Sage Karam
Sage Karam | |||||||
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2022 position 34th | | ||||||
Best finish | 20th (2015) | ||||||
First race | 2014 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
Last race | 2022 Indianapolis 500 (Indianapolis) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
28 races run over 4 years | |||||||
Car no., team | No. 26 (Sam Hunt Racing) No. 32 (Jordan Anderson Racing) No. 35 (Joey Gase Motorsports) | ||||||
2023 position | 35th | ||||||
Best finish | 35th (2023) | ||||||
First race | 2021 Pennzoil 150 (Indianapolis G.P.) | ||||||
Last race | 2023 Road America 180 (Road America) | ||||||
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2021 position | 113th | ||||||
Best finish | 113th (2021) | ||||||
First race | 2021 United Rentals 200 (Martinsville) | ||||||
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Previous series | |||||||
Firestone Indy Lights Champion |
Sage Rennie Karam (born March 5, 1995) is an American professional racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing, the No. 32 Chevrolet Camaro for Jordan Anderson Racing, and the No. 35 Toyota Supra for Joey Gase Motorsports. He previously competed full-time and part-time in the IndyCar Series. He is the 2013 champion in what is now the Indy NXT Series.
Racing career
Early career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/PLM12_Star_Mazda_88_Sage_Karam.jpg/220px-PLM12_Star_Mazda_88_Sage_Karam.jpg)
Karam was born in and grew up in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. He raced go-karts at Oakland Valley Race Park in Cuddebackville, New York in his youth.
After karting, Karam competed in the
Indy Lights
In 2013, he moved up the
Sports cars
Karam was signed by
The Daytona 24 Hours was a short race for Sage, as they suffered engine troubles and dropped out early.
Taking over in hour four, Karam made his 12 Hours of Sebring debut a memorable one by taking the No. 02 car from third place to the lead in his opening lap then extending his lead through the end of his driving stint. Karam took the wheel for his second stint with the car in fourth place and proceeded to drive to the lead again before handing off to Dixon, who was then knocked off course of a back-marker, leaving them in sixth place at race end.[8]
Back in the 01 car for Watkins Glen, teamed with Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas, things went awry quickly for the trio as first Rojas was sent hard into the wall by a slower GT car. They returned to the race several laps down, only for Pruett to suffer similar consequences when knocked into the wall by a sports prototype.[9]
With Rojas sidelined due to nagging back injuries,[10] Karam started for his final appearance of the season at the Brickyard Grand Prix, teamed with Pruett in the 01 car. Starting sixth, he skillfully dodged a major melee as several cars came together at the start. The 01 team remained among the leaders and lead 11 laps before collecting a second place, podium finish.[11]
During 2016, Karam worked as a test driver of
IndyCar
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Sage_Karam_2017_Indianapolis_500.jpg/220px-Sage_Karam_2017_Indianapolis_500.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Sage_karam_%2851222503450%29.jpg/220px-Sage_karam_%2851222503450%29.jpg)
Ganassi secured Karam a seat in the 2014 Indianapolis 500 with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which had not run an IndyCar race since the previous "500".[12] Karam qualified 31st but drove an outstanding race to finish ninth, the second-highest-finishing rookie.[13][14]
During the
2015 ABC Supply 500 crash at Pocono
In his homecoming at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania for the 2015 ABC Supply 500 on August 23, Karam was leading with 21 laps remaining when he lost control exiting turn 1, eliminating his Chip Ganassi number 8 Dallara as it spun and crashed hard into the wall. Debris strewn from Karam's disintegrating car made contact with fellow competitor Justin Wilson's helmet, sending him into the infield wall where the safety team extracted him unconscious and unresponsive, necessitating an emergency medevac to Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Allentown where Wilson lay comatose, in critical condition.[16][17] Wilson succumbed to his injuries on August 24, 2015.[18]
With Saavedra back in the car for the 2015 season finale at Sonoma, Karam finished
On a one-race agreement for 2016,
On a successive one-race agreement, again Dreyer & Reinbold signed Karam to drive the Mecum Auctions No. 24 Dallara-Chevrolet for the 2017 Indianapolis 500. Having improved from his 21st qualifying slot into the top 10, Karam retired his Mecum Auctions Dreyer & Reinbold entry at the 275-mile juncture, with a dead battery. He joined the team again in 2018, sponsored by Wix, but crashed the car on lap 154.
In 2019, he again drove for
On January 7, 2020,
On May 23, 2021, Karam joined Will Power of Australia and Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland as the final three drivers to qualify in the 11th and last row for the 105th running of the Indy 500. He earned the seventh position, his best Indy 500 finish ever.
Rallycross
Karam was signed by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing on a five-race contract for the 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship season.[22] He performed well, never finishing lower than second and earned a win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.[23] In 2021, he returned to rallycross with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to compete in Nitro Rallycross.[24] He finished second in the championship standings, earning five wins and seven podiums.
NASCAR
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/Sage_Karam_44_Xfinity_Sonoma_2023.jpg/220px-Sage_Karam_44_Xfinity_Sonoma_2023.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Sage_Karam_32_Xfinity_Las_Vegas_2024.jpg/220px-Sage_Karam_32_Xfinity_Las_Vegas_2024.jpg)
On July 26, 2021, it was announced that Karam would make his NASCAR debut in the No. 31 for
Karam signed with Alpha Prime Racing for a part-time Xfinity schedule in 2022.[27] At Road America, Karam had an on-road scuffle with Noah Gragson, resulting in Gragson intentionally spinning out Karam and triggering a 13-car pileup on lap 25. Gragson was fined US$35,000 and docked 30 driver and owner points for the incident.[28]
On September 14, 2022, Karam stated in an interview with Dustin Albino from
Karam did not end up getting a full-time NASCAR ride again in 2024 and on January 23 was announced to run part-time for Sam Hunt Racing again in the Xfinity Series beginning at the season-opener at Daytona in the team's No. 26 car.[35] On February 27, it was revealed that Karam would run the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas in March for Jordan Anderson Racing in their No. 32 car. Karam previously drove part-time for JAR in the Xfinity and Truck Series in 2021.[36]
Personal life
Karam lives in Easton, Pennsylvania with his wife Abigail and three dogs. The two were married on July 16, 2021.[37] He has a younger sister, Sydnee Karam, a swimmer.[37] He graduated from Nazareth Area High School in 2014.[38]
Racing record
Career summary
American open–wheel racing results
(key)
U.S. F2000 National Championship
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Andretti Autosport
|
STP 1 |
STP 1 |
ORP 2 |
IOW 1 |
NJM 1 |
NJM 9 |
ACC 2 |
ACC 1 |
ROA 1 |
ROA 1 |
ATL 1 |
ATL 1 |
1st | 351 |
Star Mazda Championship
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011
|
Andretti Autosport
|
STP 15 |
BAR 9 |
IND 3 |
MIL 1 |
IOW 1 |
MOS 13 |
TRO 4 |
TRO 5 |
SON 4 |
BAL 2 |
LAG 16 |
5th | 364 | ||||||
2012
|
Andretti Autosport
|
STP 8 |
STP 7 |
BAR 2 |
BAR 12 |
IND 2 |
IOW 1 |
TOR 21 |
TOR 3 |
EDM 2 |
EDM 2 |
TRO 2 |
TRO 1 |
BAL 15 |
BAL 1 |
LAG 7 |
LAG 19 |
ATL 2 |
3rd | 325 |
Indy Lights
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013
|
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
|
STP 3 |
ALA 4 |
LBH 3 |
INDY 3 |
MIL 1 |
IOW 1 |
POC 2 |
TOR 6 |
MDO 8 |
BAL 2 |
HOU 1 |
FON 3 |
1st | 460 |
IndyCar Series
(key)
* Season still in progress.
Years | Teams | Races | Poles | Wins | Podiums (non-win)** |
Top 10s (non-podium)*** |
Indianapolis 500 wins |
Championships |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
4 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
- ** Podium (non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd-place finishes.
- *** Top 10s (non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th-place finishes.
Indianapolis 500
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 31 | 9 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2015 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 22 | 32 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
2016 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 23 | 32 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Kingdom Racing |
2017 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 21 | 28 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2018 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 24 | 26 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2019 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 31 | 19 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2020 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 31 | 24 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2021 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 31 | 7 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
2022 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 22 | 23 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)
Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | P | Ford EcoBoost Riley DP | Ford Ecoboost 3.5 L V6 Turbo | DAY 11 |
SEB 6 |
LBH |
LGA |
DET |
WGL 8 |
MOS |
IMS 2 |
ELK |
COA |
PET |
23rd | 104 | |
2015
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | P | Ford EcoBoost Riley DP | Ford Ecoboost 3.5 L V6 Turbo | DAY 6 |
SIR |
LBH |
LGA |
DET |
WGL |
MSP |
ELK |
COA |
PET |
27th | 26 | ||
2017
|
3GT Racing | GTD | Lexus RC F GT3 | Lexus 5.0 L V8 | DAY 27 |
SEB 18 |
LBH 6 |
COA 9 |
DET 6 |
WGL 6 |
MOS 5 |
LIM 12 |
ELK 8 |
VIR 7 |
LGA 14 |
PET 10 |
15th | 244 |
American rallycross racing results
Complete Americas Rallycross results
(key)
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Olsbergs MSE | ARX2 | MDO | GAT
|
TRR | COTA | MDO | 6th | 129 | ||||
2 | 2 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Complete Nitro Rallycross results
Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Olsbergs MSE | NEXT | UT | ERX | WHP
|
GHR | FIRM | 2nd | 385 | |||||
DNS | 5 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Xfinity Series
Camping World Truck Series
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | NCWTC | Pts | Ref |
2021 | Jordan Anderson Racing | 3 | Chevy | DAY | DAY | LVS | ATL | BRI | RCH | KAN | DAR | COA | CLT | TEX | NSH | POC | KNX | GLN | GTW | DAR | BRI | LVS | TAL | MAR 32 |
PHO | 113th | 01 | [52] |
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
References
- ^ Karam Puts an Exclamation Point on His Title By Dominating Friday's USF2000 Race Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Paddock Talk, October 1, 2010, Retrieved October 4, 2010
- ^ Piersall, Debbie. Nazareth teen is one step closer to Indy after championship Archived September 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, The Morning Call, October 1, 2010, Retrieved October 4, 2010
- ^ Sage Karam Graduates With Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Archived March 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, SPEED, March 8, 2013, Retrieved March 14, 2013
- ^ Lewandowski, Dave (October 19, 2013). "Karam secures title; Munoz wins fourth race". IndyCar. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
- ^ Blake, Corkey (January 4, 2014). "Sage Karam to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona". The Express-Times. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- Daytona News-Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
- ^ Ganassi Confirms Sebring Lineups - Tony DiZinno, Sportscar365, March 5, 2014
- ^ "CGRFS Wins in 12 Hours of Sebring Debut - Sage Karam Racing". sagekaram.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
- ^ "Carrera 6 horas glen". Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ "Brickyard Grand Prix Archives - Sage Karam Racing". sagekaram.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
- ^ "07/25/2014 race: Brickyard Grand Prix (WSCC) - Racing-Reference.info". www.racing-reference.info. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Sage Karam, 19, lands Indy 500 ride with Ganassi and DRR, USA Today, April 29, 2014, retrieved May 30, 2014
- ^ Fox Sports. "Carpenter, Rahal rip rookie Karam after high-speed Iowa showdown". FOX Sports. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- Indianapolis Star. Associated Press. January 25, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ "Sage Karam and Sebastian Saavedra to split Ganassi ride for remainder of IndyCar season". Associated Press. May 26, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Justin Wilson airlifted to hospital during Pocono race". ESPN. August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ^ Olson, Jeff (August 23, 2015). "IndyCar driver Justin Wilson in a coma after Pocono crash". USA Today. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- Indianapolis Star. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ INDYCAR (July 2, 2019). "KARAM LANDS RIDE WITH CARLIN FOR TORONTO". INDYCAR.com. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
- ^ "Dreyer & Reinbold expands Indycar program for 2020". RACER. January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ RACER (August 24, 2020). "karam-rues-pitlane-error". RACER.com. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
- ^ ARX (April 18, 2019). "INDY 500 DRIVER SAGE KARAM TO COMPETE IN ARX2 WITH DREYER & REINBOLD RACING AT MID-OHIO & GATEWAY". arxrallycross.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- ^ ARX (October 5, 2019). "INDY 500 DRIVER SAGE KARAM CLAIMS FIRST ARX2 VICTORY". arxrallycross.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
- twitter.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- ^ "Sage Karam to drive for Jordan Anderson Racing at Indy Road Course". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 26, 2021.
- ^ Stumpf, Stephen (September 10, 2021). "Sage Karam Returns to Jordan Anderson Racing for 2 Races, Sets Truck Debut for Martinsville". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ Estrada, Chris (January 6, 2022). "Xfinity: Sage Karam to run part-time for Alpha Prime Racing in 2022". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Noah Gragson fined, loses points for Road America driving that led to wreck". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ Albino, Dustin (September 14, 2022). "Chasing Points in 2023, Sage Karam Aims for Stable Ride". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam returning to Alpha Prime Racing for select races in 2023". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media. December 2, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Christie, Toby (December 2, 2022). "INTERVIEW: Sage Karam Gives More Details About 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Campaign with Alpha Prime Racing". TobyChristie.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Srigley, Joseph (July 19, 2023). "Sage Karam Tapped to Drive Sam Hunt Racing No. 24 at Road America". TobyChristie.com.
- ^ "(Twitter post)". Twitter. Joseph Srigley. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam hoping to get full-time NASCAR ride". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. July 30, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam competing in multiple races for Sam Hunt Racing in 2024". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. January 23, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "(Twitter post)". Joseph Srigley. February 27, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
ENTRY LIST UPDATE: @SageKaram is now listed as the driver of the No. 32 Chevrolet for @JARNASCAR in Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series event at @LVMotorSpeedway.
- ^ a b Rob Harms (August 22, 2015). "The New Face of IndyCar Racing Is Not Afraid to Bump Fenders or Heads". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ^ Matt Smith (August 5, 2015). "IndyCar driver Sage Karam returns to Nazareth Area High School on Aug. 5, 2015". The Express-Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2019 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2020 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2021 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2022 NTT IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sage Karam – 2021 Camping World Truck Series Results". Racing Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Sage Karam on X
- Sage Karam career summary at DriverDB.com
- Sage Karam driver statistics at Racing-Reference