Veterans in INDYCAR: Samuel Sorenson

Throughout the 2023 INDYCAR season we’ve highlighted veterans who work within the racing series, whether for Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) or other racing teams, INDYCAR or Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This week we’re highlighting U.S. Navy veteran Samuel Sorenson, a hospitality transport driver for Chip Ganassi Racing since January 2022. He drives the semi to the race, helps set up the hospitality area and then will work the area throughout a race weekend. He’ll also proved golf cart rides to and from the pits, garages and other areas for race attendees.

Sorenson spoke with American Legion Social Media Manager Steven B. Brooks about working for a championship-winning race team, taking his military experience and using it now, and the feeling he gets not only seeing The American Legion’s Be the One message on CGR cars, but what it’s like interacting with other veterans on race weekends.

Steven Brooks: How did you come to work for Chip Ganassi Racing?

Sorenson: After I got out of the service in 2015, I went to college in Ohio for over four years and finished that up at the end of 2019 and started drag racing for a couple years. Getting to Ganassi wasn’t planned, I guess. I happened to meet one of the guys who worked in hospitality already for them, and we got to talking and watching football. And at the end of the drag racing season, I was looking at buying a house, and what they offered me in drag racing wasn’t going to cut it. So, I took my chances and came over to Ganassi.

Question: In the time you’ve been there, what’s it like knowing every race weekend you’re a part of an organization and team that’s going to put someone in a position to win that race, and more often than not, multiple drivers running at or near the front. Just that overall team success and knowing you’re a part of that?

Sorenson: It’s great. You talk about the quality in that organization, and it’s great to have those guys around you. (Team owner Chip Ganassi) always said, “Do the obvious right thing.” To have the guys around you, and you can go ask them even for the simplest favors, and you know they’re going to be there to help you out. Just taking care of each other like that is what gives us the ability to put ourselves in the position with all four of our cars. To go out on race day and not only compete … that’s the expectation we have and that we put on ourselves. It’s one big goal we all strive for.

Question: What is it you learned in those six years in the Navy that can maybe transfer over into your civilian life?

Sorenson: You’ve always got to be ready, whether in the Navy or in racing. Things change in an instant. Even going down getting to the race you could blow a tire. When things change, you have to be able to not only adapt to and overcome it, but you have to be there and rely on the guys next to you to help you get through that. I think that’s where we strive as a team to be: getting everybody to that finish line.

Question: You’ve seen that Be the One message on the No. 10 American Legion Honda driven by (NTT INDYCAR SERIES points champion) Alex Palou cross the finish first four times this season. What’s it feel like, being a veteran, to see your team make this one of their missions this year: to raise awareness about the issue of veteran suicide and how we hope we can tackle it?

Sorenson: It’s a great feeling. Even when we’re around the racetrack and I’m not at hospitality or in the pit, we’ll be going back and forth … and people will stop and say, “Hey, I’m a veteran, too. Thank you for putting that out there. Thank you for sending that message out on such a broad scale for everyone to see.” It’s a great feeling to know that people see it and that the change is there It’s happening right in front of you.