Sam Posey ..... Racing Legened or unsung Hero ??

[satman]

Sam Posey has to be one of the most interesting characters to ever climb behind the wheel of a Trans-Am car....... Not only was he a talented driver but he later went on to become a sports broadcaster and journalist. Sam has a very eloquent way with words and he really knows how to tell a story.
Unfortunately Sam now suffers from Parkinson's Disease but he seems to be coping with his condition and hopefully he will for a long time to come.

AL

[Swede70]

Greetings,

Indeed quite a fan of his here.  A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, he always seemed to telegraph something extra in his descriptions of his experiences of motor sports, trains, etc.  Very often described as loquacious then.  Brief Penske history in '68 (a sobering and clarifying experience for Sam surely), Shelby Racing Co. in '69 (final race victory for the team scored), and finally with Ray Caldwell and Autodynamics in '70, his racing autobiography The Mudge Pond Express published in 1976 is an excellent companion piece to Donohue's The Unfair Advantage if those reading haven't had opportunity to peruse the former.  SAE and Bentley (as this message was written) have republished a great many period auto racing titles of note - but sadly not this one. 

Often missed, Sam's contributions to Auto Racing: Magazine of the World's Greatest Sport in the form of the multiple-installment 'The Trans Am Trail' provided detailed and amusing insight into the further travails of the Autodynamics and Chrysler Corp. SCCA Trans-Am effort across the tulmultous '70 season.  If one has only read The Mudge Pond Express with regards to developing an understanding and appreciation of this effort, much delight can be had for reading the CRG thread that contains the Auto Racing series entire.  A gentleman surely and a fine diplomat for the American road racing scene including Group 7/Can-Am, Formula 5000, Trans-Am, etc.  May he be well...


Mike K.

[oldtransamdriver]

At the 71 Lime Rock T/A race, all the entrants, drivers, and crew received an invite to attend a gathering at the Posey estate on the Friday night, but our gang couldn't go
because of car problems that need attention.

I had the invite for many years but no longer.

Robert

[satman]

 Mike great summary.
        
                Glad to see that I am not the only person on this forum who is a big fan of Sam Posey ......... Back in the day I too enjoyed reading Sam's articles in the Automotive publications. I always enjoyed his articulate eloquent writing style.  One of my favorite Posey articles revolved around his close relationship with his mother and how whenever she attended one of his races he would he would station her on the slowest possible corner so she wouldn't get too stressed out.
   
AL
  

[Jon Mello]

I'm a fan of Sam Posey as well. Multi-talented, very personable, and always good for a quote.

[satman]

Yes Jon Sam was a very versatile driver I think if it had wheels Sam could probably drive it ......... One of my favorite Posey episodes was at Indy in 1972 when he got caught trying fake a car switch and re-qualify a car that had already failed to qualify.  http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1298&dat=19730522&id=pwBOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7IsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5137,2914330
Apparently his parties were quite legendary, unfortunately Bob would make me stay and work on the race car so I never got to go.... 

[oldtransamdriver]

Ya right.  I made you work on the car - ha ha.  I was all set to go to the party while you guys worked  Do you remember what needed attention?

Robert

[kiwiboss]

Yes im a fan too, he even raced F5000 down here in New Zealand in the 70's but unfortunately i never got to see him race!!

I remember him having a small part in the movie "Heart like a Wheel" about Shirley Muldowney

Didn't know about his ill health, sorry to hear.

Dale M

[satman]

Bob,

       We were probably repairing damage from one of your off track excursions !!!

 AL

[Swede70]

Greetings,

Of fairly recent vintage, Sam Posey was tapped to scribble brief remembrances of his Trans-Am days for Hagerty Insurance late in 2013.  For those who don't know, Hagerty sends along a brief magazine for those holding policies with them, whereas see the link to access the story online penned by Sam for said publication.  

The sense of desperation felt by the Autodynamics team in the immediate wake of their tech inspection failure at the 1970 Laguna Seca contest seems still better captured here versus elsewhere, whereas if you might obtain a print copy, some 1970 Riverside/Mission Bell 200 photo images may be further perused mixed in with the text and a scattering of contemporary vintage event photos.  Try then:

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/Articles/2013/08/14/Trans-AM-Memories

Mike K.

[69Z28-RS]

That's an interesting article; giving the perspective the drivers and teams were under at the time...  I remember mostly the '68 and '69 seasons, had lost my interest mostly by 1970??  Not sure why at this point, but it seems many had, along with the manufacturers interest waning...