Sam Posey

Competitor
CLASS OF 2015

Sam Posey started out competing in Formula Vee at Lime Rock Park during the mid-1960’s. In 1967, he became the first driver to complete a lap in less than a minute, with a 58.6 second lap around the 1.53 mile Connecticut road course. He scored a win there in 1969 driving a Carroll Shelby prepared Ford Mustang.

He drove his Ferrari to four straight Top 10 finishes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1969-1972, with a career best 3rd place in 1971. Sam won the 1975 12 Hours of Sebring in a BMW 3.0 CSL Coupe. He also scored wins at the 24 Hours at Daytona in 1968 and 1970.

Over his three decades of racing, competed in all forms of racing, including Indy Cars, Formula 1, Formula 5000, Can-Am, Trans-Am, World Endurance Championship and IMSA. He retired from racing after the 1981 season.

Posey quickly turned to broadcast commentary for ABC Sports, including the Indy 500 from 1982-1996, select NASCAR Cup Series broadcasts and even the Tour de France cycling event from 1989-1991. He earned a Emmy award for sportswriting for his work on Trans Antartica, the International Expedition. He continued his career on Speedvision (later Speed Channel).

The talented Posey was also an accomplished artist, painter and architect. He also wrote an autobiography “The Mudge Pond Express” about his racing career. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1995, yet remained active in his studio.

In 2013, Lime Rock Park renamed the front straight “The Sam Posey Straight” in his honor.