Sage Karam pauses momentarily. He lets the silence briefly hang in the air before summarizing the last 11 years of his life.
“Things move pretty quickly,” Karam says in a friendly, nonchalant tone.
“Fast” is a fitting way to describe the 20-year-old Nazareth native’s career trajectory. Yet, there is an earnestness in Karam’s voice. His relaxed tone belies the stunning list of accomplishments Karam has achieved in such a short amount of time.
The Verizon IndyCar Series driver has racked up 36 national karting championships and has placed in 91 national karting podiums, was named the 2013 Firestone Indy Lights Rookie of the Year and finished in ninth place in the 2014 Indianapolis 500; impressive credentials for someone a month shy of celebrating his 21st birthday.
Growing up across the street from the famous Andretti racing family in Nazareth, once a hotbed for professional auto racing, Karam knew early on that a life on the racetrack was in his future. The relationship between the Karams and the Andrettis would play an integral role in laying out Sage Karam’s eventual career path.
His father, Jody, was the personal trainer for IndyCar Series driver Michael Andretti. Karam, who races for Chip Ganassi Racing, says he spent “basically [his] whole childhood”
at the Andretti household. He befriended Marco Andretti, son of Michael Andretti and grandson of racing legend Mario Andretti.
“I got to see behind the scenes of what a successful IndyCar driver looks like,” Karam says. “I think they [the Andrettis] had a big impact on me being a driver... They were a big influence for me.”
Karam’s dream of victory laps was solidified in 2003, he says, when his father took him to watch the Indianapolis 500. “I think that’s when I said I really, really want to do this one day and be one of those guys out there,” he says.
It did not take long for Karam to get behind the wheel, albeit a plastic one. He fondly recalls zipping around the house in a Power Wheels motorized toy car. “Even then, I thought those things were cool. I would do laps in my basement,” he says, chuckling.
Moving from Power Wheels to the wheels of a go-kart when he turned four years old, Karam quickly realized he had a natural talent for the sport. Karam was named Grand National Champion of the Indy Racing League Stars of Karting Kid Kart Las Vegas and placed second in the Indy Racing League Stars of Karting East National Kid Kart Road America, which he achieved by the age of eight. “I was pretty decent off the bat,” Karam says.
By the time he was ten, Karam had added World Karting Association Overall National Cadet Champion and World Karting Association National Cadet Champion (Daytona circuit) to his resume. In 2005 alone, he competed in 21 kart championship races across the eastern United States and Canada. “I was always the youngest whenever I raced,” Karam says. “As I got older, I started to win races and win championships. I thought ‘I may be able to make something out of this.’”
As Karam continued to grow in age, so did his list of racing credits. When he was 13, Karam moved from go-karts to racecars as he began to compete in the Skip Barber circuit. In 2008,
Karam won the Skip Barber Shootout Championship. In doing so, he became the youngest winner in the history of the tournament. “That started my open-wheel career. Fortunately, when I got into car racing in the beginning, I was pretty good right away,” he says.
Two years later, the Andretti connection would come back into play. Karam was contracted to race with the Andretti Autosport IndyCar team.
In 2013, Karam was able to check off a bucket list goal by not only competing in the Indy Lights championship at the Pocono Raceway, but winning the race as well. He walked away with $1 million in prize money for his efforts. “I was always on track to get in there at a super-young age, which is cool, but challenging. At 20 years old, it’s any driver’s dream to get into IndyCar,” Karam says.
He also points to racing the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, and the Iowa Corn 300 as personal favorites. “We ended up getting fifth [at Fontana]. One more lap and we could have had a chance to win,” he says. “That was a really fun race because I led. It was just another positive race for me.”
Despite his rising profile behind the wheel, Karam, off of the track, remains humble and down-to-earth about his success. During his downtime, Karam, like any other early-20-something, enjoys listening to music, working out, playing video games and going to the movies (Karam’s favorite film is the 2008 Will Ferrell comedy Step Brothers). He also roots for the New York Yankees and Miami Dolphins.
Karam currently resides in Indianapolis, but says he is looking to move back to Nazareth. When the 2014 Nazareth Area High School graduate does return home, it is a safe bet you will find him dining at his favorite local restaurant: Sicily’s in Nazareth. “I love going to Sicily’s,” he exclaims.
Karam says he occasionally does get recognized in public. He is appreciative of his hometown’s faithful support. “[Nazareth] is such a great little town and everyone loves everyone,” Karam says. “Everyone knows everyone in it.
Everyone is a big fan of Marco and me here. That was shown at Pocono. We were definitely crowd favorites going in,” Karam says. “Most of the Nazareth crowd came out to that race.”
The former high school wrestler does his best not to miss a Nazareth football game or wrestling match. Karam competed on the mat under the tutelage of coach Dave Crowell. “Growing up and being a wrestler, wrestling was huge in Nazareth,” Karam says. “It’s always cool when I go to a wrestling match.” He adds, “Definitely after this year, coming [home] I got more, ‘Hey, you did really well’ [from fans].”
Karam says the amount of physical demand racing requires and the stress it can put on a driver’s body are often lost on fans amid the sound of roaring engines, champagne baths and swirling checkered flags. He works out six days a week, an hour and a half at a time, with the help of his father. “A lot of people don’t really understand how hard racing can be. You’re [sitting] in a car for three or four hours, there’s no power steering, in 100-degree heat,” Karam says. “It is kind of a weird feeling when your mind and body are telling you to do one thing, where it’s the complete opposite of what you should be doing... [IndyCar] really brings out the best of the drivers.”
Karam admits traveling from race to race often presents a hurdle when it comes to maintaining a steady fitness regimen to stay in shape. “This is the most dedicated I’ve ever been in an off-season going into a season. When you’re on the road, sometimes it gets challenging to get into a routine,” Karam says. “Compared to last season, it’s a big step up.”
Karam acknowledges retired British IndyCar driver Dario Franchitti for helping guide him by pushing him to work harder and changing the way Karam drives. Karam credits Franchitti for offering a particular piece of advice in order to avoid distraction on the track. “Before the [Indianapolis 500] race he said, ‘You know, I’m going to offer one tip of advice. When you’re sitting in the car, in the grid, don’t look up into the stands,’” Karam recalls. “Of course the first thing I did was look at the stands.”
Despite achieving so much so soon, Karam has not let the fame get the best of his ego or rush to his head. He realizes there is much to soak in and learn about professional racing. “The next couple of seasons, my goal is to keep learning. When I got into IndyCar, I didn’t think of how hard it was actually going to be,” he says. “I learned off the track that I had to become a lot more serious, with my engineers and my teammates and work a lot harder... What I’ve learned from driving is this: When I thought I was driving 100 percent, I still had 10 percent left.”
Karam still has plenty of goals in mind, specifically to “bang out an IndyCar win as soon as I can,” he says. “My biggest goal is to win the Indianapolis 500. My heart is really in IndyCar.”
