (SLFP.com), August 27, 2001 - The Indy Racing Northern Light Series, held August 26, at the Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois became the launching pad for several new ventures in racing history and medical history. Prior to the race, an exuberant Raymond Parsons dodged team mechanics and racing fans as he cruised through the garage area at top speeds in his electric wheelchair. Parsons, a businessman from Bellevue, Ohio, suffers from a spinal cord injury and is a quadriplegic. He shares a passion for racing with another quadriplegic, Sam Schmidt, of Sam Schmidt Motorsports Racing Special. Schmidt is a former race car driver who was paralyzed from the shoulders down after an accident during a test session in January 2000 at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Florida. "Sam Schmidt and myself have worked together since February with the #99 team," stated Parsons. "We had an opportunity to make a purchase of Dick Simon MotorSports' team equipment which gave us the second car," said Parsons. Parsons spoke enthusiastically about the young driver who was brought in for the G-Force Parsons' Project. Anthony Lazzaro was Schmidt's former teammate in the 1995 Hooter's Series. "He's extremely talented," noted Parsons. "Because the IRL format works, it gives new drivers an opportunity to come in and be extraordinarily competitive. However, he's only had a limited time in the car due to the weather."
Lazzaro drove the Parsons' Project for 77 laps before dropping out with engine problems. His teammate, Alex Baron in the #99, was forced out after 41 laps due to an unfortunate incident coming out of the pit. "Racing's really tested our metal," stated Parsons, who was injured about the same time as Schmidt. "But we've had an opportunity to showcase our talents and our mental capability. We're just gritty enough to think we can run an IRL team," he noted with determination. "I'm also very thankful to Standard Management Retirement Fund out of Indianapolis who just came on board as a sponsor making all this possible." "The race also gives us an opportunity to attract attention to the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. Today, we are going to be making a $50,000 donation to Dr. McDonald at Washington University Medical Center for the embryonic stem cell research program," he continued. The spinal cord injury program is a joint venture between Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the university and the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis. Schmidt received extensive treatment and rehabilitation at Barnes-Jewish Hospital under Dr. McDonald's care last year. "The motorsports family, and especially those members of the family connected to the Indy Racing Northern Light Series and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, should be proud that they have raised this amount of money in such a short time," said Schmidt in a statement. "When one considers that my accident was only 17 months ago, you can see that we're off to a good start, although much more remains to be done." "I am a testament to their work," said Schmidt continued. "I believe that stem cell research holds the most promise right now for myself and the thousands of others who have spinal cord injuries. We hope the motorsport community will continue to support this important cause so that together we can improve many lives," he said.
Rummerfield holds the land speed record for the electric car at 245 m.p.h. His new goal is to be a driver for the Parsons' Project. "It would be the first time that a quadriplegic has come back to participate in a professional sport," he said. "Right now, we're trying to put some testing money together so I can begin driving." "Pat has been my inspiration," concluded Parsons smiling at his friend and fellow race enthusiast. Matching funds by the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation brought the total contribution for the research program to $100,000. Donations may be made by forwarding them to: The Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, 411 Dorman St., Indianapolis, Ind. 46202-3647, tel. and fax: 317-236-9999.For more information on the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, see www.samschmidt.org 
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