This Saturday, the NASCAR Xfinity Series makes its annual stop at Pocono Raceway. This is expected to be the next step in the fight for the championship in the regular season. But for Sage Karam it will be much more.
It’s Karam’s first return to Pocono since a 2015 incident that changed his life and career. He will drive for Alpha Prime Racing in the #45 car.
Karam is ready to return to Pocono and end a tough part of his life seven years after an accident he caused at Turn 1 that claimed the life of veteran racer Justin Wilson.
Sage Karam’s Pocono Race Crash: What Happened to Him?
In August 2015, in a race with 21 laps to go, Karam lost control of his car and crashed. As the rest of the field passed, pieces of trash were thrown all over the track.
Sage finished the 2015 IndyCar season with 20 points. He lost to rival Gabby Chaves for Rookie of the Year because Saavedra was back in the car for the season finale in Sonoma.
Karam is still transitioning into stock car racing, but he has now returned to the track that changed his life forever to earn a much-needed and hard-fought degree.
Sage Karam made Justin Wilson crash and die; Racer is still in pain
As Karam’s car skipped around the track, his nose hit Justin Wilson in the head.
Wilson suffered a serious head injury and was taken to a nearby hospital, but died there the next day.
His fatal fall led to further calls for IndyCar to seal the cockpit, as did Jules Bianchi’s 2014 crash for Formula 1.
Karam’s efforts to become a full-time IndyCar driver slowed and he began making a series of special appearances instead.
In addition to reconnecting with a sports psychologist, he helped his father coach Easton High School’s wrestling team.
He was able to forgive himself because he befriended Stefan, Justin’s brother, and Wilson’s two daughters.
How much money will Sage Karam have in 2022?
Sage Karam, a racer, is believed to be worth around $5 million in 2022. At this point, the exact amount he earns has not been released.
He won a $350,000 prize package that allowed him to compete in the 2011 Star Mazda Championship as part of the Road to Indy program and the Mazdaspeed development leaders.
Karam won back-to-back oval races at the Milwaukee Mile and the Iowa Speedway. This made him Rookie of the Year. He also finished fifth on points.
He qualified for the 105th Indianapolis 500 on May 23, 2021 on the 11th and last row with Simona de Silvestro of Switzerland and Will Power of Australia.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing awarded him a five-race contract for the 2019 Americas Rallycross Championship.
Karam, who was born in Nazareth, raced in nitro rallycross for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in 2021. He won five races and was on the podium seven times. He finished second in the championship standings.