A quadriplegic, former Indy Racing League driver got a chance to drive on the Long Beach Grand Prix road course track Sunday thanks to the creators of a modified 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray. When Sam Schmidt became paralyzed from the neck down after crashing during testing in Orlando in 2000, his team thought he would never walk, let alone, drive again, according to ESPN. Although he defied the odds last spring, driving on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Schmidt conquered a trickier task Sunday: navigating the twists and sharp turns of the famous street course in Long Beach. Overcoming: Sam Schmidt (photographed)  drove a sports car on the Long Beach Grand Prix road course Sunday despite being paralyzed from the neck down . Independent: Schmidt conquered a the 11-turn circuit Sunday in a modified 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray -- a vehicle which allowed Schmidt to navigate the car independently using only his head and mouth . Schmidt took to the course about an hour before the Grand Prix and did nearly two laps around the 11-turn circuit in the modified Corvette. He said it was an 'unbelievable experience.' 'Coming here for 25 years with my parents, I always wanted to race here, but never had the opportunity so it's a really, really special day,' he said. 'It's a totally different experience sitting here. There's bumps you don't see from the TV and video games don't do it justice.' SAM Car: Schmidt completed the difficult task with the help of a semi-autonomous motorcar, or SAM car (photographed) Racetrack: The modified car includes integrated advanced electronics and a human-to-machine interface which allows quadriplegics -- like Schmidt -- to safely operate the vehicle under 'racetrack conditions' Schmidt completed the difficult task with the help of a semi-autonomous motorcar, or SAM car. The SAM car is a collaborative venture between Arrow Electronics, Inc., Freescale® Semiconductor, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Conquer Paralysis Now, according to Business Wire. Arrow leads the development. The modified car includes integrated advanced electronics and a human-to-machine interface which allows quadriplegics -- like Schmidt -- to safely operate the vehicle under 'racetrack conditions,' according to Arrow's website. *Based on reports from Arrow. The car includes an infrared camera system, a sip/puff system, a computer system, GPS technology, and a safety system. 'This is probably the most fun and less stress that I'll see all day,' Schmidt said. 'Being on the stand is not as fun as this...In the IndyCar Series it's a team effort and this is a team effort with this group of engineers. It's pretty nice to being to drive this car again.' Drive: When Sam Schmidt (photographed before the accident) became paralyzed from the neck down after crashing during testing in Orlando in 2000, his team thought he would never walk, let alone, drive again . Schmidt reached a top speed of 80 mph at the track, which was less than what he reached at Indianapolis last spring. But this feat involved the tricky turns around Long Beach streets. Just one year after the life-changing crash, he founded Sam Schmidt Motorsports and in 2013 formed Schmidt Peterson Motorsports along with Ric Peterson.
Sam Schmidt drove a sports car on the Long Beach Grand Prix road course Sunday despite being paralyzed from the neck down . The modified car allowed him to navigate the vehicle independently using his head and mouth . In 2000, Schmidt suffered a spinal injury while testing in Florida, his team thought he would never drive again .